Coding In Paradise

I've been having trouble sleeping, so I've been interested in getting a natural herb or food supplement, like Valerian Root or Melatonin. I headed over to the pharmacy today, and asked the pharmacist for melatonin or valerian root; she said they didn't have any, but then wanted to give me Xanix (a serious serious habit forming anti-anxiety drug) or anitriptyline (an anti-depressant) to help me sleep! I told her that this was serious stuff, and that I wanted something natural; she was like "Don't worry, this is what we take in Thailand when we can't sleep!" Fricken Xanix! Then it got worse; I asked for a basic over-the-counter anti-itch cream for some ant bites I got, and she wanted to give me a seriously powerful _steroidal_ cream that would require a prescription in the states! Steroid creams are serious shit; they have all sorts of serious side-effects and can kill you. Nasty stuff. I told her no thanks. Man pharmacies are crazy in third-world countries. I grew up near Mexico and I think you could get morphine there over-the-counter until just a few years ago (not sure though since I never asked for it!).