I can finally admit it...I got bed bugs once! One of the worst things I have ever had happen to me while traveling, and I guess maybe if you travel long enough, it's bound to occur.
I wasn't sure about writing this story because frankly it's embarrassing and I felt so skanky after it happened, but six months later I can now emotionally deal with the issue (or at least that's what my therapist says).
Below is what I wrote six months ago while waiting at the train station to leave Chiang Mai for Bangkok, Thailand.
Steve is the guy who I was doing photography work within Bangkok.
***
"Today has been a new one for me here in Chiang Mai. I came up here with a friend to shoot some photos of the area.
We had been staying at a recently renovated hotel called The Mercure and were using it as a base for going out to sites in extreme northern Thailand.
We had gotten to Chiang Mai late evening, and for 800 baht per night ($22.50), it came with four stars and breakfast.
Usually this would be over my budget, but Steve wanted to stay there because he knew a friend who was a teacher from Bangkok that was bringing her class, 100+ students, to do a music show there for a week.
She made all the arrangements, and we were given the same discounted price as the school was getting.
So for a little more and being such a nice hotel I was ok with it.
After all, I thought it's ok sometimes to splurge and not stay in a $5, steamy hot, hostel room.
The second night we went to the night market and shot the flowers there, which Chiang Mai is known famously for.
Steve wasn't up for much walking that night, and since it was my first night out, I went out on my own to see the rest of the market.
I got rained in and took cover at a little bar for a few hours, then made my way back to the hotel. It put me back kind of late but overall I had a good night and got some great pictures.
The next morning, I woke up with a whole bunch of sores on my upper body.
Mainly along my arms/back and to me it looked like mosquito bites.
The thing that got me was that the night before I never really remember the little zappers bothering me much.
They itched like hell the next morning, and I decided I would take some precautions when out at night again (something I hardly ever do).
I told Steve about the bites that morning, and he said maybe they were bed bugs.
Never really thought it was that but that night while laying in bed it had me freaked was I sleeping with a 1,000 little body munchers???
It freaked me so much that I ended up sleeping in my clothes that night and every time a hair on my body twitched I was turning on the light.
Made for a long night, and the next day, I just chopped it up as a "Steve story."
We got out early the next day and headed further north to Changi Rai and spent the day shooting The White Temple (fantastic place by the way!).
Got back and had a ton of pictures to edit.
When done I decided to watch a season of Dexter and hit the sack.
I'm laying there watching a movie on my laptop, and somehow I saw this little bug the size of a pinhead move on the bed (I guess I have 15/20 vision).
I got on all fours and scooped it up and put it into a glass. Was this me paranoid?
Had to find out, so I started tearing the bed apart, first the sheets, then the under sheets, pillows flipped, then flipped the bed too and after 20min I had eight bugs in my glass.
A few the size of a small ladybug but there isn't anything cute about them.
This was the evidence I was hoping I wouldn't find.
I knew 100% what had eaten me up two nights before.
I went into the bathroom and started counting the bites stopped at 98!!! I wasn't so much mad as I didn't want to be there.
I planned to go to the hospital and confirm for sure what it was, then confront the hotel about it the next day.
One thing for sure was that I wasn't lying in that bed again.
Stayed up for as long as I could but couldn't make it and ended up curling up in the corner of the room, on a chair like a crack head, using a bathrobe as a blanket.
I felt like some bum on the street in my hotel room that I was paying good money for the night's stay.
Called Steve the next morning in his room and we went to the hospital.
Within 5sec, the doctor confirmed what I thought.
She told me things like this happen but not to worry, as they carry no diseases that I wasn't already vaccinated for.
Total cost for doctors visit was about 500 baht ($15), and with the cream and meds she prescribed for me, it came to about 1,500 baht ($42) total. Pretty cheap doctor visit and was happy about that.
Went back to the hotel and Steve told me the hotel would pay for all the doctor costs and move me into a new " clean"? room.
Screw that I thought!
You don't eat twice at a restaurant that gets you sick, because if it happens again, it's your fault for knowing.
I loaded all my clothes into one bag (had to get them all washed with some scalding water, as I had bought some new ones on the way back from the hospital) and was ready to get out of that place.
