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Le Crepe

Great Crepes in Royal Oak

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Best Bedding For Ball Pythons: Coconut Husk VS. Paper products

Owning ball python is a valuable experience for many people. And setting up their enclosure cannot be complete without the best bedding for ball pythons. They should not have a bare enclosure floor; pall python needs something comfortable, smooth, and natural to slither on. Many people will recommend using newspapers or paper towels as ball python bedding since they are always available and the cheapest option. Many other pall python keepers prefer to use coconut husk since it is an all-natural and highly absorbent substrate. In order to help you choose the right bedding for your pets, this post will go into the details of these two substrates.

#1 Safe and non-toxic

Ball pythons are relatively easy to get toxins from their environment end especially for their substrate. It is because ball pythons are likely to swallow a small amount of substrate. The best substrate bedding ball pythons should be all-natural, do not contain any extra chemicals which could harm or cause irritation for your pets. Coconut Husk is the 100% material bedding that totally safe for ball pythons. However, it has larger chips than another substrate, which makes it less comfortable and you have careful when feeding your pets on this bedding to make sure they will not swallow a large piece of this bedding. For a younger ball python, we recommend you use Paper Products as a substrate for them if you are concerned about your ball python’s health. Paper products will eliminate the possibility of digestive issues that likely to occur in younger ball pythons. But do not use perfumed paper towels. Artificial fragrances can lead to respiratory problems in ball pythons.

#2 Easy to clean

Pall python keepers should spot clean their cage daily and deep clean, replacing the substrate monthly. Since you have to frequently clean the cage, you will want to get the bedding that is relatively easy to clean. There is the advantage of Coconuts Husk that not every substrate can get. It is that coconut husk is both antibacterial and antimicrobial. That means it will prevent the growth of mold on it. However, the drawback is that Coconut Husk is a dark color, it will make you get hard to notice waste on it to spot check and remove the waste. On the other hand, Paper Products is a light color, therefore easy to see the waste and remove it every day. You also can immediately tell if the substrate is damp. Paper Products are very easy to replace. Furthermore, paper products get wet easily; it is also required to be replaced regularly much more than another substrate.

#3 Holds in humidity and ordor control

Pall python requires a humidity lever quite higher than others. They need humidity between 55% and 60%. And this level will increase to 80% when ball pythons in their shedding process. It is better to give them the bedding that has the ability to maintain humidity levels. Both Coconut Husk and Paper Products are substrates like this. Coconut Husk is a highly absorbent substrate that keeps in liquids and provides the necessary humidity for your ball python. It does a great job of not only absorbing liquids but also smells too. While paper products are highly absorbent bedding too, but it does not offer much odor control.

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How to use a best gravel vacuum to clean the tank?

The important role of keeping your aquarium always clean is beyond dispute. Food, fish waste, dead plants are contained for a long time in your tank can throw off water chemistry and lead a lot of water problems. But it is not easy to always keep it clean if there is an easy way to clean the tank without taking out everything in the tank? The answer is yes, you can use the best gravel vacuum to remove all the waste and remove the dirty water from the bottom part at the same time. This article will show you some steps to guide you on how to use your gravel vacuum.

Step 1: Prepare your supplies

In order to start cleaning your tank, you should prepare two items: The best aquarium gravel vacuum (or an aquarium siphon, gravel cleaner) and anything you have to collect the water such as a plastic bucket placed next to the aquarium.

Step 2: Prepare your tank

You do not need to take your fish out of the tank because this process can make them more stressful than vacuuming the water under them. Instead, you should take any tank decorations that you have, because the waste tends to be contained underneath them. The best aquarium gravel will not hurt your fishes.

Step 3: Vacuuming

Basically, this process uses gravity to stuck water and debris out of the tank. Leave the hose of the siphon inside the bucket. Then submerging all the tubes inside the tank and let it fill by water. After it is filled, lift the tube out of the tank for the water run through the hoses into your bucket. When the water has receded about halfway done, submerging it completely into the water again. At that time, the water will run into the bucket automatically. You need to point downwards the tube at the tank bottom to vacuum the gravel and remove all the debris. You should remove about 25% of the water in the tank at once time.

