• Skip to main content

Le Crepe

Le Crepe

Great Crepes in Royal Oak

Blog

Blog

What are different type of chameleon cage?

You are researching what you need to have to keep chameleons as pets and you’ve reached the part where you need to decide what cage is best to house your pet in. The first thing you will realize when buying a chameleon cage is that the products available on the market is extremely limited. It is not an easy task to choose the best chameleon cage that is totally appropriate for them. I have list here some type of chameleon cage and also some alternative cage that you can use to house chameleons.

#1 Glass chameleon cages

You should remember that not all glass tanks are suitable for keeping chameleons. This is because unsuitable glass cages for a chameleon can create many problems such as poor ventilation, lime scale, reflections, poor drainage. You will have to ensure that you chose the glass terrariums that design for chameleons, not aquariums that are designed for housing fish and water. It is a good ideal to choose the glass tank that have a screen mesh that generally fitted at the top of the ventilation. The pros of glass tank are that it is more visually appealing for your chameleons and much easier to maintain.

#2 Screen Cages

The cage I have used very successfully over many years is screen cage. Personally, I would like to recommend this cage to you. This is because the screen cages will provide adequate sunlight and continuous supply of fresh air circulates for chameleons. Well ventilation is very important to prevents the development of respiratory problems in chameleons. Moreover, screen cages offer good drainage for heavy spraying. You do not need to worry whenever you want to spray the cage for increase humidity levels. If the cage is not drained well and kept dry, it may lead to the growth of harmful microorganisms that can be dangerous for your pet’s health.

#3 Aviaries

If you are living in the climate that good for chameleons, you can use aviary to house your chameleons. You just need to ensure that the aviary you use is large enough for chameleons. Aviaries do the great job to mimic the conditions similar to chameleon natural habitat. Besides, ensure that the cage is not constructed by thin bars as it can be danger that the chameleon will start to climb the thin wires but be unable to maintain its footing and fall.

#4 DIY Chameleon Cage

Once you are experienced chameleon keeper and you know well about their requirements of ventilation, lighting, temperature, security and drainage, you may find a DIY cage is the best one for you. The most important factor when built you own cage is the safety. You need to ensure that there are no sharp edges in the cage. There will be water in the form of sprays or humidity, the wood or other material need to be waterproof.

Blog, Farm

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.

Blog

About us

Our ideas, opinion, and destination articles are nearly all team-written. Our stories and some of our destination articles are written individually for obvious reasons. Matt Cosby is our photographer for a majority of the pictures. The photostream for his more artsy photos as well as paintings and drawings is at flickr.com/photos/gardenofforkingpaths. Lehua appears in many more pictures than Raphaela; this is because Raphaela hates getting her picture taken and will scream and cover her face if you try, and also because Lehua is dating the photographer.

Lehua:

I once snuck into a secret passage that came off the closet of a cordoned-off room in Hamlet’s castle. The passageway eventually became a narrow crawl space. At first I was elated to discover it: people were murdered, affairs were consummated, and plots were hatched in this dark, smelly passage. Maybe. Then I realized I wouldn’t hear anyone who might come to lock the closet door. I might be trapped in this passageway for who knows how long. As soon as I emerged into the room I realized that a) my fears were well founded because someone had just arrived to close the closet and b) I was busted. I was escorted off the property and forbidden from returning. In Bulgaria I wasn’t as lucky. I was accidentally locked into two separate impregnable fortresses which were surrounded by rivers and cliffs on all sides. Both times I had to just wait until the angry guard returned with keys. In the meantime, we attracted a group of tourists and locals standing outside the iron bars, laughing and taking photos. I guess the moral of the story is that it is much better to find an unlocked door where you expected to find a locked door than vice versa. I can only hope that you will find something interesting/informative in my continuing accounts of locked and unlocked doors around the world.

