Malaysia forum

Did they look like this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_bug

I haven't had the misfortune of dealing with them, but they sound nasty. They are spread from hotel to hotel in people's bags, etc so yes, you should inspect your bags, etc.

If they are indeed bedbugs, there has been various discussions about them on TF in the past - including various tips on how to deal with them. Have a search on the site and see what you can find.

Good luck!

bedbugs have a distinct smell (like almond essence) when crushed.

one larger brown looking bug and a lot of the tiny red ones

larger brown one = adult & tiny ones = nymphs?
photo of the 1st-5th stage nymphs & adult here (scroll to bottom).
nymphs don't have the dark brown colour of adults yet so they will appear whitish (before feeding) or red (after feeding).

Treat your backpack with Deet, that should take care of it. I don't know what you were bit by, but if your skin doesn't clear up within a few days, you should probably see a local dermatologist (I would not wait until you got home - a local physician will be more familiar with local infections and, depending on your health care program, it will doubtless be a LOT cheaper here). In the meantime, I would wash the infected area with an anti-bacterial soap to minimize any secondary infections.

goonistick
You got that right. I got one on my neck once, and it sucked.

Katielane

Even 5-star hotels can get bedbugs.

You may wish to consult a dermatologist. Ask about applying a corticosteroid cream to treat the bites. The cream will help with the swelling and itching.

Be glad it wasn't a rove beetle! You inadvertently squash them and don't feel anything at the time but about 24 hours later it looks like someone has thrown vitriol at you. I've still got a faint scar on my inner elbow where I must have squashed one in my sleep and it's 6 months later now! Good to be aware what they can do to you though...they don't look any more alarming than an earwig in your garden.

Have you been to see a local dermatologist yet? I got covered in sandfly bites (or something) once in Thailand and went to see a dermatologist in Chumphon. It wasn't a fancy hospital, just a clinic on the street and I was the only foreign patient but the treatment he prescribed worked great and the consultation+medications cost under $10. I think it was a mixture of oral anti-histamines and cortisone cream like Goonistik mentioned.