nonichris

We have problems with teeny flies or gnats in Costa Rica, and have to sometimes use no seeum nets...maybe for next year if you go back, you could make a noseeum tent...I made one from fabric I bought from REI and it is about 9 feet on a side and about 6 feet plus tall...we hang it on pvc poles strung up on the beams of the house, which is open..the no seeums show up in the evening if it rains in the afternoon...REI also has ready made tents made with the same material...much more expensive, but it would allow you to be outside without the itching...you probably could make something that you could set up and attach to the door of the TM.
The refrigerator situation is unfortunate because of its small condenser and size surrounded by so much hot air. At least you could probably easily make your own yogurt, something I keep planning to do.....some veggies do fairly well out of the frig, at least in the tropical heat, especially if they have never been refrigerated...we keep cabbage, chayote, green pepper, onions. tomatoes out...the chayote are particularly easy to keep for up to a month or more, if you can find a place to buy them...carrots will probably keep well too as long as they have no bad spots. Beans on the stove will keep for a week if boiled twice a day...we use black beans, and they get better every day...other legumes keep well too if you boil them vigorously twice a day. Rice keeps fairly well for 24 hours but is harder to reheat. We use powdered milk and dried cheese. You are having some great adventures....hope to hear a lot more of them. I hope my post is not too close to being off topic, but some of your issues are sound very similar to ours.