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Best Chicken Coops: Pets Imperial Double Savoy VS. Petsfit Weatherproof Outdoor Chicken Coop

There are more and more people want to own chickens in order to get a fresh, reliable and clean source of eggs. But the first thing you should pay attention before setting up your small flock of chickens is purchase on the best chicken coops. Keeping chicken could be an interesting experience if you get the right chicken coop. These following is the detail about two chicken coops products that perfect for both beginner and experienced owners that you can choose to house your chicken: Pets Imperial Double Savoy VS. Petsfit Weatherproof Outdoor Chicken Coop.

 #1 Durability and Safety

The most important function of the best backyard chicken coop is that it has to keep your chicken safe and protect the chicken from outside danger such as predator, the water elements, and disease. Pets Imperial coop has been built to last for a long time. It is made of animal friendly treated timber, which ensures the wood does not rot and totally non-toxic for your chicken. This coop also includes the plastic caps on the feet to prevent rotting. Moreover, this coop is also designed with an elevation. This will prevent the ingress of some predators, which often dig holes to come through the ground into the coop. If you are looking for a coop that can last for very long and really durable, so Petsfit could be a great option for you. This is made from solid wood, which is waterproof very durable. The roof that keeps the external elements from weather away from chicken is important for the health of your flock.

#2 Spacious Space

Ensure that the coop will have enough space for your flock. Crowing can lead to some social problems for your chicken. There is the rule that every single chicken should have at least 3 square feet inside the coop and 10 square feet outside. Pets Imperial Double Savoy measure 4ft 9"(W)x 3ft 3"(D)x 3ft 1"(H). It is enough space to keep about 6-10 chicken depends on their size and breed. It also includes two nest boxes with 6 compartments and four perches. Petsfit is the combination of coop and nesting boxes. The coop can fit with 3-4 normal grown-up chicken. And the nesting box can contain 2 hens.

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Why Should You Purchase On Merax Chicken Coop?

If you are planning to rear chicken and finding for the best chicken coop available, there are lots of factors that you should consider and also too many choices of chicken coops out there. In order to help you narrow your search among the many different kinds of chicken coops, this post is going for details and review of Merax chicken coop. This coop may meet your needs and give your flock of chicken a comfortable place for playing and resting.

#1  Spaciously Designed

The dimensions of Merax chicken coop are 59L x 22W x 33H inches. This size of coop provides your chicken enough space to walk around and also a large space to nest in. You can keep for about 4 to 5 adult chickens in this best backyard chicken coop. The upper part of the coop is the indoor resting room for your poultry. The under part is open space but also be surrounded by the steel mesh. This is offered your chicken the ground running area. These two parts of this coop are linked by a built-in ramp.

#2 Durability

Merax chicken coop is durable construction with cedar wood. This is designed to against weather elements. The cedar wood is coated with waterproof paint, which will protect your chickens are safe from rain and other harsh weather condition. Besides, cedar wood is a stable and durable material that will last for quite a long time.

#3 Easy to install

If you are concerned about installing the chicken coop, then Merax chicken coop is the option that easy to assemble. Whether you do not have any experience or you are not very skillful, you can easily succeed to install it. This coop also comes with the instruction that is easy to understand. Following these simple instructions, you can immediately assemble this coop after delivery.

#4 Extra nesting box

You can easily and quickly take the eggs out with the extra nesting box. Simply open the box and you can easily access inside and take all the chicken eggs. Moreover, under the nesting box, there is the removable tray, which you can pull out. This will catch their droppings and allow you easy to clean.

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Factor to consider when purchasing the chicken plucker

Whether if you are raising chickens for sale of you are raising them as a hobby, the processing of that meat can be a tough task and take you a lot of time. This is the reason why you need a mechanical chicken plucker to help you strip down these things instead of trying to pluck them by hand. However, the other types of plucker come from the other brands bring you different time and efforts spend on cleaning the chicken. To support you find the right products, this article below are some must-have features that you should consider when buying the best chicken plucker.

