Infested: Firebat where are thou

There where always rumors. Rumors about strange creatures of the dark, spreading like wildfire and sucking ones life force. I had long dismissed these as something that exist but nothing that really happens to me. I did see a dead one long ago. Or at least I though it was one. Let me tell you. The real thing, the creature of much dismay is real, alive, kicking and fucking annoying.


Having spent three days in Malaka, a destination I partly made my way to because of rumors of a tattoo artist.  Yes in addition to Melaka the cultural and historically important tourist destination for many a KL inhabitants and Singaporeans it was also the alleged quarters for whom I was looking for. Two days earlier I had seen her work on a friendly travelers back and decided that she was good enough to ink my skin. To make a short story shorter, I found her. but too late. Ending up with not enough time to procure the right ingredients for my creation and allow for healing in time for my next dive I did what every other tourist did. Explored the food and got a bit drunk with the locals. Malaka being a small town, I left after 48hours for the bustle of KL. That and a dinner date with Charles my french musketeer. I'll get back to that meal, If I remember. The main point being it was big and ended late. Leaving me to the whims of my hastily picked accommodation, the reggae hostel at the reggae bar, in Chinatown. This was where I met "the swarm". Or Bedbugs as I call them.

I do believe my person did avoid being feasted on somehow. Or rather since they had already feasted on the early napper next to me. However my luggage was not so lucky. My old and trusted backpack, brother in arms and very well worn in back warmer was officially infested. outer pockets and exterior lining for the frame was full of empty and blood filled vermin in the range of sized they come in. Fleeing the light the brown little things burrowed deeper as I squished the ones I could reach. I knew however that this was the death jerks of old trusty..

Mostly I consider my time spent in the military to be superfluous to many challenges I face in ordinary life but one thing that it thought me was to pack things individually and close all hatches, doors, zippers and such properly. In this case it did save the entire contents of my pack since the swarm needed more time to penetrate my 4+ seals of vengeance. (dry-bag, plastic bag, knots and zippers). Besides they seem to prefer less plastic surfaces for the comfort of woven textured ones.
Being to emotionally gutted by the loss of old trusty I could not bring myself (that or me being lazy) to get a new good backpack. Instead I went with the wheeled alternative. I now resemble one of those many flash packers I so despise at every "normandy" style beach landing one does when traversing paradise islands. Either way done is done. Now to figure out a proper ritual for protecting my precious artifacts from future swarms.  After all there must be an efficient protocol for keeping things bug free while traveling.