Unhappy Love in Thailand

[Catoni]

10 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Given that generally bites etc occur on bare skin, lower extremities and the arms, if you cover up, wear closed shoes socks, long trousers, long sleeves etc then you will minimise any likely issues.

 

There is plenty of light weight clothing available to achieve this.

 

Reduce the target area, minimise the attack.

Yes, long sleeve shirts and long pants. But for the tropics you need to make sure you get the summer weight wicking/quick drying material made for hot weather. 

      I buy Columbia shirts...one size too big, making sure they are the thinner cooler wicking summer weight material with sleeves I can roll up and fasten if I wish to have short sleeves. My pants are Mountain Warehouse thin material with zip off legs if I wish to have shorts. Protected and still great clothing for the hot tropics. 

    But I do not wear socks and shoes in the hot tropics. For foot health I go barefoot in a pair of proper men’s sandals. The mosquitos don’t seem to be interested in my feet. 

   Actually I hate the huge mosquitos we have in Canada more than I hate the mosquitoes in Cambodia and Thailand. I get a bad itchy welt the size of a half dollar coin from Canadian mosquitoes, and react almost not at all to southeast Asian mosquitoes. 

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, Catoni said:

But I do not wear socks and shoes in the hot tropics. For foot health I go barefoot in a pair of proper men’s sandals.

 

I've worn nothing but socks and shoes for the last 10 years in Thailand and my feet are just fine.

[Lacessit]

9 hours ago, rickudon said:

Traubert got it right. O positive blood is more attractive to SOME mosquitoes than other types. I have this issue. I get bitten within 2 minutes in the morning if I go into the Kitchen or Bathroom, but rarely in the evenings...…. Having many people around (like in a big party or attending an event) also seems to confuse them and the I am rarely bitten. I do find the Softel spray and citronella sprays work, but you need to spray all your exposed flesh, because the mosquitoes will find the bit you missed. Protection lasts about 3 hours for citronella, a bit longer for the chemical ones. I prefer citronella as more natural.

That doesn't explain, when I'm O-positive and the mossies head for my GF, who is A -positive. Has to be some other factor involved.

[ballpoint]

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

I've worn nothing but socks and shoes for the last 10 years in Thailand and my feet are just fine.

But you keep getting arrested for indecent exposure.

[Grusa]

Use Avon "Skin So Soft ". It's what the SAS use. You'll smell like a poof. Biting insects hate it.

[steven100]

17 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

I attract native bees, 'eye flies' and midges that are too small for me to see

I attract the native girls .... I've been bitten several times.

[TigerandDog]

There's an old fashioned aussie repellant that you can mix yourself that is guaranteed to work. The ingredients are baby oil, Dettol and Metholated Spirits. Mix equal shares ( 1/3 of each ) into a bottle, shake the bottle before use, then just pour some into your hand and rub on, Will stink a bit for 2 or 3 minutes, but after that will work a dream. If you do get bitten, it will be on an area that you missed.

[superal]

I also have the same problem with flies being the most annoying . Any amount of showering makes little difference . To the human nose there are no problems with my aroma but mozzies and flies are attracted to me .

I read a similar article last year where a man was a regular commuter to London by train and no matter what steps he took to avoid the attraction of flies it did not work and was embarrassing as he was the only person hosting the flies . Masking with another cream with a strong smell only made him more noticeable . Tis said that beer drinkers ( I am ) have a magnet for flies cos of your breath and skin hold certain goodies within their carbon dioxide even the next day or two after drinking  .Flies are said to like yeast which is in all alcohol .  Lastly I read to avoid using soaps / shampoos etc that are derived from fruit   If you sweat a lot flies love the salt on your skin . Try spraying  a solution of vinegar and lavender / citronella on your skin and clothes , is a tip I have read several times along with deet which I use to some degree of success .

[Catoni]

6 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

I've worn nothing but socks and shoes for the last 10 years in Thailand and my feet are just fine.

I always wore socks and shoes and hated thinking of wearing sandals. However just before my first trip to Thailand in 2013, I felt bad pain in my right big toe. I decided not to let that stop me from making my flight from Toronto, Canada to Chiang Mai. After I got to Chiang Mai and started settling in. I noticed my toe was getting worse. Two days later I took a Songthaew up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and was in great pain and now could hardly walk. I took my shoe and sock off and noticed my hot sweaty foot was a bit swelled and my big toe was turning black and blue and swelled. 

   Returning to my apartment, I got a Tuk tuk to McCormick Hospital. I saw a GP doctor and he sent me for x-rays to make sure I didn’t have a broken toe. Then he called in a Podiatrist foot specialist.

    He diagnosed a bad toe infection and I ended up going through two series of antibiotics before the infection and swelling went away. 

