That’s a cute phrase when it’s part of a childhood rhyme. Not so cute when Karen wakes up with bites all over her legs.

The critters that kept biting her may not have actually been bedbugs- the specimens we found didn’t quite fit the profile. Either way, we had a problem: they seemed to have followed us from Kuala Lumpur to Georgetown, so how do we get rid of them once and for all? The answer: clean absolutely everything we brought on the trip. Ugh.

While our clothes (except the ones we were wearing) got a hot wash at the local laundry, Karen and I completely emptied and cleaned our bags. Laying everything out on two beds made us realize how much stuff we’re carrying…. or how little, depending on your point of view. We raised an eyebrow at the cold weather gear taking up space in our bags (it’s hot here), but we’ll need that stuff in Nepal.

With everything repacked, we are hopefully bug-free. Come to think of it, we should probably do a thorough clean-up like this every 3 or 4 months, even without the bedbugs.