#1 Capacity

This process of plucking chickens may be messy. Especially when it is uneven weight and force distributions, the weak motor can be a failure. This is why capacity and size are the most important features to look for. Check the type of chickens that you will use with this device and how many chickens will you plan to pluck. These two things will determine the size and capacity of the plucker.

#2 Speed

If you are looking for a product that works effectively in a short time, you should not check only the power of the machine, the number of rubber fingers also determiner the speed of this machine. The plucker with more fingers meant that they pluck feather faster than the less fingers one. Moreover, the stiffness of the plucking fingers also impact the effectiveness of the plucking process. We recommend you choose the product come with soft rubber fingers; the stiff fingers can bruise the chicken meat during de-feathering the chickens.

#3 Durability

It is needless to say that one of the critical things you must consider whenever you buying any products if the quality of them. The ideal material for chicken plucker is stainless steel. This material is known as their quality will last for a long time, it is durable and can prevent against rust and corrosion as well.

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Buying Your Aquarium Fish From Fish Sold Near Me

You are earnest to start your keeping fish hobby, you know what they need to live healthy and have prepared for them a nice, cozy tank with all essential equipment.
But choosing fish not as simple as you come scuttling to the fish sold near me now and pick the fish that catch your eyes, especially for the beginner. There are some things that you should know about the fish you plan to keep.

What kind of these fish?

The first thing you should ask the salesmen from fish sold near me is what the species of those fish. Each kind of fish will require different physical characteristics, habitat, and diet. If you are the beginner, ensure that the fish you choose is easy to keep. They should be inexpensive and very hardy to survive if you make a mistake. There are some kinds of fish that we recommend for a new owner: Platy, Cherry barbs, Endler’s guppy, cory catfish, molly.

What types of tank do they need?

The salesmen should give you about the feature habitat of these fish, but if he is not, ask him. Some fish are live in freshwater some are living in saltwater. For example, Molly prefers to live in freshwater with slightly saline. So you will need to provide them a little bit of aquarium salt. These fish require a cool or warm temperature? If they are tropical fish, you will need to maintain a warm environment temperature of about 75-80 F degrees. The best aquarium starter kits that come with a thermometer or an aquarium heater are the best choice in this case.

How should you feed them?

Most people forget or do not care about this problem when buying fish from fish store nearby. One of the best ways to help your fish acclimatizing the new habitat when you take them home is feeding your fish like the feeding routines of the shopkeeper. The feeding frequency will depend on the type of the fish you get. But generally, all fish can do well with just a meal per day. The baby fish will require to be fed more frequently.

Are you buying your fish in a highly reputable shop?

You should ensure that you are dealing with a highly reputable fish stores around me. Badly fish store can give you the weak fish that might die within a few weeks.

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What to consider when feeding chinchillas with hay?

Chinchillas have very sensitive digestive systems, so feeding them with quality diet in the properly way is essential to their health. One of the most important aspects of daily Chin care is providing the best chinchilla hay. This article explores the some factors that you may need to choose the right quality hay and also some problems that chinchilla owner often wonder.

#1 Can Chinchillas eat hay only for their diet?

The only hay diet that means feeding your chinchilla nothing but fresh hay, no pellets, no cubes, no greens, and no other treats. Normally, you will be recommend to feed chinchillas with 75% hay, 20% pellets, 5% veggies/fruits and the small amount of treats within a few days in the daily diet. The fact that pellets for chinchillas are made of hay too, although they can contain added some others ingredients, vitamins and minerals. This is why many chinchilla owner believed that your pets could eat a hay only diet. However, there are some things have to consider about it. Some chinchillas love to eat pellets more than fresh hay. This is the good way to provide them with full of nutrients. Moreover, in the case if you’re unfortunate to get the bad hay with poor nutrient, then your chinchillas will become deficient. Pellets are safer choice. It should be the best treat for chinchillas.  

#2 First cut vs second cut vs third cut

Many chinchillas owner do not understand about the different between the first cutting, the second cutting, and the third cutting. The first cut is the first growth of hay of the year. It is only best to feed chinchillas if it’s harvested when the grass is immature. Otherwise, it may include more weeds. The first cut is also hard, coarse, indigestible fiber that makes the hay unpalatable. The second cut has the higher qulity that the first times. The stems will be finer and softer to eat. It also has the better percentage of leaves to stems. The second cut also contains have more protein and fat contents. The third cut is even softer and finer than the second cut. It also offers the hay with more leaves than steams. However, this time will provide the hay with lack of fiber, what make it not good for chinchillas

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Why You Should Get The Snake Heat Pad?

