Wednesday, October 24, 2007

God's Punishment and the Mossie Men

The Buddhists believe in Karma – that your actions will bring about inevitable results, good or bad - and the Greek Gods punished manifestation of hubris - overweening pride - so really it was only a matter of time before my smug holiday blogging caused me to be castigated: bitten on the backside by some higher power.

In my case, retribution wasn’t a single mandible to the rear end by any higher power, but about fifty thousand mosquitoes feasting on just about every part of my sweet flesh.

I am alive with tingling, prickling and plain old hurting skin. I have so many bites that I can no longer be serene about it. As I type my lower legs are humming; radiating energy of their own existence. The bites, though certainly deployed by a number of individual mossies, are somehow linked to each other. When one on my leg itches, and I scratch, it alerts the forty eight on my left arm to the existence of my nails, and they in turn begin to hum, tingle and sing for attention of my fingernails – which, since I am on holiday, are rather nice and long. They are doing significant damage to my skin.

I think they bit me in the first resort – our room was zinging with the little buggers, no matter what extermination programme we undertook.

At this second resort, at about 6pm on the first day we received a telephone call in our room saying ‘We spray Mosquito. Don’t leave your room.’ I didn’t like to ask if there was only one mosquito was it really necessary to spray the whole resort? Instead I asked ‘how long do we stay inside?’ ‘15 minutes’ is the answer, but we really had a ringside seat.

8 comments:

Yvonne said...

Ouch! Love your writing, reminds me of Magnetic Island in Oz when I was covered in bites - I feel for you!

Pacha said...

Do you find the mosquitoes only go for certain people? I was eaten alive and had face like elephant man in Argentinean jungle while on camping stint (never friggin' again) - G, the husband, didn't get one bite. So apart from the frustration of have raw flesh as skin I also had smug husband swanning around jungle looking perfect and unbothered by being alive (yes, unlike me)...

BUT jj - you don't deserve to be punished!

Cut those nails and bandage up your hands (although you won't be able to do much writing then!)... hope the itching subsides and the mosquitoes DIE DIE DIE and paradise returns to being paradise without plague!

Lane Mathias said...

Nope - still green JJ, although he shade might have lightened just a tad. Would be prepared to be bitten to the bone for a taste of 'paradise':-)

ps hope the mozzie annihilation worked!

xx

Jenny Beattie said...

Hellojed, thank you. I've given up putting anti mossie spray on because it stinks and doesn't seem to do the trick anyway. Sigh.

Pacha, that's such a funny story, but they NEVER go for me. I am so depressed about it. I think perhaps I should eat more spice to see them off.

I could cut my nails and bandage them up because I've done no writing all week anyway!

Lane, I shouldn't grumble because it's been a lovely holiday. I keep thinking that I'll be okay when I go back to Bangkok, until I realise my itchy arms and legs have got to come with me!

JJx

Mel said...

I feel your pain! All the mozzies in our house are partying on under my computer table and feasting on my sweet blood while they completely ignore my husband's (same as Pacha!)why do they do that?! Obviously because women are sweeter :-)

Carol said...

OMG - I think I may have died.....you know what kind of reaction I have to mosquito bites!! (Chris has just said that you should have taken me with you - that way you would have been fine....but then again you would have had to put me up with me moaning!!)

C x

Jenny Beattie said...

Mel, what do the Thais do to not get bitten? Or do they not get bitten for some weird physiological secret reason? I'm putting the white Tiger Balm on the itchy ones, but what to do to not get bitten?

Carol, you just might have died honey. No no no, be careful. I wouldn't've had you here just to avoid me being bitten (thanks to Chris for the offer - how much would he want for this service?) Some of my bites blew up quite big (not as big as yours, obviously!)

Rebecca said...

Gawd I HATE mossies. But that killer spray looks scarily toxic....