Friends,
I have finally realized what my purpose for being in Thailand is…
It's to nourish the mosquito population. The little bugs really like me. There must be something quite flavorful about my farang blood that they will fly in from all directions to sample. And I'm positive that after a nice meal, they wiz off and tell all their friends where the best dinner is. The mosquitoes here are minute. You think they were simple little gnats, nothing to fuss about. Not so. Evolution figured out the "small is better" advantage when it came to these guys. They are not as easily spotted as they home in for a dose of my blood. And being so small, when they land on your skin, you can't feel it. I have been bitten hundreds of times, and I have yet to actually see a mosquito on my skin. I've had constellations of bites on my back. Going shirtless is a nice idea in the luxurious temperature here, but it means they are going to get you. I slather on the repellent, which seems to dismay them a bit. But they are quite expert at finding the little patch of skin I missed. They especially like your ankles and calves. I won't leave home with out my DEET. If there is any chance of being out after nightfall I have one of the little bottles in my kit, or pay for it later. And these creeps are active 24/7. They tend to stay out of the hot sun, but then you must be out in the sun to enjoy the relief. One small consolation: these mosquitoes are fairly solitary. I have suffered through the *swarms* of mosquitoes in Michigan and Ohio. Thai 'skeetos are not like that. Thank whatever god they live by.
I finished the brickwork on the wall we knocked out, and helped move the junk from the back porch to the shed and the burn pile. Tok is allergic to lots of dust. She broke out in hives the night before last when we swept up much of the concrete and wall dust and debris in the front entry. The hives are still dissipating. So there is frequent sweeping and moping to do to keep the dust level down. I tried to keep a fan blowing out the window, to make some airflow *out* of the house, but they see the fan sitting there burning up electricity, with no person sitting in front of it, and someone turns it off. I turn it on. Next time I come back in the house, it's off again. Gave that one up. Prior programming "unplug and turn off what is not being used this very minute" over-rides the temporary program "air flow to take dust out the widow using the fan". So I gave up on that concept. But we're almost there with the major projects and clean-up.
I hope we can have a day to borrow Jamlongs motorbike and goto the mountains before departure to Bangkok. We'll see.
BTW: DEET is the active ingredient in mosquito repellant.
Onward!
Nu
Thai bit: After having a baby, the new mother lays continuously next to a fire for up to seven days, drinking herbal tea and eating only rice, salt and fish.
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i am in thailand at the moment. to be added or deleted from my travelogue, send request to this address. view previous posts at: http://thaikarl.blogspot.com/
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