In common with most species of reptiles, snakes are ectothermic or also called as cold-blooded animals. This means they cannot regulate their own body temperature. They need an external heat source in their enclosure to survive. Therefore when you keeping a snake, it is the best option for providing heat for your snake by getting a special heat pad. Snake heat pad has been known as a snake under tank heater is a convenient and effective way of warming up your snake’s enclosure. This device will help you to create the optimal temperature inside the snake tank. This post is the reason why you need a heating pad for your snakes.

Why do snakes need heat pad?

As suggested above, snakes are cold-blooded animals. In the wild, snakes receive heat from their environment. This is why they often hide under the rock or underground in order to retain heat. Some species of them such as corn snakes also prefer to bask on the top rock and receive heat from direct sunlight. In captivity, you should provide them an alternative heat source to keep them warm. And snakes also require a cooler place to decrease their body temperature. This is where the heat pad comes to handle. The best reptile heating pad will create the gradient temperature inside your cage. Snakes need the heat source to maintain and improve their internal functions such as digesting food, excreting waste, respiration and immune system. If they do not get enough heat, snakes will become sluggish, unconscious, less active, or even dead.

Heat pad vs the other heat sources

There are many options for heat sources that can provide heat for your snake’s cage. The heat lamp is one of those options. This lamp will be placed on the top of the cage and emit the heat downs. The heat lamp will suitable for the snakes that love basking such as snakes. However, the heat lamp dries out the air in the cage so you should only use this device for the snacks that require a low level of humidity. Using heat lamp, you also have to turn off the lamp at night to avoid bother your snakes. One more method for heating the cage is using heater cable. This is the cable that wrapped around the bottom of the cage but this is easy to overheat your snakes. For all the cases, you are recommended to use the heat pat. You can provide your snakes with the constant and proper temperature for 24 hours without upset their day/night cycle since heat pad emit no light.

Destinations

Japan on a Budget, Dirty Vagrant Style

Japan isn’t an expensive country.
Did I just blow your mind? I should qualify that.  I know a lot of people who want to visit Japan but have heard horror stories about how expensive it is. Frankly, it’s bollocks. Japan really doesn’t have to be an expensive country. If you’ve traveled in Scandinavia or the UK, Japan will seem like a bargain. I was desperately broke while I was there, though. So broke that I would go to the Kyoto train station and eat entire meals in free samples. Then I would go change my clothes, don a wig (just once, actually), and return. I’m pretty sure I didn’t fool anyone, but at least my face was partially hidden under the giant afro.

My two favorite things in the world: pickles and free stuff. I’m helpless in the face of Japanese samples.

But! There are better ways, I promise. You don’t have to sell your dignity to afford a trip, you can see Japan on a budget. Here are my favorite tips: 1. In Japan, convenience store food is delicious and cheap. You can get inari, sushi rolls, and umeboshi for just a few hundred yen (a few bucks). Japan can be an extraordinarily luxurious and expensive experience – but it’s also totally possible to eat there for just $10-15 per day. Ramen stands will also give you a filling, tasty meal for really really cheap. Seek out regional specialties – okonomiyaki in Hiroshima, soba in Nagano…

Gorge yourself on sushi and pay per plate (it’s worth it, I promise).

2. The Japan Rail Pass is a phenomenal deal if you plan on traveling around a lot within a certain timeframe. You’ll need to plan ahead since it can’t be purchased inside Japan. There’s really no excuse not to get around via train, since the rail system in Japan is so damn cool. 3. Onsen (Japanese hot springs) are scattered throughout the country. Most will charge an admission fee, and extra if you need to rent a towel. A lot of the most amazing ones are free, though – seek them out away from major cities. Also, read up on onsen etiquette before you hit them up. 4. We hear so much about Japanese culture, but not so much about how phenomenally beautiful the place is. Most of the best things to do in Japan are going to be dirt cheap. I was astounded by the scenery there. Pack some hiking boots and take advantage of the free sights. And please, go to the Japan alps. The gorgeous trek between Magome and Tsumago won’t cost you a dime, and it will only take a couple hours. Kurama and Kibune are two beautiful little villages located just north of Kyoto (you can access them for the equivalent of a couple bucks). The walk between the two is a pretty easy journey and absolutely lovely.