    The Podiatrist and GP also sat down and talked to me and told me to get rid of my socks and shoes in the hot tropics and get a good pair of sandals with arch support and heel strap, and go bare foot in my sandals...(not flip flops because they are bad for you in the long run).  He asked me why bundle my feet up in socks and shoes as if it’s cold outside....like I have to keep them warm or something?  I kept quiet and didn’t answer. 

     He said as long as I wash and dry them well each day and just wear sandals, my feet would thank me. 

    Now I have a couple of pair of men’s Teva Holliway sandals. Good arch support and heel strap. They last for years and can get soaked with no bad effect to them. (“Waterproof” sandals 5555 ???? ) 

    The podiatrist foot specialist doctor said that in the hot tropics it makes no real sense to bundle the feet up in socks and shoes as if it is cold outside. 

     He said only wear socks and shoes if you really have to for my job or if walking in the forest or other wild areas where there might be snakes and things. 

    I find my feet stay much drier being exposed to the sun and air, and with no noticeable smell anymore from sweat. With showering twice a day and barefoot in sandals...much better, cooler and drier feet....no “toe jam”... And no more infections. I seriously wish I had learned this years and years ago. If I could turn the clock back, I would start going barefoot in sandals at every opportunity when warm outside and not in forest or wilderness where shoes or boots might be needed. 

    I actually will not wear socks and shoes anymore unless walking in the jungle, or in the Canadian winter or if I have to wear my suit. 

    I actually dislike socks and shoes very much now. And my feet are looking much better and seem to be much healthier for it. 

Edited July 6, 2019 by Catoni
Addition

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, steven100 said:

I attract the native girls .... I've been bitten several times.

I hope you aren't into BJ's, then.

[Foexie]

22 hours ago, aonangkrabi said:

DEET really helps.

My ...

 

This y i bought a brand new bottle with 50% DEET. After 1 week i already had over 50 mosquitoe bites.

[wgdanson]

20 hours ago, Deerculler said:

For years now, even in my own country I use marmite or vegemite.

I spread it on 3 slices of toast for breakfeast 2/3 times a week.

Or a teaspoon in a glass of hot or warm water and drink it.

It gets into the bloodstream.

I think it could be the yeast extract.

Maybe yeast could do the same.

I like marmite and vegemite so that is what I use.

Takes a little while for it to get into your system. It works for me.

Only works for mossies and sandflies.

Goodluck.

 

Doesn't beer have yeast in it?

[Kwasaki]

13 hours ago, Catoni said:

Where did you find that list of mosquito borne illnesses? Denque, Malaria, West Nile, Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis. Yeah...I know about those ones.

         But where did you find those other ones?

  Ross River? St. Louis Encephalitis, Dilofilariasis,  Equine viruses? Barmah  Forest Fever etc. ?   Never heard of them before. I thought Tularemia is rabbit fever. In Canada there is also Bird Flu passed by mosquitos as well as West Nile. But not the other diseases.  

    Are all of them in Southeast Asia? 

Yellow Fever is not in Southeast Asia.

   Just wondering where you got that list.....certainly interesting. 

Much info on mozi, search google just mess around with how you ask.

I looked into mozi as I died in Thailand with dengue fever but was revived and brought back again.

If you can't find it I'll look in computer search history for ya.

Edited July 6, 2019 by Kwasaki

[potless]

20 hours ago, Foexie said:

This y i bought a brand new bottle with 50% DEET. After 1 week i already had over 50 mosquitoe bites.

Maybe you arent using it correctly. It isnt a repellent as such. It works by masking your natural body odour. So you apply it and spread it over all exposed areas {not your face}. If you miss a bit you may be bitten. If you wear a dark shirt, it can help to spray the back of the shirt before you put it on. I get my deet from Boots chemist. Grey bottle. Hope this helps

[ThomasThBKK]

On 7/6/2019 at 1:13 AM, bendejo said:

I once went to Mahidol University hospital to get anti-malarial stuff for a trip into deepest, darkest SEA (this was around 2004).  Turns out, at least at that time, this was the place in Thailand taking the lead in research of mozzie-borne disease, and it was a great curiosity that a farang tourist found his way there.  Turns out the only person present who was fluent in English was one of the research doctors, a young fellow, and we had a good chat.  I asked about repellents and he laughed, said NOTHING works as well as DEET.  He gave me something they were currently working on, but told me not to get my hopes up; they put vanilla scent in it, so strong it turned my stomach so I couldn't use it.

 

 

It still is the premier mosquito, especially malaria, research spot in asia, besides japan.

 

Mahidol developed some new antimosquito spray last year, supposed to work nearly as good as deet but done from natural ingredients. They sell it only there tho afaik.