The machine
wakes me up invading my space and I roll over to look at the time. My alarm
hasn’t even gone off yet and I wonder what in blazes is making that chainsaw
like noise that seems to be getting closer to where I live.
I pull back
the curtains and it’s pouring with rain then I sniff the acrid smell that burns
your throat and seems to engulf your lungs making you go into a
coughing fit. I reach for my mask beside my bedside, it’s too late to make a
dash to my car and leave the area.
The white
smoke creeps stealthily under the door, through the cracks, into each pore of
the building. This toxic fog pervades everything and coats it in a layer of greyish
white.
Every
couple of months “fogging” is undertaken in Bali and it amazes me that the
locals who do the spraying often don’t even wear masks. Some hotels and
residences do “fogging” more often, aiming to reduce the outbreak of dengue and
kill the mosquito lava.
I was
recently at a hotel checking out the rooms for a friends event and all of a
sudden without any warning, the place was “fogged”. Confused people came out of
rooms wondering if the place was on fire. Having experienced “fogging” previously I
rushed to get away, but alas again too late. The garage where my car was parked was well enclosed with only one opening for air to circulate, so the fog was thick
down there and not likely to disappear in a hurry. Staff, with no regard to
health or even realizing the toxic effects of this pesticide, walked down to
the garage and drove the car up to the street level so we could make our
getaway.
I
personally don’t know whether fogging makes the situation better but I often
feel I see more mosquitos after fogging than before. Could that be my
imagination and my annoyance at this practice?
Dengue and
Chikungunya are viruses transmitted by mosquitos in Bali and many other
countries around the world. There is no known antidote but the juice of the
leaves of the young papaya plant, though bitter, are known to help.
Have you
encountered any either of these two viruses? Tell us about your experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment