My bathroom is a small, tiled room with a squat-toilet set into a slightly elevated section next to a deep (about 3 feet) basin to hold water. It came with a plastic pan with which to pour water over anything in need of cleaning, and a nice crust of mold, dirt, and scum accrued over years of use by college-aged men. I've worked at scrubbing away much of that crust, and this morning, as I dipped in the pan for my morning bath, I noticed something more ominous wiggling through the water -- about a dozen tiny, black mosquito larvae.
When I told Bram about this infestation, he insisted that he knew of a solution, and that we would go out in search of it. Arriving in front of Pasar Ngasem (the bird/endangered animal market), he explained that I needed a cupang, which I discovered is a common beta (or "Siamese Fighting") fish. Not sure about the prospect of bathing with fish scented water, or the probability of replacing larvae with fish poop, I protested briefly, and then quickly settled on a small, dark, feisty fish. Upon releasing it into the basin of water, I stared in amazement as it darted around, eating the larvae. I guess I didn't expect a fish to make it onto the list of items required for my living space. Mattress, check. Fan, check. Clothes hangers, check. Live fish for my water basin? Umm, check.
Having just taken my first bath following the addition of the fish, I am happy to note the disappearance of the larvae and the current lack of fish poop and fish scent. Note to self -- research fish-to-human transferable diseases.
As long as the quality keeps up, and I don't need to flush the little guy, he is my best 5,000 Rupiah investment yet. And if you are wondering about currency exchange rates, that is about 60 cents.
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