Farm Life-can I Survive?

[janetplanet]

Hi Forum,

I'm a newbie here but happily surprised to see this Farming in Thailand Forum! I have spent the past year living on my husband's farm near Krabi. I gave birth at a rural hospital and have been raising our daughter on the farm. They grow rubber and palm oil. There is no bank in his town, no internet cafes, no falang except me. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it! I love the fact that we live off the land, we eat fresh food, the air is so clean, the people are pure and simple. I hate the fact that I have no friends there because my Thai is pathetic and no one speaks english. Also, I want to know how people protect themselves from all the creepy critters that are everywhere. I'm in Canada now visiting the family but the last time I was on the farm it was awful, horrible terrible night when a centipede crawled into our bed and was inches from my baby and I had to kill it with my hands! So painful and so much drama in the middle of the night!! How do I prevent this from happening again?

[meandwi]

We live on a large farm outside of Ao Luk. My wifes family raises rubber,palm oil rambutan, longam, mangosteen and durian. Living off the land is an awsome thing. Alot of work,, all the time! PM me for info on my sister-in-laws restuarant. She has internet you can use. We live on a farm in South Florida and stay in Ao Luk during the hurricane season. We just arrived back in Florida. No hurricanes hit directly this year.

We have a one year old, and I am at war with all bugs! First, keep the floors clean. No eating in the bedroom. Get a mosquito net, tuck it in while not in the room. Keep the light off as much as possible. If your nursing, change the sheets every morning. I keep a fan on all day and night, blowing towards the door. We have an Avon product called "skin so soft" it is great for keeping biting insects off during the day. Buy it while in Canada. We don't go to sleep until my wife is sure I have removed all bugs from the room.

Good luck,

meandwi

[Gary A]

Allow a couple of took gaes and some jing joks in the house. Keep the bedroom sealed as well as you can. Good screens on the windows and a well fitting door will keep the creepy crawlers out of the bedroom. We keep the bedroom door closed as much as possible. My wife used to catch and throw out the took gaes out but finally decided that a couple of them were better than the creepy crawlers.

[janetplanet]

Allow a couple of took gaes and some jing joks in the house. Keep the bedroom sealed as well as you can. Good screens on the windows and a well fitting door will keep the creepy crawlers out of the bedroom. We keep the bedroom door closed as much as possible. My wife used to catch and throw out the took gaes out but finally decided that a couple of them were better than the creepy crawlers.

Thanks Meandwi and Gary! Hey Meandwi we are neighbours!! My husband's farm is very near Ao Luk, down the road in Bang Sawan that is great! The problem in my my husband's family's 'terrible' home is no screens on the windows and we were sleeping on the floor on a mattress at the time that centipede got in. There was a mosquito net but it still managed to get in and it was really frightening...I really freaked out because it was so near our baby and we ended up leaving the next morning and I'm not going back until things get better organized. I can't handle the stress. My Thai family thinks I worry too much but heck, I'm not used to creatures in my bed or in the shower like they are.

Meandwi, when do you get back??

[manjara]

Allow a couple of took gaes and some jing joks in the house. Keep the bedroom sealed as well as you can. Good screens on the windows and a well fitting door will keep the creepy crawlers out of the bedroom. We keep the bedroom door closed as much as possible. My wife used to catch and throw out the took gaes out but finally decided that a couple of them were better than the creepy crawlers.

Thanks Meandwi and Gary! Hey Meandwi we are neighbours!! My husband's farm is very near Ao Luk, down the road in Bang Sawan that is great! The problem in my my husband's family's 'terrible' home is no screens on the windows and we were sleeping on the floor on a mattress at the time that centipede got in. There was a mosquito net but it still managed to get in and it was really frightening...I really freaked out because it was so near our baby and we ended up leaving the next morning and I'm not going back until things get better organized. I can't handle the stress. My Thai family thinks I worry too much but heck, I'm not used to creatures in my bed or in the shower like they are.

Meandwi, when do you get back??

I have had 2 daughters who both slept in the arrangement you describe (mattress on the floor, mosquito net, open windows). We have had a lot of nights trying to find the mosquito that got inside the net, and jinjok, ants (big ones!), centipedes etc have got in at various points. We don't stay on the farm all the time but usually about 2 months of the year, rest of the time in BKK.

