A hammock typically symbolizes summer and a simple life of leisure. It reminds you of the sun, sand and sea. In my case, it also reminds me of sandflies.
The first time I sat on a hammock was when I slept over at a friend's house. She had a hammock in her room. The only problem was there wasn't enough space to spread it to a comfortable length. To spend a whole night in it would guarantee severe back pain the next day. So I settled for a mattress on the floor. Still, I thought sleeping in a hammock would be cool.
2015: The second time I found a hammock was on a tropical island in Pahang. It was at the restaurant of the chalet that we stayed in, so that you could have a drink or even a meal while lying in the hammock. It was in a shaded area but near enough to the water. You could hear the waves and watch semi-nude people bathe. There was also wi-fi. In other words, it was perfect. It became my favorite spot for napping.
What I wasn't aware of was that those harmless-looking tiny flying insects (I think they're called sandflies?) could leave nasty bites. I later learnt that these flies would inject saliva into your skin to prevent your blood from clotting, and the saliva will then cause your skin to itch. And boy did it itch! I had bites on practically every part of my body that wasn't covered, which was a lot, considering that I was in bikinis most of the time. I couldn't stop scratching for the first few days. I put on Tiger Balm to stop the itchiness because that was the only thing we had on hand, but it only lasted about half an hour after each application.
After a week, some of the bite marks got red and swollen, because I had been scratching too much. Apparently, different people react differently to a sandfly bite. Some people, like the locals who live on the beach, have already become immune to it, which explains why my boyfriend didn't have any problem at all. After all lotions and pills failed, I went to see a doctor.
The itching subsided, but for weeks afterward, my legs looked like somebody had snuffed out cigarettes on them, I could almost pass for a victim of domestic abuse.
Next time, I will remember to bring Deet.
