Good Night, Sleep Tight...

it was bound to happen. it was the hotel in mysore that was the lucky winner. after a series of low-cost, budget, basic if dodgy hotels, pests were sure to take their toll. i never understood the rest of this saying to its full potential until now. DON'T LET THE BED BUGS BITE! unfortunately, i did. i naively convinced myself it was just an abnormal number of mosquito bites (i lost track at 80) covering my arms, hands, feet, neck and face. my second night in the same room, i knew better.

unable to sleep well with visions of tiny insects feasting on me, i rushed to the internet to research "bed bugs" the following morning. sure enough, wikipedia told me what i did not want to hear. the description was perfect. it was bed bugs i had spotted the previous night but denied the reality. it was they who bite and bite and bite a series of bites one next to the other, they that cause itching that makes you want to peel your skin off, they who cause anxiety and insomnia. aaargh!

faced with the reality, meg and i dissected my bag, and i thoroughly washed everything. fortunately the hotel we are currently in has hot water to kill the little bastards. my hotel standards have now slightly increased, and so have my investigative skills when seeking a place to sleep the night away.

then i have to put it in perspective. while i am searching for a little relief from this brief discomfort i am having, it is minimal when people around me are sleeping on the filthy sidewalk, searching for food and survival.