wow (scratch) this (scratch) place is amazing (furious scratch)

[devi]

I´d like to tell you properly about the lakeside jungle lodge on stilts, its banana-leaf-thatched buildings linked by narrow wooden walkways like a level of Myst. The jubilation of bursting out into sunshine from the Lima perma-fog, and flying over the Andes and then down over endless forest patched with cloud shadows and threaded with twisty red-brown rivers like question marks. Hummingbirds and butterflies and sliced papaya and talking parrots and hurtling round Pucallpa on rattly, noisy little mototaxis, and this dusty little internet cubby full of rough wooden sculptures of animals and staticky pop radio (everyone round here seems to listen to a station called, I think, ´Romantica´, where every song sounds like it´s from the slushy lovesong pirate radio of my childhood). There´s mad explody mythological art to tell about (I heart Pablo Amaringo) and lucky meetings and exciting stuff afoot. And this feeling of `yes, I´ve arrived, this is it´ which requires a big digression about rainforests and my childhood imaginary world. But I can´t capture anything properly right now because it is TOO HOT TO LIVE (Lima was chilly and somehow damp and arid at the same time; getting off the plane at tiny Pucallpa airport, it was as if the sun was punching me in the bare shoulders).

Also I itch like holy hell after being devoured by mosquitoes last night. It´s murder on my concentration. The `Off!´ bug spray I bought to replace my proper Jungle Formula stuff, gone with my bag, is some sort of cruel joke. It burned when I put it on, but the evil little beggars just sniggered at it and went on biting merrily. Perhaps it is actually human repellent.

Graah. I go find anaesthetic cream. Perhaps I come back later.

Comments

[ki.livejournal.com]

odds are, you're going to sweat your bug spray off so fast that it isn't really worth using at all. good luck with that.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Ha, yes, I think that´s what went wrong the first night; I put the bug spray on too early. But it seems they only come out at dusk because the heat makes them unhappy too, so there´s a sweet spot when you can spray yourself just as it gets cool but before the sun goes down.

[carbonunit.livejournal.com]

If the mossies got you in your room, try mosquito coils. other than that, look at the package before you buy another personal repellant, see how much DEET it has. The more the better.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Indeed. But I can´t seem to find anything stronger than 15% DEET. Anyway, I seem to have got the hang of things - they´re mostly leaving me alone now, for some reason.

[mooism.livejournal.com]

Eat garlic. Every day.

Actually, eat garlic every day for the past month. Then the mozzies might stay off.

I was going to say something like “Wow, they have internet in the Peruvian jungle,” but then I reread properly what you wrote.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Hmm. It does seem that what you eat has an effect. They´ve almost completely stopped biting since the city junk food got out of my system.

[vardebedian.livejournal.com]

The only thing I ever found really kept the mossies off was chain-smoking. You might try that.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Mmm, lovely fags...

[monkeyhands.livejournal.com]

Eating Marmite is supposed to help as well. My Spain-dwelling in-laws swear by it. They also swear by aloe vera gel to soothe your skin if you are bitten.

Or just start hanging around with someone tastier. My theory is that they always go for the freckliest person in the vicinity.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can see that. The first night it was like they were zooming in excitedly, going "hay guyz! Soft squishy pink Irish person! Time to chow down!"

But I haven´t run into any other travellers in ages.