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juliecarteraz said:Stuart: What is a shemagh, and its million uses? Thanks! Julie
StuartM said:.........an Arab type scarf, basically a big square of fabric.
Like Buttonnidarosa said:......... and also as an anti-falling-out-of-top-bunk device
skilsaw said:I left my levetation boots, (Also called Anti-gravity boots) at home,
They would have been useful on the walk up to O Cebreiro.
I brought a rose quartz crystal with me to calm my inner spirit... decided at 1.5 kg. it was too big so I smashed it into about 100 pieces and gave them to peregrinos I met along the way.
1.5kg of crystal pieces didn't seem too heavy, and they were all given away by the time I reached Santiago.
Macsierra said:Thanks Annie. You can ask any medical doctor and he can tell you you can get a meningitis after get bitten by chinches or garrapatas (dunno the English names of the bugs).
Even if the albergue is cleaned, many people gets inside with their boots on and can bring any bug from the Camino.
Macsierra, the doctor mentioned, chinches are bedbugs and went on to say that garrapatas meant the same thing, I respectfully disagree. He is correct in his first assertion, but garrapatas are actually called ticks. The term garrapata is in reference to the attachment of its legs into flesh, - which is exactly what ticks do :wink:... after get bitten by chinches or garrapatas (dunno the English names of the bugs).
Ticks are easily removed if only recently attached. It is a good idea to ask someone to check areas you cannot see if you are walking in tick infested country, and especially if you wear shorts.
One, slightly brutal, way to remove them is too light a match, blow it out and apply the still hot tip to the ticks posterior. It will initially bite harder (ouch) but then let go. Scrape off and check that the bite area is clean. The longer it is there the more danger of infection.
Having said this the last ticks we saw were in N Argentina many years ago. If there are no better ways of removing the beasties then maybe a packet of matches is a good addition to a pack.
Hiking Gauguin said:Portable bidet!!! :shock: Take a small 25 ml plastic bottle, remove the tube inside, add an inch of water, turn upside down and spray bum with water after initial paperwork. Squeaky clean = happy hiker.
Harry_Murph said:I brought everything and the kitchen sink. I ended up getting rid of "everything" on the way, but ended up keeping the kitchen sink!
http://www.amazon.com/Granite-Gear-Kitc ... tchen+Sink
grayland said:Before a general panic occurs by adding tics to the growing list of things to make new pilgrims run around with their hair on fire....
htuten said:Macsierra said:Thanks Annie. You can ask any medical doctor and he can tell you you can get a meningitis after get bitten by chinches or garrapatas (dunno the English names of the bugs).
Even if the albergue is cleaned, many people gets inside with their boots on and can bring any bug from the Camino.
Hi Macsierra and other forumers, I'm on the forum planning my 2nd Camino walk and came across your post. I want to chime in to clear up a slight misconception and offer some preventative advice. I am a Medical Entomologist and specialize in insects that bite and sting. "Chinches" or "Garrapatas" are known as "bed bugs" in English.
First, I am sorry you went through such a harrowing ordeal. Your experience is exceedingly rare. In fact, no clinical meningitis cases have been definitively associated with bed bugs. All accounts are anecdotal, often with weak or absent supporting evidence. I'm surprised any medical doctor told you that meningitis is associated with bed bug bites.
Bed bugs are well known as not being biological transmitters of disease -- this means they do not inject bacteria when they bite. However, they are hypothesized mechanical transmitters of disease -- this means they could possibly pick up bacteria and carry them around long enough to deposit them on human skin. However, this has never been demonstrated clinically.
Once deposited on skin, bacteria (whether from bed bugs or not, maybe just a dirty bed) make their way to the mouth/nose/eyes, most likely when the area where bed bugs bit is scratched followed by touching of the face (e.g., eating).
Because the bacteria are not injected into the bloodstream but instead deposited on skin and then introduced orally there are two primary preventative measures to take after a harrowing night with bed bugs: 1) take a hot shower in the morning (I know, I know...) & 2) sanitize the bite areas, and regularly sanitize hands (e.g., with alcohol-based hand cleanser). I recommend regularly washing and sanitizing hands anyway to minimize other bacterial nasties. (See comment above about the ingenious bra strap sanitizer pump!)
A final note, although bed bugs can be transported from one domicile to another in bags and shoes they are not found in the wild (e.g., on trails). Most bed bug a pilgrim encounters will be residents on or near a bed.
Did the doctors identify the organism causing your meningitis? In your case, a previous human resident of a bed you slept in, a mosquito bite, or some poorly cured meat was probably the true biological vector of your meningitis-causing organism!
I totally agree. And in any case, who said that you will save a few euro? For us, the medicines and in fact all things bought in the pharmacy are cheaper in Spain.notion900 said:Looking at the wording of your original question, I don't think there is any one thing that is so expensive in spain that it is worth bringing in from home and carrying extra stocks, and putting up with the excess weight in the pack, just to save a few euro. Any pharmacy product, just bring enough to begin with and you can buy more if you need it.
I'm taking some Marmite, in the new squeezy plastic bottle!whariwharangi said:Peanut Butter.
I wasn't able to find it in any grocery store along the camino.
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