Some social media platforms are used to showcase the highlights of people's lives, with smoothed-out faces and perfectly curated feeds. Meanwhile, TikTok is the place where people candidly lift the lid on the realities of life, with honest travel reviews and odd encounters along the way.
Now, one American TikToker Amanda Rollins (@americanfille) has lifted the lid on her Paris trip with her 870,000 followers. In Paris, specifically around the tourist attractions, it is not uncommon to find street vendors selling bottled water, beers and snacks.
In the footage, two men can be seen retrieving a black bag out of a sewer entrance, which Amanda claimed to be filled with refreshments ready to be sold to tourists.
"Yes, it is true that they store the water, the beer, whatever they’re selling to on the street. They store it in the sewers, as you just saw," Amanda alleged in the viral clip.
"Are there still rats and cockroaches and stuff running around? Yes, but at least that’s in a bag," she continued. "I’ve also seen them do it with like, just a bucket, like the bucket of ice and they just pull it out."
@americanfille Storing waters in the Paris sewers lol #paris #parissewers
Amanda's honest discovery racked up a staggering 1.3 million views and thousands more comments, with one suggesting that TikTok is the city's "biggest deinfluencer".
Another reiterated: "I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Paris fact on TikTok that actually makes me want to visit."
A third user, who had more of a positive outlook on the matter, added: "Ehhh, if it’s sealed then I’m fine with it."
Meanwhile, one Parisian local chipped in with some valuable advice for tourists, writing: "OR you can refill your bottle in any of the many potable water fountains in Paris. There are even some of them that serve sparkling water."
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