Okay, so I couldn’t afford to eat here, but the views alone were well worth the short train ride from Kyoto.

5. Accommodation will probably be your biggest expense. Couchsurfing isn’t huge in Japan, but it’s gaining ground. I stayed with one host who expected guests to cough up some dough to him, but that’s rare. By all means, try couchsurfing there – you’ll probably have some delightful experiences. But don’t rely on it completely. Keep in mind that a lot of capsule hotels aren’t really that cheap – you might be paying for the novelty of them. Worse yet, many of them are completely closed off to women. There are a lot of rules governing who’ll be rented rooms in general – a group of friends and I attempted to while away some hours having (completely and totally PG) fun in a sex hotel, and we were flat-out refused. However, comic book cafes can provide you with a relatively private and cozy place to sleep for dirt cheap. 6. Get off the beaten track. A lot of Japan’s reputation for being pricey comes from people who stuck with Tokyo and Kyoto. Once you hit the countryside (or less touristed cities) you’ll get much more bang for your buck.

The best things in Japan are free.

7. If you’re planning on hitting up Osaka (and you should), the Osaka Unlimited Pass is a great deal. Just be wary that when you purchase passes like these (and the Japan Rail Pass) you might be tempted to move too fast, rather than soaking it all in at a pace you’re comfortable with. Don’t try and do heavy sightseeing every single day.

Probably not best to rely on this sort of dough before planning your trip.

8. WWOOF Japan is a well-established chapter, and I know people who have done it (and heartily recommend it). Just beware of making the same mistakes I’ve made and please, make sure what you’re doing is legal (or, if it’s not legal, make sure you at least know that. Accidentally breaking the law isn’t fun). Read more about WWOOF Japan here.

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Confessions of a Dirty Vagrant

Life on the road seems glamorous and romantic because those are the stories that make it back home with us. Sometimes traveling sort of sucks, though, and that’s okay. It’s good to keep a positive attitude and make the best of things, but you’re allowed to sometimes think that the Chinese food in China isn’t as good as the Chinese food you’re used to back home (but keep these thoughts to yourself). We all have a few shameful, not-so-glamorous secrets that come along with being a traveler. Here are a few of mine: 1. I have no idea how to plan for the long-term. None. All I want to spend my money on is travel. I’ve spent so much time on the road that I have absolutely no idea how to function when I don’t have a trip planned and I have no idea what I’ll do when I have to stop traveling. Also, those things that normal people learned how to do, like drive a car without smashing it into a ditch? Yeah I never learned how to do those things because I was traveling. That’s terrible.
My boss in Iceland complimented me on my horse-riding skills. That evening I drove his car into a ditch. I was born in the wrong century.
2. I have gone many many days without washing my socks. We can all agree that you never need to wash pants. But socks? This is revolting. But that’s just how it goes sometimes. I know every trick in the book for making smelly things not smell so bad, and I don’t know whether to be proud or ashamed. 3. I don’t even want to talk about hygiene. Sometimes you just don’t have deodorant. Sometimes you also don’t have a shower. Sometimes you don’t have access to shower for a week. The worst is when you do have access to a shower but you can’t use it for whatever reason (can’t pack a wet towel, host is touchy about water usage, lack of privacy–the shower is built into the kitchen, or you would be dirtier after being in a shower that filthy). I don’t want to talk about dental hygiene except to say that I brush my teeth consistently–except when I leave my toothbrush behind. Unfortunately my toothbrush is my most frequently forgotten item. 4. Depending on a variety of factors (price, availability, pack weight, my hunger) I have spent long stretches eating only things you shouldn’t eat for long stretches. This includes four days eating only croissants and cookies, only ramen for two weeks, only food from dumpsters and gardens for one week. Our dear friend went almost a week on an all liquid diet while on the road in Denmark: only beer. Yum.
Just you wait. Spend enough time on the road and Bovril will become a meal.
5. If a country doesn’t speak English, I get too embarrassed at my accent and lack of linguistic skills to speak at all. This is most troubling when I try to pass myself off as a native. Obviously nobody is fooled if I open my mouth, so I just do not say anything. I can’t tell you how many embarrassing encounters I’ve had with European cashiers when I think I’ll get by just by nodding and handing them big bills/making a furtive glance at the register to see how much I owe, only to be foiled when they ask if I want a bag or something equally unimportant. NO I NEVER WANT A BAG I JUST WANT TO NOT LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT. Please. For once, give me that small respite. 6. There are some adventures I’m far too chicken for. I like to brag a lot about all the crazy things I’m willing to do, so here’s a list of opportunities I passed on: biking Death Road in Bolivia, eating fugu in Japan, and bungee jumping in New Zealand (or anywhere on the planet). I will never bungee jump. Never. And for all the sexual innuendos I make, I don’t really hook up with strangers. Syphillis isn’t a joke, and neither is my hypochondria.
I did not bike on this road. I think those of you who did are insane, but I’m also a bit envious. [Image Credit]
7. There’s this one dog I love more than anything on the planet.Sometimes this sweet sweet dog makes me never want to travel again. I frequently curse all legal, financial, and practical barriers that prevent me from taking her with me everywhere I go.

