stargate1234

Hi everyone. I have just joined and have been reading all the posts. I am especially interested in Northern Hungary as I have been living just north of Szentendre for 17 years teaching English. I would be happy to met UK expats locally for a beer and 'chinwag' !..
I am also activley searching for business oppotunities here in Hungary...so would be pleased to meet up with anyone wirh concrete ideas... If you are in the area do get in touch and we can meet up.....

Regards

Steve

fidobsa

Welcome Steve, it is good to have input from someone who has been in Hungary a good few years.

stargate1234

Hi fidobsa, Thankyou for your welcome. Yes, I have been here for rather a long time now.
I still keep in touch with England and everything British. Happy to help anyone with advice if I can...

blackwaterman

Hello,
So excited about finding this forum as I've been looking high and low!
I'm in Tiszaujvaros at the moment, just ending a 6-week stay in a small flat I bought for the purpose. I've made many annual visits (by car & plane) because my partner's Hungarian and likes to visit family annually at least. She has a big house for sale in nearby Ujtikos (pop 900-ish) which I only saw recently, and was staggered by its size and price, truly unbelievable for someone (still) living in SE England! Maria has given me so much good advice. I'm a pensioner and wish I'd found out about Hungary long ago!
If there's anything I can help with, please ask.

blackwaterman

As just a temporary resident in Tiszaujvaros from UK, I was amazed to see anti-mosquito spraying over the city by a Kamov KA-26 variant twin-rotor helicopter. There's a beautiful park with a couple of lakes and fountains, so it's understandable, but I was a bit apprehensive to see this making several passes, particularly as according to Wikipedia its engines must work at 95% power all the time, the only helicopter in the world to do so!
However, it does provide an excellent crop spraying pattern, it seems. We wen't troubled by mosquitoes at all, so it must work, despite proximity to the huge Tisza river (and the Kis-Tisza for cooliing the power station).

wolfi

Here around Hévíz and the Kiss Balaton (which is also a nature preserve, wonderful for bird lovers eg and also fishermen) they do use planes for spraying against those pesky mosquitoes - but there still are enough or rather too much of them.

Razorbite101

We just got back from two weeks next to Kis-Balaton and we were covered in bites. Going back over in two weeks and would love to hear about any sprays or creams which actually work

enter

For bites...Fenistil from any pharmacy

Razorbite101

Thanks enter,but I was hoping for some cream or spray that would prevent the bites in the first place. We did buy some spray from Tescos but it didn't work.

fidobsa

For a long time I was taking zinc tablets as they are supposed to help prevent bites but I don't think they worked. I think if you put up with the bites you eventually build up natural defences as the locals don't sem to be covered with the big red lumps us Brits seem to get.

enter

In my experience lotions/potions, not much works.....fenistil

Peter_in_Hungary

I have always heard that it was vitimin B tablets that were suposed to ward off both mozzies and ticks.

What I have found with mozzies is that you just have to be less atractive than your close neighbour. So if you use repelant then apply it descretly and don't give your friends any.

At BBQ times (on grass) it is repelant on your feet / ankles / socks that can make a big differance.

Razorbite101

We were told take calcium tablets.

heli2010

thats what I take they seem to work as this year I forgot to start taking them before I came out and was deluged with bites

Peter_in_Hungary

calcium tablets are the 'post trauma' fix to be taken after you have been bitten or stung to ease the effects.

And whilst we are on the subject - a word about ticks. Hungary has ticks! Unfortunatly quite a few (depends upon the area) carry lyme disease. If you get bitten by a tick pull it out as soon as you see it, the longer it is there the more chance of infection. Don't worry about which way to twist or special tweezers. If you leave the head behind don't bother trying to dig it out, it will come out in a few days of its own accord.

Job done

UNLESS

3-5 days later a red circle may start growing around the bite site and this will grow to several inches in dia. As soon as you notice this go to the doctor who will give you the correct 'fix it' antibiotics. Doctors don't mind false alarms where lymes is concerned so if you get a growing red patch but didn't see a tick, it could have fallen out without you noticing - get it checked!

If you don't get the antbiotics then after 2-3 weeks the redness will disappear but unfortunatly the disease can come back years later in a much more serious form and is extreamly dibilitating, life changing, and is very difficult to treat.

Danger places are long grass, bushes and pets who have been charging around in the 'outside' (they will transfer ticks to you) Ticks tend to climb up and look for some where warm so if you have been out in the countryside an evening check for you and the kids is a good idea.

My experience/authority on this matter - after 22 years of farming here I have had lymes twice !!