"Thai people taste spicy," a hill tribe guide remarked, lightly smiling.
He was right.
In the morning we were comparing insect wounds. My legs resembled a kids dot-to-dot book whilst he had a single pimple on his elbow.
To add insult to injury, I had sprayed a number of skin burning, chemical concoctions over my body, wrapped myself in a mozzie net and eaten Marmite for 5 days. (apparently they hate the stuff- well maybe 50% of mozzies love it??)
Thai people may be pacifist but their insects, aquatic life, plants, mammals and amphibians are most certainly not. Since arriving in the capital I have accumilated bites from the following creatures - bed bugs, mosquitos, leeches and green fly things(no name in English) that left my legs bleeding as if I had walked naked through a thorn bush.
I was bitten by a mysterious creature whilst having a massage that resulted in me becoming convinced I had rabies. Subsequently I have had 5 injections.
In the south of Thailand I have had sunburn and ankle swelling resulting in another hospoital admission. I was prescribed antihistamines, steriods, antibiotics and Ibuprofen!
Is it that creatures have a vendetta against me? I did some snorkelling and was most careful to avoid the scorpion fish, spiky black urchins and any fish with a dorsal fins over 4 inches high. However, unused to this activity I was immediately aware that I could hear my own breathing. Scary. As I plunged my head to face the world below, my ears became submerged and began picking up unnatural crunching noises. Unsure if I was experiencing a rare seizure I lifted up my face and did the emergency sign. With my hand raised full in the air, two speedboats rushed to my rescue.
It was explained to me on board that the noise was simply the fish chewing at the coral. Indeed the sounds went when my ears left the sea.
It appears that every traveller encounters selections of the above, many without ill effect, although I've been scratching like a flea bitten dog for weeks.
Well, it can only be good training for the hardcore of the Amazon where my aim is to discover a new species of insect, plant, mammal and human.
.....but only if they don't bite.