Steve kept trying to get me to stay, but what sane person would and in the end, I decided just to leave and head back to Bangkok early.
We were supposed to leave the next day, but I didn't see the point of renting another hotel room (no way in hell I was staying in that hotel another night) to ride back with him.
So as I write this now, I'm at the Chiang Mai train station and getting ready for an overnight train ride in a seat.errrr!
It's going to be murder, but a seat was all they had left, and the thought of sleeping in my safe bed was enough to merit the cost." ~ Written May 29, 2009
***
I hope this doesn't discourage people from traveling.
I have been on every continent in the world (except for Antarctica), stayed in some nice hotels to some dodgy hostels and this is the first time anything like this has happened.
It happened in a place I thought it wouldn't as if it had occurred in a $4 hostel bed I could at least say it was a cheap room and that's what I get for being cheap.
It won't stop me from traveling, but I think I'll invest in a silk blanket to give me a buffer zone.
The joys of traveling outweigh anything like this, but it's not something I want to experience again.
The worst part for me wasn't the scars I had to wear for a month...it was the physiological part that took hold of my mind.
I didn't sleep in my bed back in Bangkok for the rest of the time, and it did take me about three months before I could get a good nights sleep again.
Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite... brings a whole new meaning to me now.
Audrey says
Bed bug bites are the worst - they do make you feel dirty and skanky and make you paranoid that they are traveling with you. Even though we stayed in some sketchy places in Asia, we never encountered bed bugs in the eighteen months we traveled there. But, they've haunted us in Latin America - starting with our host family's house in Guatemala and continuing down to Bolivia.
The worst experience was in Cuenca, Ecuador - Dan had close to 150 bites and I had about 100 bites after two days. We showed our backs to the hotel owner and suggested he buy new mattresses when we left. When we got to the new hotel, we dumped our bags out and washed everything. I have to admit I was worried we would infect the new place, but the laundromat seemed to do the trick to kill them from our clothes.
Shanna says
ahhhhh. I had bed bugs once in a hotel in Phoenix last spring and I still wake up at night freaked out!
foggodyssey says
Audrey- Don't tell me about getting bed bugs in Ecuador... it'll make it all that much worse for me now that I'm living in Quito! lol I just was hoping wishful thinking that they would die at this elevation (although I know better). lol
I guess no matter they can hit anytime, anywhere. Knock on wood though I haven't had any problems with Latin America though... time will only tell though.
foggodyssey says
Shanna- Good article and David will be posting another article tomorrow that I wrote about how to avoid the check for them. Your points in the article are right on line with what I wrote. #1 rule for killing them is heat and lots of it. BOIL BOIL BLOIL the hell out of your clothes if you know you been in contact with them, as that's the only sure fire way to kill them.
I agree 100% with what you said "...bed bugs inflict more mental anguish than physical harm..." I swear I didn't sleep in a bed for the rest of my time in Thailand. Some reason the couch just felt safer! lol
Shanna says
I'll be on the lookout for your article!
ShannonOD says
11 months on the road and I haven't had them yet **as I furiously knock on wood** I have to say though, between your story and Audrey's comment about them being throughout Latin America - I'm nervous!
foggodyssey says
Shannon- Well if it counts for anything, at least you won't be the first traveler to get them if ya do. I personally haven't had any problems in Latin America but as you can see Audrey has. I think it doesn't matter where your at it could happen and just being cautious is the best plan of defense from them.
Check out the other article I wrote about what to look for and you should be ok:
https://gobackpacking.com/2010/01/19/ti...
Dave says
Actually, a girl I know here in northern Virginia got them in her own freakin' apartment (she suspects her roommate). She had to pay to have some special service provided - I think hot air pumped into the apartment, to kill all the buggers. It sounded like a big pain in the butt.
