Sorry to hear of your misadventures and thanks for the tip - if I ever do any serious trekking I'll be sure to get some!

All the best,

Bob

It was 3 days of blood sucking horror until I was fortunate enough to have a sweet Korean couple join our trekking after we stopped by a teahouse. The guy had this special gel like repellent called Leech hound. Some sort of leech repellent. He only had enough for 1 more application on the shoes for me and my fiancé. It was a God sent miracle! All the leeches couldn’t make their way past a barrier layer where the gel was applied. Finally a chance to properly appreciate the beauty of Himalayas.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/263810846962 

Hope this helps. Have a great adventure ahead!

I know you are now on your way to Heathrow and will not read this post. I know you can wear the leech socks over your ordinary socks, but this is like wearing two pairs of socks and I for one would not be able to get my shoes on if I wore both. In Kerala I removed my ordinary socks! Looking forward to you modeling your famous leech socks!!

Jaya

The leech socks I've bought are designed to go over your socks and trousers and form a complete seal so the little blighters can't get through!  No doubt you will be seeing me model them in a few days!

All the best,

Bob

Thanks for all the information. You can remove your ordinary socks before putting on the leech socks. I had to do that in Kerala otherwise would never have got my feet in my shoes! I will wait till we get there and see what the local guide has to say before buying some. Otherwise will use my knee length socks over the leggings which I now intend to wear for the jungle trek. Hopefully this will stop the leeches getting anywhere on my skin. I will also use the deet roll on all over the legs, feet and hands and hopefully these precautions will keep the unwanted creatures away. By the way, we were told not to try and detach the leeches especially when they were sucking your blood. The best way was to put salt on them. You can flick the ones which have not yet started sucking your blood! Yuck, all this talk is giving me the creeps!

Jaya

Hi folks,

I don't think bicycle clips would really work - seemingly the leeches are experts at crawling through lace holes in shoes, through the weave in socks etc which is why the leech socks are worn over socks and trousers.  Fingers crossed we don't encounter any!

Cheers,

Bob

Hello Bob,

Hmm, I hope we don't encounter any, either.

My socks and trousers are all mosquito-repellent, and I had planned to spray my shoes with DEET or Permethrin in the hope that that would deter them. I am not sure whether leech socks over my existing socks would fit inside my shoes . . .

Still, plan B would be to buy some leech socks in KK, if the locals so advise for the places we shall be visiting - only jungle walks for us, no real trekking?

Apropos, from the "Borneo Adventure" website's FAQ (http://borneoadventure.com/about/faqs/#):

"If I go jungle trekking do I need to worry about leeches?

Leeches are commonly found in the rainforest and you may encounter them on jungle treks in some places in Sabah and Sarawak. If a leech bites you, don’t worry too much. Leech bites may be irritating but they are generally not considered harmful. You can easily remove a leech by using your finger nail to detach it or by flicking it a few times. The wound may continue to bleed for a little while but this usually stops. When you get back to your room wash the wound with soap and water. You can minimise your chances of getting leech bites by using insect repellent and by wearing leech socks. Leeches are very common at Tabin and Danum Valley in Sabah so leech socks are recommended. Likewise for the Red Ape Trail in Sarawak. Leeches are sometimes found along the jungle trails at Ulu Ai. Leeches are not usually encountered on treks at Bako National Park.

Can I buy leech socks in Sarawak and Sabah?

It is often not easy to find leech socks in Sarawak. However, they are readily available in Sabah.

 . . .

In Kota Kinabalu, leech socks are sold at Borneo Outdoor Gear in the Suria Sabah shopping mall at 1 Jalan Tun Faud Stephens and at Tech City Outdoor Shop (Tel: 088-222157) at No. 5 Jalan Gaya, next to Jesselton Point. Tabin Wildlife Resort & Borneo Rainforest Lodge in Danum Valley also sell them."

All part of life's rich tapestry!

Jim

I don't think bicycle clips would really work - seemingly the leeches are experts at crawling through lace holes in shoes, through the weave in socks etc which is why the leech socks are worn over socks and trousers.  Fingers crossed we don't encounter any!

Cheers,

Bob

Hi Jim

Your idea of bicycle clips sound like a very good one indeed.    Was August a good month to visit Sri Lanka or do your think October / November are good months?  

Jaya

Hello Jaya

Sri Lanka remains my favourite India/Far East destination, apart possibly from Japan, as it packs so much into such a small space. I know you have been to Kerala (and Tamil Nadu?) so it will seem quite familiar to you, I expect - but with the interesting colonial legacy as well.

I chose August mainly for the "gathering of the elephants" in Minneriya. Although technically in the (SE) monsoon period, we only had two showers each lasting for about an hour, one in Galle and the other on the way to Yala near the SE coast, so rain wasn't a problem - BTW, don't pay too much attention to the weather forecasts: these showed thunderstorms every day! (the same applied to Singapore, when I saw no rain at all in the week I was there:-). The weather was a comfortable 28-30 with some afternoon highs of 33-34, rather cooler up in Nuwara Eliya, of course. There were very few insects, and no mosquitoes - and definitely no leeches!!

The other advantage of August is that one could also fit in a visit to Kandy during the Esala Perahera Festival (unfortunately I missed this by one week last year).

http://www.selectiveasia.com/sri-lanka-holidays/weather/october , alrhough I don't know how reliable these are.

I imagine you are looking at the JY and TS trips. Both look good, although neither include all, the places I wanted to visit (my itinerary was Colombo - Pinnawela - Habanara in the 'cultural triangle' (Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya Dambullah) - Kandy - by train to Nuwara Eliya (with a Horton Plains walk) - Yala (with game drives and the puja in Katagarama) - Galle - Beruwela).  The TS trip includes Yala, which was a 'must' for me, and Horton Plains, although these may not be at the top of the list for you, and also offers the Festival in its August departure. The JY trip includes  stays in the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya (a real 1930s experience!) and by Lake Habanera, which has some lovely early morning (6am) walks.

I hope this helps: happy to discuss when we meet later this week - but do go as soon as you can!

Jim

PS - managed to get some bicycle clips 🙂

Your idea of bicycle clips sound like a very good one indeed. Was August a good month to visit Sri Lanka or do your think October / November are good months?

Jaya