You need to start getting used to it, otherwise you will find it hard to live in the country in Thailand. I know a lot of farang who don't eat the same food as the thais, have their own plate (rather than shared), worry about the fact the food has been left unrefrigerated all day. There are so many things that take a bit of getting used to, but the chances are that everything will be ok.

I understand when you have a very small baby that these bugs scare you, but it's what the thais have lived with for centuries. In the west we have got to the point where things are sanitised so much that resistance to minor bacteria is low.

I would agree with Gary, that you should have a few resident tukgaes, make sure your mosquito net is good and then go through a routine every morning and night to clear out the bed and reset the mosquito net.

Now the kids are a bit bigger I worry about the scorpions I have found in the garden, and the snakes that I see around all the time, the packs of dogs roaming loose and up in the hills, the moo-ba and even elephants!

Then again, in the west I would be worried equally about other things...

Edited November 10, 2008 by manjara

[janetplanet]

Allow a couple of took gaes and some jing joks in the house. Keep the bedroom sealed as well as you can. Good screens on the windows and a well fitting door will keep the creepy crawlers out of the bedroom. We keep the bedroom door closed as much as possible. My wife used to catch and throw out the took gaes out but finally decided that a couple of them were better than the creepy crawlers.

Thanks Meandwi and Gary! Hey Meandwi we are neighbours!! My husband's farm is very near Ao Luk, down the road in Bang Sawan that is great! The problem in my my husband's family's 'terrible' home is no screens on the windows and we were sleeping on the floor on a mattress at the time that centipede got in. There was a mosquito net but it still managed to get in and it was really frightening...I really freaked out because it was so near our baby and we ended up leaving the next morning and I'm not going back until things get better organized. I can't handle the stress. My Thai family thinks I worry too much but heck, I'm not used to creatures in my bed or in the shower like they are.

Meandwi, when do you get back??

I have had 2 daughters who both slept in the arrangement you describe (mattress on the floor, mosquito net, open windows). We have had a lot of nights trying to find the mosquito that got inside the net, and jinjok, ants (big ones!), centipedes etc have got in at various points. We don't stay on the farm all the time but usually about 2 months of the year, rest of the time in BKK.

You need to start getting used to it, otherwise you will find it hard to live in the country in Thailand. I know a lot of farang who don't eat the same food as the thais, have their own plate (rather than shared), worry about the fact the food has been left unrefrigerated all day. There are so many things that take a bit of getting used to, but the chances are that everything will be ok.

I understand when you have a very small baby that these bugs scare you, but it's what the thais have lived with for centuries. In the west we have got to the point where things are sanitised so much that resistance to minor bacteria is low.

I would agree with Gary, that you should have a few resident tukgaes, make sure your mosquito net is good and then go through a routine every morning and night to clear out the bed and reset the mosquito net.

Now the kids are a bit bigger I worry about the scorpions I have found in the garden, and the snakes that I see around all the time, the packs of dogs roaming loose and up in the hills, the moo-ba and even elephants!

Then again, in the west I would be worried equally about other things...

Hi, this is great...honestly...thank goodness i found this Forum! I guess I wasn't being diligent enough about checking the mosquito netting before we went to bed at night. One of the problems is that the lighting is so bad in the house so I am doing it by flashlight. Second, there are no screens on the windows and the house is flat on the ground. The night the centipede got in it was raining a lot so the chances of something coming were greater. I've learned my lesson. I'm not worried about food and I love spicy so that is not a problem. Nursing my baby with all the mosquitos was stressful that I didn't like. The stray dogs that sometimes wandered in the house where she was sleeping was scary. The scorpions that crawl in and the tarantulas aren't funny.... . Of course I have to get used to it but I think there are preventative measures such as an elevated house with screens i.e. better save money and start building... .When the house is flat on the ground it is a free for all. Of course there are worries in the west but they don't seem to be 'safety issues' so much. I seem to sleep better at night in my parent's house in Canada. Nothing crawling around here but I would sure love to have a good curry:))

Edited November 10, 2008 by janetplanet

[Maizefarmer]

Hi Forum,

I'm a newbie here but happily surprised to see this Farming in Thailand Forum! I have spent the past year living on my husband's farm near Krabi. I gave birth at a rural hospital and have been raising our daughter on the farm. They grow rubber and palm oil. There is no bank in his town, no internet cafes, no falang except me. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it! I love the fact that we live off the land, we eat fresh food, the air is so clean, the people are pure and simple. I hate the fact that I have no friends there because my Thai is pathetic and no one speaks english. Also, I want to know how people protect themselves from all the creepy critters that are everywhere. I'm in Canada now visiting the family but the last time I was on the farm it was awful, horrible terrible night when a centipede crawled into our bed and was inches from my baby and I had to kill it with my hands! So painful and so much drama in the middle of the night!! How do I prevent this from happening again?