ShannonOD says
Just thinking about them gives me the heebee geebies! But that being said, I
appreciate that followup post you linked to w/tips for avoiding :-)
stylehippo says
Thank you for having the courage to share your story with the world. Bed bugs..... uggghh... the thought of little creatures crawling over me while I am sleeping just bothers me... but then again who knows whats going on while i am sleeping. I have been camping enough times to realize that I have shared my tent with all sorts of insects. I am sure some of them traveled over me while i was asleep. There is nothing you can do... But in a hotel... come one.. they need to clean those sheets and disenfect the beds every day... makes you wanna hurl
Carpoolguy says
Obviously you guys never woke up in some dirty caravan park in the middle of the night to find some cockroaches crawling all over your bed and arms :/
Dave says
I haven't had bed bugs, but I had the unpleasant experience of having a cockroach crawl up my stomach one night in a Thai bungalow. ick
foggodyssey says
Actually I have, cockroaches I can handle although I don't really like sleeping with them but bed begs are a whole other breed. The sores and the simple fact that if you don't do something about them you can accidently take them back to your home.... which is why they are on the top of my list of things to check for.
Cockroach runs across the floor while I'm inspecting a room, if it's a cheap room and low on money then no problem. I see signs of bed bags... I'm running out of the place ASAP! lol
Bedding Set Deals says
The room looks comfortable and very clean. Even the visitor will not know that there are bed bugs there. having 34 bites in one side of an arm is not a joke that really hurts. Next time always check the your bed especially when it's not your own bed.
Billy says
jeeeeez, bed bugs are nasty, it invated my home once i came back from one of the hotels in Saudi Arabia, the worst is that these bugs breads fast leaving no room for treatment, the only way that till now proved that it's effective is the Therml heat "Thermal Remediation" to get rid from bed bugs of all stages from eggs to adults,
Pat says
In 2007 I caught the same train and was eaten alive by bedbugs living in the upholstery. I had over 200 bites. They later replaced all the fabric with plastic seat covers because of bed bugs.
hostelvideoguide.com says
Read this great post and insider comment about bed bugs on Hostel Video Guide.
Check out hostelvideoguide.com where you will not only find hostels with free wifi but also great hostel videos of more than 500 hostels.
hostelvideoguide.com says
Read this great post and insider comment about bed bugs on Hostel Video Guide.
Check out hostelvideoguide.com where you will not only find hostels with free wifi but also great hostel videos of more than 500 hostels.
bed in a bag says
Wow, that's quite a picture on your arm! Thankfully, I've not had bed bugs.......yet!
Jhanella says
The is really horrible experience... Actually it is really shocking to wake up with all those insect bites in your body. Hotels should look into this matter. Actually I was wishing you confronted the hotel management made a scene and made them pay for everything and give you a one year free accommodation (lol). What I am trying to say is that they should have paid for what happened to you. They spoiled you vacation in the first place.
Exterminator DC says
Wow! 150 bites in a couple of nights? Is there some kind of spray you can take with you to spray the mattress with in hotels?
exterminator dc says
OMG this is horrible, and things just seem like they keep getting worse. I was at war with bedbugs for what seemed like forever. The biggest problem I had was trying to find a non-toxic and professional solution.
Angela Henderson says
I've done a fair bit of travelling and finally encountered bed bugs in Peru. I ended up with over a hundred bites on each leg from a hostel in Cusco. So itchy. So red. So gross!
Dave says
Ouch Angela, I'm going to Peru later this year and certainly hope not to have my first bed bug encounter there!
Zach Smith says
This experience is an eye-opener to many travelers, i suppose. Even the cleanest hotels can still have the most infested beds. Since these bugs cannot be easily seen, many unsuspecting tourists have fallen prey to them. But one good thing that travelers can do is to bring bed bug patches or mattress covers to protect them from bed bugs.
Bed Bug Killer says
Bed bugs are really annoying. They should all be eradicated.. - Tracy
James Tarrier says
Just back from Thailand, one of the islands, and I got over 208 bites in two nights, still trying to get rid or the bites, tablets and cream from the hospital, and it is nasty. My wife and I slept in the same bed, but only myself got bit ? Going to be boiling every bit of clothing we brought back, worn or not. Nasty nasty nasty !
Mumsie Reddy says
Are there any sprays that we can use to spray the mattress ?
Emily Dallara says
Hey! What did you do with your luggage? What would anyone else recommend? I have two suitcases and a serious bed bug paranoia about ever bringing them back to the uk!