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To Avoid Parasites; or: Parasites I Have Met

I am pretty safe and pretty careful while traveling, but somehow I can’t seem to avoid parasites. I’m a woman traveling alone, so I never walk by myself at night, I avoid creepy strangers, and I never travel without telling someone my whereabouts. Being careful is enough to avoid the big dangers. I just wish I could figure out how to escape the small dangers. (Never walk by myself through sewers, avoid creepy mosquito, never eat raw meat without telling someone my whereabouts?) Maybe it’s all the strange food I eat?

Just a fewhttps://dirtyvagrant.com/strange-foods/ weeks ago I got worms. Yuck, right? But the worms weren’t the worst part. The worst part was how I discovered I had them in the first place (please don’t press me for details – I’m still traumatized). I won’t even get into the time I acquired Hepatitis abroad, except to say that it wasn’t the kind that sticks with you forever (phew!), just the kind you get from unwittingly eating an infected person’s poop. No big deal. And then there was that time I got malaria, despite taking all conceivable (and a bunch of inconceivable) measures to avoid it. Again the malaria wasn’t the worst part, it was the fact that I was stuck living with a man named Bongo who insisted on washing my underwear and thought I should really sleep in his bed, for, ummm, my safety? Perhaps this is why I prefer to travel in the colder parts of the world.

Here is a photo of someone who is not me probably contracting malaria, the sucker. (Credit)

1. Don’t be afraid to insist on seeing a doctor. I have hypochondria, certainly. Everyone knows that, so it is hard to be taken seriously. But when I finally insisted that I get to the doctor, it wasn’t just malaria, it was falciparum, the worse form of malaria. So even though your instincts are probably a little crazy because they are always telling you HOLY CRAP YOU ARE DYING, recognize that they can still be right sometimes. My motto: Just because I’m a hypochondriac doesn’t mean I can’t still get the bubonic plague. It hasn’t failed me yet.

2. Take the usual precautions. I hate wearing DEET, so I got some semi-permanent stuff to spray on my clothes and sleeping net. It didn’t work great, but it worked pretty well. I also used some barbecue-scented Swedish pine tar, which works nearly as well as DEET but makes you smell like a grilled hamburger forever. Of course, you can’t really beat DEET. Anti-malaria pills really do work, even if they have some crazy side effects. (Side effects of long term use: hallucination. On the 6th month, when my friend started hearing his dog talk in Barry White’s voice, that was probably a sign to stop.) Quinine is a natural anti-malarial with an interesting history, but it has just as many side effects, if not more, ranging from erectile dysfunction to temporary deafness (and you’d need a lot more than is in tonic water). See a doctor who specializes in travel medicine before and after your trip. They will be able to give you great advice on the risks specific to your destination.