Creep crawlies are part of rural Thailand - though having a centipede crawling around the bed is no laughing matter: a couple of the big ones have the potential to put an adult in hospital so I'd hate to think what distress they'd cause a baby. But they aren't lethal - despite what you may have been told.

In the broader context a bigger issue here is going to be intergrating yourself culturaly into the community and way of life: if the "honeymoon" hasn;t worn off yet, it's about to, and the biggest step you can take towards finding a genuine a long longlasting hapiness is to learn the language. My advice to you is put your heart and soul into learning to read & write Thai - not just speak the language. It will boost your self confidence no end and give you a sense of independance and self reliance I think a lot of ex-pats lack in the long run because the are unable to communicate beyond a basic level.

All the best

[mrissara]

Have some chickens around your house. They eat all small insects, centipedes, scorpions.

Try to get an elevated bed with 4 legs. Apply some wood vinegar (condensate by product from charcoal process) on those legs.

[janetplanet]

Have some chickens around your house. They eat all small insects, centipedes, scorpions.

Try to get an elevated bed with 4 legs. Apply some wood vinegar (condensate by product from charcoal process) on those legs.

This is all good advice. Do you know what the wood vinegar is called in Thai??Actually I don't feel that I have a problem with most things in farm life. I wouldn't have married my husband if I didn't enjoy living that I kind of life. BUT that f...ing centipede!! OH MY GOD!! It was inches from my baby's head!! I need to find some major preventative measures or I will die from an ulcer. Even snakes and scorpions in the garden are managable for me because at least I can spot them 'sometimes' but anything coming in the bed at night...lord... .

[mrissara]

Thai term for wood vinegar is "Nam-Som-Kwan-Mai".

You may get it at an agri-store (selling fertilzer and agri-tools) or from a charcoal maker.

[JungleBiker]

Hi Janet,

I think the suggestions to fit mosquito nets on the windows and sleep on a proper 4-legged bed make a lot of sense. Regarding the suggestion to allow chingchoks and toukaes in the house, I think that's good too - please see the photo I took a few years ago of a toukae that had caught a live rodent that had been in our roof!

Best regards,

JB.

[bina]

janet, canada might not have creepy crawlies, but tuscon arizona does and a few years ago i went with my youngest (10 at the time i think) to visit, and my main hysteria was black widow spiders, scorpions, and some tiny brown spider that can kill u that live in closets and get in between the sheets on the beds (and i worked with snakes, bugs, large animals, etc ) ) ... my parents living on the edge of the sonoran desert, they also have wild animals coming in to the yard.

after all this, i live (as u might have noticed) on kibbutz, we have pit vipers every spring and summer all over the place, we have several breeds of scorpions (u can hunt them at night with a ultra violet lite, all the kids do, its really cool), not to mention bombs, car accidents and packs of wild dogs.

when u move to a foreign country, the dangers always seem more dangerous than the dangers of the country u are used too (i prefer my vipers here, at least i recognize which ones are which and their behavior pattersn, rather then the arizona types that i've never seen or had to deal with)

thais dont seem to leave babies on floors; they use hammocks for the baby to sleep in (away from most creepy crawlies and i think the baby sleeps better too, or so i noticed), mosquito nets, cats or dogs in the yard keep away many snakes, and i think from what i noticed, that going in a farm pickup with thais is more dangerous (no car seats,seat belts, or driving license for most of the drivers, not to mention over loaded car)...

there arent more dangers, just different dangers. i found that every time i visited my sister in teh big city, or my folks, i w as nervous about my kids, and i am very jai yen(not the nervous type). u may get used to the thai country style and find that suddenly the canadian style is uncomfortable. i think it is also easier to make friends when u are a young mother (or any mother with a young child) as u have more in common with the other women around u (food, peepee, baby stuff, traditional women style stuff) then if u were w/o kids u would have almost nothing in common with other women around u especially if u have higher or any education, career etc. i found the same on kibbutz 20 yrs ago. because of my kids, i learned the language better (some things i only know in hebrew because of my kids), and i made more aquaintance friends thru my kids. i think you will learn the language must faster because of this, although probably most 'good' friends will most likely be english speakers which is why there is the forum of course.