Raphaela:

When I was 18, I traveled around the world on my own (I haven’t really stopped since then, though I somehow managed to finish college and spend a year at a corporate job I hated in between). Once I needed to stay warm while trapped outside in a cold desert night so I slept atop a composting toilet. Another night, I failed to plan accordingly and slept in an unhitched tent atop Swedish marsh. I awakened, freezing, with every inch of my face and body covered in mosquito bites. Keeping with the theme of sleeping in uncomfortable places, I once accepted an offer for a room by a man at the bus station in Dubrovnik. When he took me back to his home, I wasn’t greeted by the elegant, quaint bedroom in the pictures he’d shown me – I was greeted by his bathroom. He’d set up the tub with blankets and pillows, and I spent the whole night fearing that I would accidentally kick the faucet with my foot and drown myself in my sleep (Rational? No. Terrifying? Certainly). In Ghana, I somehow ended up in an empty village, where the only other living soul for miles was a man named Bongo, who politely yet creepily told me that we would be sharing a bed. In Turkey, a man approached me out of the blue and punched the crap out of me – on a crowded street. I’ve hitch-hiked all over the place (sorry mom!) and cleaned my fair share of toilets to earn my keep. I’ve made plenty of dumb (and some really smart) decisions which you can hopefully learn from or, at the very least, be entertained by.

Blog, Farm

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.

Blog

What are the ideal sizes of toys for dwarf hamsters?

Best toys for dwarf hamster are essential for giving your dwarf a healthy and happy life. There are many homemade solutions and toys available that you can easy find help prevent boredom and satisfy your dwarf hamster’s natural curiosity. However, there is a problem when looking for dwarf hamsters is that they are small breeds of hamster that may benefit from smaller toys. Sometimes, dwarf-sized toys are even necessary for a dwarf hammie’s safety. This post is the ideal size of some breed-specific toys for dwarf hamster.

#1 Why do you need specific toys for dwarf hamster

The fact that most hamster toys that you often find in these stores are typically meant for Syrian-sized hamsters. However, dwarf hamster may grow to less than half the size of his standard-sized counterparts, or roughly 4 inches long at the maximum. This is why most standard-size toys available on the market are not suit them. Toys for dwarf hamsters are made in a slightly more compact size to accommodate a dwarf’s smaller package. Smaller toys are more enjoyable and even safer for dwarf hamsters. This is why when purchasing toys for a hamster, you first need to consider the size and type of hamster that you’re shopping for.

#2 Wheel for dwarf hamster

Normally, if you are raising a Syrian hamster, you will need to provide them a wheel at least 8 inches or more. However, this size seems to be too larger for the dwarf one. I would like to recommend that you should not give your dwarf hamsters a wheel that is more than 6.5-inch diameter. This is because if you get a metal or wire exercise wheel that’s a bit too large for a dwarf hamster, then there is risk that he may get a foot stuck while running and his tail tangled into the wire.

#3 Hidden place for dwarf hamster

dwarf hamsters are more prefer and enjoyable a smaller nesting box or hideaway, as a large one may not make he feel as secure inside. At a little over 4 inches long and wide, the hidden place will be the perfect size for dwarf hamsters as it has just enough space for a dwarf hamster to make comfortable and secure while laying inside.

#4 Small tubes for dwarf hamster

Tubes hidden under the bedding substrate make great toys for hamster to burrow. However, they also prefer to use their tube to sleep. Ideally, the tube that measures about four inches long, and has a diameter of about 2.5 inches is great hiding spot or activity space. Smaller tube may be too small for larger dwarf hamsters to crawl into.

Related to toys for dwarf hamster

Top Sales Product Link Price
Kaytee Small Animal Ceramic Critter Bath, Ideal for Dwarf Hamsters and Gerbils, Color May Vary from $6.97
BWOGUE Pet Small Animal Hideout Hamster House Deluxe Two Layers Wooden Hut Play Toys Chews from $13.99
Petzilla Hamster Wooden House as Bedding Dining Room Sand Bath Hideout Hideaway for Dwarf Robo Syrian Gerbils Teddy Bear… from $7.99
Wood Playground for Pet Dwarf Hamster Gerbil Rat Mouse Small Animal Cage Chew Toy (Wood Playground) from $11.26
Rainbow Play Bridge - Hamster & Small Animal Toy from $9.62
Kaytee Dwarf Hamster Mini Run-About Exercise Ball from $2.99
Niteangel Wooden Ladder Bridge, Hamster Mouse Rat Rodents Toy, Small Animal Chew Toy from $6.99

Blog, Farm

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.

