I said in a previous post that we’d share lowlights of the trip as well as the glamour shots. Here’s the first one.
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As I was walking back across the hotel grounds to our bungalow in Ao Nang last Sunday, Karin called out “I have some news. And it’s disturbing.” What was it? My mind quickly searched for the most likely possibilities but didn’t get to finish, as she continued, “There are bedbugs.”

If you’re like me, that’s a really gross thought. In many years of frequent travel, I’ve been lucky to never have picked them up and only once get what I think was a bite (while staying at a very respectable chain hotel in Vancouver).

Karin found two of their telltale little blood smears in the bedding. Ewwww. We were just about to check out and head to a ferry so didn’t have a lot of time. We stuffed all clothes that we’d worn or had out of our bags on the trip so far into plastic bags, tied them up, and took off. When we got to the next destination, we took the suspect bags plus what we were wearing straight to a laundry for a wash and (more importantly) a hot tumble dry. Any half-competent entomologist will tell you that those measures are by no means a guarantee, but we did what we could with what we had. And we did it without a major freak-out, for which I’m proud of us.

I also had some time while waiting for the ferry pick up to check the Google Machine for info.

Good news: bedbugs don’t vector diseases (unlike mosquitoes, which are prevalent here. Mosquito bites are lower on the “ick scale” but should really be what you worry about.)

Make me feel a little better news: bedbugs are now pretty much a fixture not just in cheap and sleazy hotels, but in every major chain and some of the top addresses anywhere, from Seattle to Stockholm. Go to the bedbug registry or similar websites before your next vacation if you want to ruin a good night’s sleep.

Thanks to my previous work, I know a little bit about the scientific and commercial challenges of dealing with bedbugs. This world-wide problem will probably get worse before it gets better. So far, researchers can create solutions that are either cheap or effective, but not both.

So back to us. We’re now 5 days in the clear, and counting. My optimistic hunch is that they didn’t join us for the ride over, as our bags weren’t sitting on the bed and we were pretty careful to quarantine any loose stuff quickly. But we’ll have to wait a while to wave the all-clear flag.

Sleep tight. 🙂