as my friends always say, u must have a 'explorer streak' in you or u wouldnt even consider moving to a foreign country or live out in the boonies, so u are braver then u think u are...

good luck

bina

israel

[janetplanet]

Bina,

Shalom. I appreciate your words more than you probably can know. It is very hard to know what to do in life sometimes. I have had a lot of joy and stress in the last year and half. I have had the blessed birth of our daughter at the same time as the distance from my family to support me. I have had the beautiful gift of my Thai family at the same time wishing my own mother was there next to me. I have had financial worries being married into a Thai family that is very poor and not having too much money myself recently. I came home from the hospital after giving birth in a public hospital in X city-Thailand and being barely able to crouch down on the cement floor, nursed my first born while swatting the mosquitos away...it wasn't easy but how could I complain? This is the existance of most people on this earth. People in my country are so worried that they can't afford to buy their kids a nice Halloween costume etc. etc. My entire in-law family was sleeping in one big room. I had to turn on the light in the middle of the night when she was crying and wake up 5 people...it wasn't easy. But I am an adventurer and only people on this Forum can understand, not too many others out there have any idea what im talking about.

[jts-khorat]

In the broader context a bigger issue here is going to be intergrating yourself culturaly into the community and way of life: if the "honeymoon" hasn;t worn off yet, it's about to, and the biggest step you can take towards finding a genuine a long longlasting hapiness is to learn the language.

Learning Thai is actually not that difficult, especially if you are doing it "full immersion style", as nobody speaks English around you. The average Thai coming to Phuket and being immersed in the tourist industry will be able to get through some basic concepts within weekas, and frankly so should you after living there for some time. You will have to put in some serious work effort into it and do it with a systematic approach; nobody learns by "just listening"; still it will be very much worth it.

Buy a whole bunch of notebooks and carry them around you all the time. Have people tell you every single word you hear or think you need on a daily basis when they occur; do not mind if they feel visibly pestered, it is also for their good that they can communicate with you and in the end they are your family or freinds to it and the faster and harder you go thorugh it the better it will be.

You will see in the end it will be actually not that many, as conversation in the village will center on a few themes all the time (the food, the weather, the fields; there are studies that state that one can get through daily life with not more than 300 words if it absolutely has to be, this is really not a great hurdle). As mentioned above, most basic learning can be done in weeks, very simple conversations in months and after not more than a year or two you should not need to speak English at all any more for anything in your everyday life.

Also, while still in Canada, try to get a few good text books on learning how to read, which will make it so much easier for poeple to write down vocabulary. Have a big dictionary at home of course, but you will find that the words gathered in daily life will be learnt faster and easier than from a book.

As you have little children: you will see they will snap up the language with like 50 words a day and very soon you will not be able to understand any more when they talk to anybody besides you. Try to keep up, that was my motivation to learn and it was possible.

Also, get out more! In this you are lucky, Ao Luk is not the deepest Isaan. Lots of people or even public transportation (or a combinatipn of both) should migrate to the tourist beaches on the coasts and back on a regular basis and you can do such a trip and back in the same day if you just need to get out a bit. The family of your husband will be more than capable to care for a little kid and it is common practice here, so do not get a prisoner in your tiny village until you snap.

Last advice: get used to insects. This is the tropics and you will have lots of them. And if they are not entering your house, the world outside is full of them and kids will be kids and playing in places where they are very likely to disturb them.

What you definitely should know is basic procedures: what should you do if your kid gets stung, bitten or eats something poisonous; where is the nearest hospital; the phone number of as many people as possible who will have transportation to a hospital if it is needed fast, etc. Being well prepared beforehand is 90% of the solution if you come into a bad situation.

