15 Oct, 2011:
Foreigners to Thailand
are little more than a buffet to many of the local flying buglets. They don’t bother the Thai people so much,
but they are chewing the hell out of me and my American and European cohorts. The screens on the windows keep out the
bigger ones, but the little guys just zoom straight through and are in.
Citronella spray is readily available and works pretty
good. I’ve a can of Off and it’s ok, but
spraying it on when standing on a tile floor can make life tricky because it’s
oily. I sprayed it on in my shower room,
which was even a bigger hah once the floor got wet during my next shower.
Once you’ve let your guard down and have lost a few pints of
blood, you will be tortured by the itching of the bumps. Put Tiger Balm on them. If you have it, put yellow oil on them. This kills the itch for a while, and will
make you taste bad. Buffet closed! YAY!
The ceiling in my room is too high for a net. I could hang one, but there would have to be
some DIY first. I have worked out that I
have to shut the windows before I turn on the lights at night. Once I’ve gone to bed and just have a bedside
lamp on, I wait. Whoever is in the room
with me, waiting for me to fall asleep, will come to the light. They can’t help it. When they do, I kill them. I leave no survivors. I don’t stop; don’t sleep until I’ve killed
them all. I know Buddha is in every
living thing, including the flying, bloodsucking horde, and I’m sorry it has to
be this way, but hey.
Our Thai teachers, when they see mosquitoes buzzing around
looking for a good place to land on one of us walking feasts, just laugh and
say the mosquitoes are coming to kiss us.
Hmph.
Blue vial: Citronella mosquito repellent. Yellow bottle: yellow oil, for when the inevitable happens. Jar on the end: Tiger Balm.
Hi Cheryl!
ReplyDeleteWherever you go in this world there are bugs. Sometimes I think they are more in charge than we are. As for the bugs coming to kiss you, I don't think so... Kisses I like, but getting stuck or bit - NOT! We had to buy mosquito head-gear because the mosquitoes are so bad this year, and Harry wants to finish building the woodshed. Around here, the buggers seem to like their blood mixed with deet!
The leaves have finally been turning beautiful colors. The amount of rain we have been having has slowed it down, plus many leaves are falling without even changing color - just brown. This is probably my favorite time of year, I love the feeling of walking through the leaves, and hearing the rustling sound they make. Took a couple of walks in the woods behind the house - so peaceful and beautiful - but picked up a tick each time. The first one, I did not find until 2 days later, and there was a distinct red circle around it (the bulls-eye pattern). I called the doctor's office and got a prescription for doxycycline. Better to prevent Lyme disease than to wait for symptoms to develop. The second one I found because it was crawling on my arm and tickled - it got flushed!
It was our 34th wedding anniversary yesterday. How time flies when you're having fun!!! We went out to dinner at a local Inn where the food is excellent and the prices high. We did have a coupon from Restaurants.com, and as AARP members it cost even less. So, we got a $25 discount and it only cost $2. Too bad that eating out is expensive (and fattening!), or we would do it more often. However, I do love to cook, and I think my cooking is pretty good.
Glad you have come up with a system for beating the bugs. Getting your sleep is important - I know that the itching can interfere with that!
I love reading your blog. Talk to you soon.
Susan