Manjula,
Oh, boy. What can I say? You must have gone insane without me there to stabilize you! You must go the infirmary at once! Best wishes on your new endeavor...

Hi Manjula,
I know what you mean about being tormented. Cedar Island here in North Carolina is legendary for its abominable mosquitoes and monstrous horseflies. While radio tracking turtles from land on Cedar Island during the summer, no matter how hot it got, I would wear the thick foul weather gear I usually reserve for fishing boats to protect myself. The price I paid in sweat was well worth the mental image of the mosquitoes and biting flies breaking their proboscises (sp?)against the tough, rubberized material.

Manjula!

I certainly can feel for you; I experienced exactly the same thing. Those Shell Beach mosquitoes certainly rank in the top for my worst memories! It all started when we got near the beach at night from the river and the clay-like mud had built up so the boat could go no further and we had to crawl up ashore on fours. After about a 15-minute crawl I was finally on the sand, and noticed dozens of huge hives all down my back and legs. And that was only the prelude. At night, mosquitoes sneaked in through a teeny weeny opening in the tent and attacked me in my sleep. I woke to see the horror of numerous mosquitoes dancing around above me and of course I was covered in hives. Thus, slap slap all through the night and I was not a happy turtler... probably there as just as many mosquito tales as there are turtle tales for me. And as you know I still have a lot of souvenir scars from my various travels!