The Malaysian Nature Society office in Kuala Lumpur sells calico
leech-socks, reputedly effective and quite comfortable but said by
connoisseurs to be slightly shorter than is ideal. I don't know if they mail
things out but I imagine they would; they have a fairly professional shop.
Their address is:
485 Jalan 5/53
46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
(PO Box 10750, 50724 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Better leech-socks were (are?) available from Danum in Borneo but I don't
know how to get hold of those. I'm quite big on canvas Jungle Boots (sold in
some Aussie Disposals etc); they are 100% effective if you tuck long
trousers into them, reasonably cool and fairly good to walk in; the tricky
thing is find a pair that fits comfortably.
I certainly wouldn't recommend wholly ignoring the leeches in south-east
Asia. It is true that the leech bites don't hurt, but they don't heal
readily either and if you end up with 15+ weeping bites round your ankles
(which I have done; it is quite easy to do after really wet weather, or if
you are birding from pig-trails) there is a fighting chance of getting a
nasty infection.
Danny Rogers
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