In Reply to: Bugaphobia husband- tegal sari or Guesth posted by Chele on Friday, 7. July 2006 at 23:04 Bali Time:
I also get nasty welts from mosquito bites and have found the following things to be useful. When in Bali I take an antihistamine tablet each day (the non-drowsy kind like Claramax, Telfast or Razene) and then if I get bitten I don't react as badly.
I also buy Autan (pink bottle, nicer scent than some others) over there and apply it by the little spray bottle all over arms and legs before dusk each day. Spray some on the backs of your hands and dab your forehead, cheeks, chin and neck with the backs of your hands. This gives your head protection without getting the spray in your eyes etc.
Every night at dusk I use an electric mozzie deterent thing in the room and put a fresh pad in it every night. You can buy these little electrical gems and their refill mats etc in most of the bigger stores there - a great investment and just leave them behind for staff or friends as you leave. (I tend to also get a powerboard so we can recharge our mobile phones plus plug one of these in as well in each hotel we stay at).
If sitting outside at night we light the coils, at least one, sometimes two. Most restaurants will put one right under your table if you ask too. You will get mosquitos everywhere in Bali. Most hotels have a spraying programme where they 'fog' the hotel environs to keep down larvae - after all, where there is water there is a mosquito 'home' for future progeny.
I would recommend Tegal Sari only because we have stayed there twice before and intend to do so again as it is such great value for money, the staff are fantastic, and their Nasi Campur from the restaurant is the best I have had in Bali.
Another tip with treating any bites is to put a smear of antiseptic cream and a plaster on during the day when you are active to prevent germs getting in (same applies to any small scratch or cut there) and then leave uncovered at night when you are sleeping so they can dry out.
If you react to mosquito bites you may also be susceptable to cane mites. These live in some woven cane chairs and can give the backs of your legs a nasty rash if they feast on you. (They are very tiny and so the bites look more like a rash than a cluster of bites). Some say a cloth over any cane chair before you sit down on it helps, and I do this, but others say that is not much use.
Personally I think if you go to any country there will be 'wildlife' that you have to be aware of, and live with, if you want to have a good holiday. I mean, heaven forbid if I did not go to Australia in case I met a redback or a snake! (And if you think the rats are big in Bali you should have seen the two river rats I watched in Brisbane's West End recently, frantically chasing and copulating with each other in a business car park at night, totally oblivious to us - I swear they were as big and fat as full-grown guinea pigs, and at first I thought they were two cats frolicking!)