3. Don’t hug dirty strangers, or wear shoes/clothes that you find on the street without disinfecting thoroughly first. There is a species of lice that only lives on clothing. Also, scabies! And bed bugs! And fungus, oh my!

Once upon a time, I hiked through the rain forest to a beautiful tropical river. As I waded through the rocks and enjoyed the little fish exfoliating my legs, one of my flip-flops broke. I could not hike back through the rain forest in bare feet; soldier ants are vicious creatures. I despaired of ever getting home alive. Then, miraculously, a pair of flip-flops came floating down the river out of nowhere (I guess it wasn’t so unusual, the river wasn’t exactly pure). I thought, ‘these must be clean, they’ve been washed in the river for who knows how long!’ Mistake. Turns out foot fungus is really easy to get and really hard to get rid of in a warm wet tropical country. It took two month and a heavy course of systemic anti-fungal pills before the thing would leave me alone.

This is the river. Speaking of parasites, the locals didn’t just swim in this river, most of them also drank from it, too.

4. Speaking of shoes, always wear shoes! For worms, there are many routes of entry into a human, but the most common is through the feet. These worms can crawl anywhere within 6 feet of human feces, and keep in mind hiking trails are low on public toilets. They live in nearly every tropical country. On the other hand, a worm infection suppresses the immune system, which can cure asthma, allergies, diabetes, arthritis, IBD, and MS. You win some, you lose some. (*do not construe this as medical advice! Eeeew!)

5. Water can be a problem in many places. You can splurge for the nice filter – or buy some inexpensive yet foul-tasting chlorine/iodine – but if you will mostly be drinking bottled water, you can get one of these inexpensive Life Straw in case of emergencies. You could drink water from a river, a lake, even a stagnant manure pond and still be fit as a fiddle with one of these.. If the water in your country of choice is OK but not great, go with one of these non-iodized filtering bottles. They are kind of difficult to suck water through, but it is worth the trouble if you don’t want to end up doubled over with stomach cramps.

But many places have an unjustly bad rap for their tap water. Find out if your destination does water testing or water treatment, you’d be surprised how many places have great tap water (often even better than the tap in the USA). Swimming and wading are questionable activities, find out if the body of water has been tested, and if the area is home to leaches (especially the dreaded Asian aquatic leach, who will swim into any orifice it can find). Salt water is usually safest.

6. Eat safe food. If you only eat things that are cooked, washed with purified water, or wrapped in thick skins, you will be fine. I never follow this rule, but I think if the rotten shark has been hanging in the open air for a six months without a single carrion bird touching it, it can’t be a good home for parasites either (or good food for me). Make sure your food is fully cooked, especially your pork. I just don’t eat pork when abroad. There are other meat options (you could even go veggie), and I don’t fancy getting a tapeworm–if its babies swim to your brain, they may cause serious permanent damage up there.

Yum, not brain-damage!

7. Don’t get an STD! Practice safe sex like never before! I don’t care if condoms don’t feel as good! Don’t get gonorrhea!

8. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you still get sick. Before I got malaria, I took my pills religiously, I slathered myself in fowl chemical concoctions, I used a sleeping net, and I even peed in jars to avoid going outside at night. I did things only a crazily paranoid person would do, and I still fell deathly ill. Sometimes you have to make peace with the fact that you will get sick if you travel to a new and more sickly country, and your weak, sheltered body may react far worse than the bodies of locals. Sometimes you find yourself outside at night. Sometimes your flip-flop breaks mid-hike. Sometimes you can’t take malaria pills for the duration of your stay. Since pulling out all the stops in Africa, I’ve been to malarial countries and not taken pills at all with no problems. With parasites, sometimes no matter what you do or don’t do, it is mostly out of your hands, so enjoy your stay while you are there instead of knocking yourself out with worry.