Blog

What are the top 5 best weight loss food for parrots?

It is important to know well about your parrot situation before purchase on thier food. Apart from the type of parrot that you own, your parrot taste preferences, you also have to consider about your parrots weight. It can be a big problem for the parrot health if he is overweight. In this case, the best parrot food should be the one that is specially formulated for weight loss. The weight loss food products should include seeds that contain a lot of carbohydrates and avoid rich nutrient seed such as sunflowers. In order to provide a more balanced and helthier diet for your parrot, here are some products you should consider.

#1 ZuPreem Smart Selects Everyday Feeding Bird Food for Parrots & Conures

If you have a overweight parrot, it is a good ideal to go for as it is made by specially formulated. It will provide enough balance of nutrients daily for your pets. This is the mixture of natural, delicious and healthy ingredients: grains, seeds, and dried fruit. Especially, it is produced to get rid off the seeds that are high in fats and carbohydrates. Besides, it includes essential Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which is good for the brain and heart health of parrot. This food does not comes with any chemical as well as genetically modified substances. It is very economical as it comes in the big size so you just need to provide a handful of the pellets at a time.

#2 Kaytee Forti-Diet Parrot Food

If you just need to maitain the parrot weight and looking for the great pellets but have limited budget, so you can go with Kaytee Forti-Diet Parrot Food. This product is all natural, it is guaranteed to be free of artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. In a pack, it provide your parrot with pellets, and some other natural ingredients such as grains and seeds like red millet, ground corn, and canary grass seed. This food contains 16% protein, although it maybe is not the ideal loss weight food but it can help your parrots maintain the body situation, sustain their energy, and develop their muscles. Not only that Kaytee Forti-Diet parrot food although comes in a form that suport foraging. This is because it is a variety of different shapes, colors, and textures to choose from.

#3 LAFEBER'S Classic Avi-Cakes Pet Bird Food, Made with Non-GMO and Human-Grade Ingredients, for Parrots

This is one of the food that provide completely nutrition taht parrot need in their daily diet. It is formulated by experienced veterinarians and nutritionists. This Lafeber’s Classic Nutri-Berries Bird Food and Treat for Conures give balanced nutrition fro parrot but also comes in a quare Avi-Cake shape that more foraging than pellet and encourage parrot beak play and exercise. It contains 12.5% min protein, and 4.5% min fat contents, which is ideal for overweight parrot. There is no GMO, human-grade, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives are added in this food. It is also support healthy skin, feathers, and immune system of the parrot due to Omaga 3 and Omage 6. However, the drawback is that it is designed with the special formulated for conures, so it may not good ideal for other parrots.

#4 ZuPreem Natural Bird Food Smart Pellets for Parrots and Conures

This is an ideal food for overweight parrot as it only contain minimum 4.0% of fat levels. The food provide complete and nutritionally balanced in every bite, that means it can be use as the main daily food for parrot. This is the healthy and balanced diet. However, it only suitable for medium and large parrots like conures, Amazons, and African greys, not for small parrots. It is made from all-natural ingredients of vegetables . It is precisely formulated with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. However, some parrots may just do not like to eat this food.

Related to Parrot food

Top Sales Product Link Price
Millet Spray for Birds from $4.99
Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Parakeet Food from $8.79
Petsvv 4 PCS Bird Perch Stand Toy, Wood Parrot Perch Stand Platform Paw Grinding Stick, Cage Accessories Exercise Toys… from $11.99
JW Pet Company Insight Cuttlebone Holder, Colors Vary from $3.74
ZuPreem FruitBlend Flavor Pellets Bird Food for Small Birds - Powerful Pellets Made in USA, Naturally Flavored for… from $20.10
Colorful Bird Perch Stand Platform Natural Wood Playground Paw Grinding Clean for Pet Parrot Budgies Parakeet Cockatiels… from $7.99
Kaytee Fiesta Mango Flavored Yogured Dipped Papaya Bird Treat from $2.59
Penn-Plax Bird Life Activity Center – Perfect For Younger or Smaller Birds from $20.30
Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Parakeet Food from $4.87
Kaytee Formed Bird Treats and Treat Sticks from $3.41
Nature's Miracle Bird Cage Cleaner from $3.99

Blog, Farm

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.