[bina]

janet,

thank u .....

jskorat has also written some good advice...

by the time u have another baby , u will have developed your own systems of doing things (keep the mosqutio net over your mattress and duck inside to nurse, use a light weight diaper over u and the baby while nursing, keep a flashlite by u so dont hae to wake the whole world, keep the baby with u, dont need to use a light at all, i used to take my first daughter with me to feed the horses, and prop her among the hay bundles as a sort of crib.

u will definately learn about baby care in thai. after all, i find that i learned about babies and 'motherhood' issues in hebrew so words like pacifier and carriage in english were wierd to me, and my parents, when visiting, when not complaining about the primitiveness of their room, or the strange food (vegetables for breakfast for a start), where busy with their grandkids and learned my kids' first language (not english obviously) for important words like pacifier and carriage and bottle. now when they visit, they stay in a hotel, a bus ride away (they cant deal with kibbutz housing, lots of kids underfoot, the food, the weather and no a/c or decent heating, etc etc, and they always come only for a short time, and then combine with a site seeing trip somewhere else)

things that used to seem like a hassle become easier with time and u will find that u do things that will shock your friends (like "going native" as these square farang men like to say ) ) and that they will be doing things that u think are a complete waste of time or for 'spoiled' people now that u have been 'away from it all'...

isnt life an adventure?

bina

israel

[Boo]

Buy a bed, we got a double metal framed one with a mattress for 2.5k baht. Invest in better mossie nets, usually the family will just buy cheap & replace but you can get really good ones if you look around, much tighter & thicker material that wont snag & create holes as badly as the cheap ones. Buy a bedside table & low light lamp. We covered the floor of our rooms with these tighly woven plastic mats that you usually see placed down to eat on, it stopped the mossies coming up through the floor boards & then tucked out mossie nets under them, so the bed & night table, lamps etc are all inside the net, creating a room inside a room. All of these things will make life more comfortable. Just cause you live with thais doesn't mean you have to follow all their ways. Think about investing in either building your own room or partitioning off your own little bedroom in the main house, if you still sleep communally, that way you can cover the window in that "room" with mossie netting & spray for bugs before sleep.

The bugs don't bother me that much but then I have adapted how we live to suit my idea of a safe environment for me & my son, I suggest you do the same.

[Underdog]

Hi Forum,

I'm a newbie here but happily surprised to see this Farming in Thailand Forum! I have spent the past year living on my husband's farm near Krabi. I gave birth at a rural hospital and have been raising our daughter on the farm. They grow rubber and palm oil. There is no bank in his town, no internet cafes, no falang except me. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it! I love the fact that we live off the land, we eat fresh food, the air is so clean, the people are pure and simple. I hate the fact that I have no friends there because my Thai is pathetic and no one speaks english. Also, I want to know how people protect themselves from all the creepy critters that are everywhere. I'm in Canada now visiting the family but the last time I was on the farm it was awful, horrible terrible night when a centipede crawled into our bed and was inches from my baby and I had to kill it with my hands! So painful and so much drama in the middle of the night!! How do I prevent this from happening again?

Creep crawlies are part of rural Thailand - though having a centipede crawling around the bed is no laughing matter: a couple of the big ones have the potential to put an adult in hospital so I'd hate to think what distress they'd cause a baby. But they aren't lethal - despite what you may have been told.

In the broader context a bigger issue here is going to be intergrating yourself culturaly into the community and way of life: if the "honeymoon" hasn;t worn off yet, it's about to, and the biggest step you can take towards finding a genuine a long longlasting hapiness is to learn the language. My advice to you is put your heart and soul into learning to read & write Thai - not just speak the language. It will boost your self confidence no end and give you a sense of independance and self reliance I think a lot of ex-pats lack in the long run because the are unable to communicate beyond a basic level.

All the best

You can deter the centipedes by boiling up a good strength brew of chillies and garlic in water, let it cool overnight, strain it and spray it around the outside of your house (into the soil) around door frames, window frames etc. it can be quite effective, and is organic. Make sure you don't get it in your eyes though.

Those centipedes, the Jackep, or Takarp, CAN KILL a baby, there was certainly an instance where a baby died after multiple bites to the head, and once provoked will keep on biting until you get rid of them. No laughing matter. There is also another option - however, you might want to think hard about it if you have kids - Get a proffesional pest control company, they have a wonderful "white" liquid (apparently it is licensed as it is extremely toxic.) But once applied to your soil around the house, the centipedes are lucky to get more than a couple of metres before they become extremely "drunk" then die. It is effective for months and is not weakened by the rain. It does have a strong smell that lasts a day or two, but is almost 100% effective....god knows what it is but...it cannot be good!

Edited November 18, 2008 by Underdog

[janetplanet]

Thank goodness I found this Forum. I wonder if I can find a high quality mosquito net in Canada to bring over... . I have to buy a bed, no more sleeping on a mattress on the floor. I have to buy some screens to put on the window near where we sleep. Thank Buddha that nothing happened to my baby...when I look back....there were so many times....better to forget.

