Crafty Buggers

Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia

I can't believe I'm having animal problems again. It seems to be happening at least once per country I visit now. They're also getting cheekier with every time.
Here, it started with a packet of Tiger biscuits I had left opened on the table in my room. When I returned I found the packet on the floor. Had I dropped it? Then I saw that the biscuits hadn't broken, they had been nibbled on. And the packet had been torn open much further. I guess it's not surprising: I'm in a wooden chalet, it's hot, so I leave my window open and this island is small, so the jungle starts pretty much outside my window.
I put the biscuits outside. It didn't take long for the perps to return: several squirrels started fighting over my Tiger biscuits.
But they don't stop there. My iron rations, packets of instant noodles all the way from China (mmm, 牛肉面), were in my big backpack. They were still sealed and under layers of clothing. The next time I went to get a new T-shirt I found crumbs all over them. The packets of noodles had been torn open - torn open by little claws and teeth from the looks of it. And the noodles inside had been munched on, too. The little shitheads must have somehow smelt the noodles, They crawled into my bag, through the clothing, found the packet, tore it open and started eating their way in. It really looks like nothing is safe from them now. I'm also impressed at their intelligence. You have to hand it to them: I'll have to get up quite early (figuratively speaking) to make sure I eat my food and not them. On the down side I'm not entirely happy at squirrels digging around my bag. Who knows where their paws have been.

Damn those little buggers!

Kho Lanta, Thailand

There is a certain disadvantage to the back-to-basics charm of beach chalets. The ones I found here were a real bargain, I think. Little huts lined up just off the beach. The choice wasn't massive anyway since many places have already closed for the low season.
The point is this: For days now I've been looking for the little nut-bracelet that I bought in Luang Nam Tha in Laos. I was so sure I just left it on my bed one morning and went out. Then, in the evening it was gone. Or so I believed. But maybe, I thought, I had actually put it somewhere else. I'd look for it later...
I never thought anything or made any associations when, one time, I came into the room and there was a rat squatting on the wooden beam that runs around the room at mid-height holding the walls together. There we were - man and animal - staring at each other. It was hard to tell who was more surprised. Then I shouted and shooed it away and it disappeared into a gap in the ceiling toward the roof. I wish it had gone outside but at least it was out of sight. And at least it was not a sewer rat.
Then, when I prepared to leave Kho Lanta today I searched my bags for the bracelet. No sign of it. I hadn't put it in any of my bags. Then where could it be? In the end, I pulled the bed aside and found it there in a corner. How had it got there? Only when I picked it up I realised it was in pieces. The string that held it together was torn and some of the black and white nuts were strewn around the floor. They had been gnawed on! And the string wasn't torn but had been chewed! Now it clicked. I hadn't thought those nuts were still edible. The damn rodents had found out fast. So they had dragged the bracelet under the bed to eat it. Which also meant they had been all over the bed to get at it. Ugh, nice! Good thing I normally zip up my backpacks. I wouldn't want them crawling around in there.
I'm quite upset. It's Pakse all over again. It's as if I had learnt nothing. But who'd think there are rats frequenting the rooms? Who'd think that those nuts were edible and not painted with some chemical paint? Grrr! I should have thrown something at the beast when I had it in my sight. That's another souvenir I can't replace.

Ants!

Pakse, Laos

Today I'm upset. Really upset. Even though it's probably my own fault. My own stupidity. I've just arrived here. Got myself a hotel room and went out to have a look around, eat something, get myself some wheels.
Now I've just come back from my great ride. I can't even remember what I wanted to get from my small backpack. I just noticed it looked like its surface was moving. It was ants. All over my backpack. There must have been thousands! They had formed a regular road to a tiny hole somewhere in the wall. Even the floor all around my bag was crawling with them. Then I remembered I had left half a pomelo in the bag. They had smelt it and were swarming in to get some. I checked inside and rummaged. And was promptly bitten. Painfully so! They had got inside, too! The first thing on top was the necklace that Iris had bought for me at the Dai Minority Park the first time we went out together. The plastic bag I had put it in was covered in ants, too. I ran downstairs and got one of the staff to come up with some insect killer. Fortunately, they had a can left. He sprayed everything that moved for a long time. It seemed like he was almost emptying the can. I watched them die. "Don't leave fruit around", he advised helpfully. Thanks but I was not in the mood for advice. I was in the mood to complain about them having an insect problem in their damn hotel.
I started cleaning my backpack - one item at a time - cursing all the while. How could I have been so stupid? And still I kept getting bitten by more ants. They were far from dead. The worst thing was still come: They had not only eaten holes into the pomelo, they had found a way into the plastic bag and had chewed on Iris's gift. It was made of nuts but I had thought they were empty shells. Obviously they weren't. I took it out of its bag and it fell apart in my hands. The ants had eaten into the nuts and chewed through the string, as well. My only physical memory of Iris was ruined. I remembered the day she gave it to me. It said 西双版纳 on one of the shells. I could have cried. I couldn't even find all of the little plastic beads that were space holders between the nuts.
I went on brushing off every item that had been in my bag. I would still find more and more ants that had survived the poison. So, I killed them myself. In the end, when I had taken everything out, I rinsed the bag in the shower - only to find out that the damn little bastards could swim. I could see them paddle around on the floor of the shower! At least, I managed to flush all of them out of my bag this way. Then, when most ants had either died of the poison, me squashing them or had gone away I started putting together the pieces of Iris's souvenir. I'm still so upset. In the end, I managed to clean it, too, of ants. They kept coming crawling out of the nuts and disappearing into them again. The only way will be to keep it and take it home. Since I still have the beads and the nut shells are mostly intact I should be able to thread them on a new string. I hope it works. At least there's that hope to comfort me. I'll take a photo to document what it looks like.
When I finished cleaning and hung up my bag to dry (at least that shouldn't take long as hot as it is here) I realised I had spent almost three hours with this. It was dark outside. So, it's time for dinner. At least, that should lift my spirits a bit.

The Luckiest Puppy

Lijiang, China

At Mama Naxi's friendly guesthouse (I really recommend it!) I just rediscovered a liking for dogs. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not talking about exotic Chinese cuisine. The family are keeping a little puppy. It's tiny, maybe a few months old, gets exciting about everything (including its own tail), chases random things (also including its tail) and always wants to lick or bite things (especially people that stroke it) but has no force in its jaws yet (thankfully, but it's teeth are sharp). It pads around clumsily, jumps and yelps or pokes its little, moist nose at you wanting attention. And everybody loves it. There's not a single person at the guesthouse who will not go "aww" over it or give it some love. Wherever the little thing appears people stroke it, feed it or pamper it in some other way.
I generally like dogs but I was never good at handling them. Nor did I have any wish to cuddle them. But this little puppy melted my heart. I'm sure this was what the word "adorable" was invented for.
It must also at this moment be the luckiest little doggy in all of China.