what am I doing?

[hutch]

Hiya all,

I am a first timer and a little worried about those darn bed bugs! Are they still around?

This year I will only be walking from Sarria, getting in practice for next year when I will be 45 years old AND 5 years free of the big C. So next year I will hopefully do the whole lot!!

I will start, with my poor sister who I am dragging along, on 22 may, so hope to some of you on route.

 

[papajohn]

bedbug protection

Hi Hutch,
My wife and I walked in October and saw lots of people who had suffered horribly from the bites. We brought a very light weight nylon matress cover that I stitched up with a built in pillow envelope. We used this under our sleeping bags. We got no bites. ultreya John.

 

[Chev.Jerry]

Hutch,
My wife, a friend and his wife, another friend and I walked in September. We never had any problems or heard of any.
We did spend a few 5-6 nights in private refugios, and my wife and I used fleese sleep sacks with silk liners. Others slept on the bunk with their blankets.
Good Luck.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, I don't fancy them much either. I did read of some european minor nobles who travelled with young pigs (or their servants did!). They would have one put into their beds for an hour before they went to bed. The fleas would eat to their hearts content and be fast asleep when the humans swapped places ..!

Anti bed bug travelling mattress covers are available online. Now that the bugs are definitely on the Camino I would certainly take one.
You can get them for £10 from - http://www.gapyeartravelstore.com/Bed-B ... -p-16.html

There's also this spray - http://www.hygienesuppliesdirect.com/pr ... prod132130

 

[TheWalk]

....

Hi,

Very stpid question but where are those bugs? In the hostels, refugios or if you sleep in a tent.

Also, sleeping in a hostels, refugios is the bed sheet provided?

Thank you

 

[hutch]

Thanks to all for your replies,
I will certainly look into the bed spread thingy!

I have yet another question.
I need to get back from Santiago to Sarria - does any one know if there is a bus or train?

Good walking & keep smiling

 

[ivar]

There is a daily bus (direct):
http://www.monbus.es/horarios/detalle.p ... 14&id=2506

...more here as well (some of this might be outdated).

 

[lckgj]

I walked from Logrono to Burgos in November - I too was worried about the reports I had heard about bed bugs as I sometimes get have a bad reaction to insect bites. I was assured that it was then too cold for the bugs and the problem had disappeared- sadly untrue as all the albergues I stayed in were heated.

I went prepared with an insecticide spray which I bought from a council pest control site the internet and a bed-bug proof mattress cover. Luckily I was not bitten but I met people who were very badly bitten and some albergues were in the process of being disinfected. One chap I met was horribly bitten and in a great deal of discomfort- it must have seriously soured his camino experience.

When I arrived at the albergues I sprayed the bed as discretely as possible and did not put any belongings on top of it until I had. It wasn't always easy to be discrete when there were lots of people around - I didn't want to offend anyone, particularly the hospitaleros.

Maybe if everyone took these precautions the problem would disappear!

I am returning to the camino in June to walk from Burgos to Leon and will definately take the bug busters. Better safe than sorry.

The camino is such a wonderful experience nobody likes to highlight any negative aspects but this problem has to be addressed.