[Boo]

you can get the higher quality nets in BKK or even any large town else try ebay before you leave. I got some from a local hardwear shop, they never sold them as locals perferred the 150 baht ones in lairy colours instead of the 800 baht white ones I wanted. Cause nothing says peaceful sleep than a hot pink mossie net

[Mosha]

Janet how far are you out of town? If I understand right you are in Krabi. I am about 30 km out of Muang Ranong, we have a small expat comminity here in town. However I try to meet up with them once or twice per week. It took a murder to get me off my bum to realise I should do this (Dale Henry a Canadian). However we have a laugh, the Thai partners get to talk about us, and the expats have a good time. So it might help you to explore the expat scene. It may not be your scene, and I must admit there are some up here I avoid like the plague.

The only nasties we have had in the house the cats have brought in. Some have being very nasty, juvenile King Cobras, however in 5 years here maybe only 3. Never had a centipede in here although I have seen them outside. I must say though that every Thai family I know put babies in the hammock hung from the rafters, so that is something that is a must.

[janetplanet]

Janet how far are you out of town? If I understand right you are in Krabi. I am about 30 km out of Muang Ranong, we have a small expat comminity here in town. However I try to meet up with them once or twice per week. It took a murder to get me off my bum to realise I should do this (Dale Henry a Canadian). However we have a laugh, the Thai partners get to talk about us, and the expats have a good time. So it might help you to explore the expat scene. It may not be your scene, and I must admit there are some up here I avoid like the plague.

The only nasties we have had in the house the cats have brought in. Some have being very nasty, juvenile King Cobras, however in 5 years here maybe only 3. Never had a centipede in here although I have seen them outside. I must say though that every Thai family I know put babies in the hammock hung from the rafters, so that is something that is a must.

Hi Mosha, I'm not there at the moment but we are outside of Krabi halfway to Surat. Actually, we are exactly on the Krabi-Surat provincial border on the Southern Highway. Where r u exactly?? Muang Ranong, that's pretty far from Krabi no?

Our baby was in the hammock during the day but at night how could she be in a hammock but have a mosquito netting over her? So she ended up being in the 'family bed' which unfortunately was on a mattress on the floor next to a window without screens and that centipede got in the mosquito netting somehow...oh gosh let me forget... . I actually have a bite mark scar on my hand that never went away...those things are nasty!!! It really hurt and my hand was swollen up for 2 days. I could barely hold or nurse her... . Hey, I'd love to find an expat community near to me!

[Mosha]

Muang Ranong will be about 350-400 k north of Krabi. I am actually in Ampoe La-Un. Try looking/asking in the Krabi Forum, for others in your area, you never know there may be someone just down the road.

Edited November 19, 2008 by Mosha

[bina]

what is wrong with a mosquito net with flowers all over it? i love my pink double sized net with flowers but anon says it keeps too much 'air' out, wehn we have a hamsin and the air is like furnace. my kids each got one also and a hammock. both are used when camping or living in army standard living quarters (giant tents, lots lots lots of bugs). torquoise, pink and baby blue. love em.

bina

israel

[janetplanet]

what is wrong with a mosquito net with flowers all over it? i love my pink double sized net with flowers but anon says it keeps too much 'air' out, wehn we have a hamsin and the air is like furnace. my kids each got one also and a hammock. both are used when camping or living in army standard living quarters (giant tents, lots lots lots of bugs). torquoise, pink and baby blue. love em.

bina

israel

Sorry, Bina i don't understand. Did you say that you have your kids in a hammock at the same time as the mosquito netting...? how does that work?

[bina]

my kids are adults but are in army and suffer from bugs and creepy crawlies so have found that thai mossie nets are handy things to have (army tents are rather like giant rooms, and barracks are basically like tents also, scorpions, snakes, spiders, mosquitoes, flies, whatever, crawl inside sleeping bags and shoes) and also do camping. sorry to mislead u , my bad grammar i know, BUT its easy...