Blog

Travel Hygiene for Cleanish Vagrants

Travel hygiene isn’t really something we like to think about, because it’s sometimes better not to remember how gross you get while backpacking. But you can’t make friends if you smell like a horse, as we learned through many sad, sad experiences. Fortunately, unlike backpackers of the olden times, you don’t have to spend two months smelling like patchouli and homeless, and you will never again have to avoid hugging your new travel friend for fear that they faint.

Unless you totally dig that smell, in which case, I don’t know what to tell ya. [credit]

If I could have it my way, I’d always smell like a human and not like a farm animal. Unfortunately, when I am not attentive to my hygiene I become a disgusting wildebeest, and I’ve been mistaken for a homeless person on numerous occasions (I’m not saying this for comedic effect. This has actually happened, and it wasn’t funny). This problem is compounded because I love doing dirty things, like camping for extended periods, working outside, and living in mudhuts. I just find these activities enjoyable, so I’ve had to come up with a few ways to fake being a clean person while I’m on the road.

1. Hang your clothes to dry in a windy sunny place to blow out the smell and kill the bacteria with UV rays.

2. Don’t ever try on shoes you find on the side of the road (or floating in a river) without spraying them with some serious antifungal or bleach!

3. Pack some trash bags so you can keep your dirty clothes separated and sealed, because it sucks when you dig through your bag to find something clean and realize that it all smells the same, even when you are sure that SOMETHING was recently clean. Also, don’t be ashamed about determining clothing’s suitability for wear by conducting a sniff test – we all do it. Also, know that your sniff test standards will rapidly deteriorate with each additional month on the road, so be conscious of this fact.

4. If you have a towel that is wet and a towel that is dry, you can roll them together and squish them to average the water content (two half-wet towels will dry a lot faster than one sopping wet towel, and towels take forever to dry, unless you get one of those fancy microfiber towels).

5. Brushing your teeth dry (sans toothpaste) is way better than not brushing them at all. Seriously, how do some people not realize this? Just try to rinse your toothbrush.

6. Speaking of tooth hygiene, do you know how magic baking soda is? Baking soda is my one beauty/hygiene product that I’d have trouble doing without. Use it to brush your teeth, deodorize your armpits (it works! Not like those other organic deodorants that your smelly hippie friends swear by – it ACTUALLY works! Take it from a fellow smelly person). Check out these other nifty uses for baking soda here. Your only problem will be trying to convince airport security that this strange white powder in your bag is actually totally harmless and legal.

Honestly officer, it’s wrapped in a condom because I just didn’t have any bags on hand. And the mushrooms, those are just for decoration! I was going to build a centerpiece! [credit]

7. Lavender makes a good deodorant because it’s marginally antimicrobial. Other things I’ve been known to rub under my pits: Coconut oil (antimicrobial and antifungal – and much nicer feeling than baking soda!), corn starch, sea salt, tea tree oil.

8. Diluted apple cider vinegar makes a nifty facial toner if you need something in a pinch. Olive and coconut oils are awesome for removing mascara and eye makeup.

9. Pack a baggie of corn starch to use as dry shampoo, and you can add some cocoa powder if your hair is dark. It really works! Just avoid overdoing it with the corn starch, or you’ll look like you have a gnarly case of dandruff.
You’ll notice that we didn’t use any of our own pictures in this article. A great man once said, “Remember me not as I am but as I used to be that day two or three weeks ago when I took a shower,” or something. [credit]

Blog, Farm

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.

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.

Blog

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.
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

Copyright © 2022 · Recipe Blogger Theme · Genesis Framework · Privacy Policy · WordPress · Log in