9. If you do get sick…

For diarrhea or vomiting, drink a ton of water. If you can’t keep it down very well, take it in slow sips. Broth is even better, the salts keep your electrolytes balanced. Bonus points if you can find some yogurt, kefir, cultured sour cream, live kombucha, sauerkraut, or other beneficial probiotic product. Also, eat raw garlic and raw onions while traveling as much as you can bear: they have antiseptic properties that kill bad stuff, and prebiotic properties that boost growth of good stuff. If it is serious and you are becoming dizzy from dehydration, don’t be a fool, see a doctor. While we appreciate your readership, don’t take our advice in lieu of advice from an actual doctor.

For skin infections, coolness and dryness help, but nothing beats medicine. For the ladies, if you can’t get medicine for a yeast infection, garlic and yogurt can help (either as a preventative eaten over a long period or time, or for immediate relieve applied topically). The same is true for thrush.

For almost anything else, see a doctor for goodness sake.

Blog

Shit Tourists Say

After you’ve been in a foreign country for long enough, hearing English is a bit jarring. Even in large crowds, the English voices seem to stand out, and it’s hard not to overhear. Sometimes, a shared language is a great starting point to make friends with a fellow traveler, and if you overhear them sounding interesting, I would encourage you to do just that. Other times, you hear lame tourist shit like this:

1. “I want to see the REAL America/Thailand/Peru”

First, it’s all real. Second, no, you probably actually don’t, because real life is mundane beyond belief.  You don’t travel in order to experience other people’s menial jobs and hang out at their strip-malls and watch them take their kids to school. You really want a tourist experience, but without all the other tourists, don’t you? Well get in line.

Well, maybe it isn’t all real. But we found this real fake dinosaur at the Little America road-stop(/tourist trap), a gas station which is technically its own town.

2.  ”People who don’t travel aren’t experiencing life”

This statement is about as obnoxious as people who claim that those who don’t have children aren’t experiencing life, or that those who travel are running away from life. There are many, many life experiences, and you’re not getting all of them. I’ve never herded sheep, taken a prolonged vow of silence, built a boat, or lived in a redwood tree, though I’m sure there are people out there who find these to be life-affirming and essential experiences (and really, save for the vow of silence, they all sound pretty awesome to me). People who don’t travel are still experiencing life – they’re experiencing their own lives, on their own terms. It is not your place to tell them that the path you’ve chosen is more valid than the path they’ve chosen, even if you do feel the need to defend your strange nomadic lifestyle.

3. “Wow, this amazing experience I’m having right now really reminds me of <other country>, except it was ten times better and crazier” or “This amazing experience will make a great blog post/facebook post.”

It is hard to always live in the moment, but being in the moment is the only way to get the most out of travel. We’re guilty of these kind of thoughts, as is every traveler, but they still grate every time we hear them from someone else. Comparing someone else’s biggest tree ever with that time you went to the redwoods is a good way to devalue their experience and take the magic out of their memories. Only a jerk would want to do something like that.

This tree does not make your experiences less magical

4. [Insert broad, sweeping, usually BS generalization here]

I’ve had actual people tell me that you can find vending machines selling used panties on every street corner in Japan (false), that Italian men are all rapists because their culture doesn’t allow for women to say “no” (false), and that Scandinavians are fleeing their home countries en masse because Sharia Law is taking over in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway (false). To be fair, this is more frequently done by people who have not visited Japan, Italy, or Scandinavia, because anyone who has will immediately see how ludicrous these statements are. But sometimes people want to seem really knowledgeable so they run their mouths off in the hopes of impressing people. Don’t be one of those people!

5. “I like to travel like a local, not a tourist”

Usually uttered by people who who have no idea how to speak the local language and no interest in eating the local specialties. These are probably the loudest, most self-involved people you meet on the road. If they’re American, you’ll probably find them criticizing other Americans vociferously (actually, you’ll probably find them doing that regardless of their nationality).

6. “Ugh, WHY DON’T YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?”

The gross assumptions that come into play when tourists visit a foreign land and expect everyone to speak their language deserve an entire separate blog post, but for now, we’ll just tack it on here. It’s always really embarrassing for me when I meet other travelers complaining about locals who don’t speak English. It is not your place to determine which language they should speak and, as you are on their turf, show them just a little bit of respect. You don’t have to learn their language, but be humble, for goodness’ sake.
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