you put up a hammock where ever u are, and u put the netting strung up over and under and then just tie off the bottom with a slip knot cord like putting grapes in those nets bags when u want to open it, u pull the slip knot u made frm thick string, teh net opens under the hammock, and u can climb into the 'room' or climb out of the hammock, undo the knot and step out. its like being in a net bag. ... u dont have to string the net up with its four or six corners; just improvise a bit, tying off corners to whereever u can (chair, post, hook in wall, nail, sting strung from the ceiling, tie rocks to the corners so that they are heavy and stay down on the ground. these are all methods i've seen thais here using, also they make sun shades from old sheets that way (i would never have thought of it, oh, forgot, using old jerry cans with water in them, heavy, hold edges down) ... u can then tie the net closed around the string where the hammock is tied up to on posts or trees ( not 100% perfect but works... also, people here put kids in buggies and put nets over teh buggy, just draped over (small nets for baby cribs and such, a friend from s. africa had one that she used, but we just bought net curtain material and used it... (before i had a thai husband and knew about real mosquito nets)...

the problem with us is that we are very square when trying to solve problems... my husband uses old hammock netting for wrapping around two pots one on the other and with a cover, to make a steam pot for khow niow since we dont have a special set up for that, he's always inventing different methods for doing things that i thought were impossible. now, i just tell him what i need and he figures out how to do it... so our house has some very wierd thai like improvs for things that we needed and i thought we hould just just buy them... improv improv improv...

sorry no pics for examples but think creative.... and i've seen thais have their babies in hammocks with nets over kind of draped also....

bina

israel

[glongi]

Thank goodness I found this Forum. I wonder if I can find a high quality mosquito net in Canada to bring over... . I have to buy a bed, no more sleeping on a mattress on the floor. I have to buy some screens to put on the window near where we sleep. Thank Buddha that nothing happened to my baby...when I look back....there were so many times....better to forget.

I think you found already much good advice.

The mosquito net you can find here in every shop and cheap. But have you no other woman around there that can give you an advice?

The living condition you be scribes is normal for poor Thai people and everybody like to help you with every comfort the have. I know this stile of living now for 25 years and there has been a lot of improvement and of course I live today comfortably.

You will get used to it and you have to adjust to this standard of living, and you will survive. (Your Question? )

I have a small Rubber Farm not so far from your home, in Ban Rai Yao. I gave it to my brother in law, for handling. But I am quite often around in this area because of family members all around there.

glongi

[janetplanet]

Thank goodness I found this Forum. I wonder if I can find a high quality mosquito net in Canada to bring over... . I have to buy a bed, no more sleeping on a mattress on the floor. I have to buy some screens to put on the window near where we sleep. Thank Buddha that nothing happened to my baby...when I look back....there were so many times....better to forget.

I think you found already much good advice.

The mosquito net you can find here in every shop and cheap. But have you no other woman around there that can give you an advice?

The living condition you be scribes is normal for poor Thai people and everybody like to help you with every comfort the have. I know this stile of living now for 25 years and there has been a lot of improvement and of course I live today comfortably.

You will get used to it and you have to adjust to this standard of living, and you will survive. (Your Question? )

I have a small Rubber Farm not so far from your home, in Ban Rai Yao. I gave it to my brother in law, for handling. But I am quite often around in this area because of family members all around there.

glongi

Glongi, where is Ban Rai Yao? I'm lucky that my Thai family is so wonderful to me. They are very kind, caring and generous. Of course they give me advice! And of course I had a mosquito net that I bought at Tesco...but it wasn't enough. From the advice I have been given on this thread I now realize that it was totally my fault for not being more diligent, especially that night with the centipede. It was raining a lot thus increasing the chances of something trying to crawl in. I should have bought a screen and tacked in on the windows and I should have double, tripled checked that the mosquito net was tucked under the mattress. Live and learn.

[glongi]

Glongi, where is Ban Rai Yao? I'm lucky that my Thai family is so wonderful to me. They are very kind, caring and generous. Of course they give me advice! And of course I had a mosquito net that I bought at Tesco...but it wasn't enough. From the advice I have been given on this thread I now realize that it was totally my fault for not being more diligent, especially that night with the centipede. It was raining a lot thus increasing the chances of something trying to crawl in. I should have bought a screen and tacked in on the windows and I should have double, tripled checked that the mosquito net was tucked under the mattress. Live and learn.

janetplanet it is nice to hear that you have a caring family. All the other things you will learn by living.

I understand you are still in Canada, if you are lucky. Here it rained a lot and heavy the last 10 days.

Ban Rai Yao is a very small village about 5 km left hand from the highway 44. My garden is just besides a school. From Bang Sawan it's about 20 km.

[Brigante7]

Why not buy one of those electronic gizzmos that emits a signal that keeps all things horrible away, I have one in the UK and I take it with me every time I go to Thailand, they work a treat.