There's a Gecko in my Fruitbowl

There's a gecko in my fruitbowl, a scorpion in the dining room, a snake on the patio and a huntsman in the bathroom.

There's a gecko in my fruit bowl.....

Coming from Australia, these daily encounters with wildlife don't ordinarily upset me, in Australia I know everything is dangerous and to stay the hell clear.  Regular encounters with Cockroaches are simply a matter of course - squish it and flush it down the toilet (I even recall holding them by the antenna half alive as a child, this courage has since left me). Which is why I can keep a level head as I squeal with fright as that green little snake slithers quickly inside the house as we try to shoo it away.....

Isn't he a beauty......(and yes, that's him climbing our wall...)

......luckily, all the general knowledge that comes with being Australia came into full action, and so, after convincing Gavin that he could not play crocodile hunter and capture the beasty, we simply shooed it out of the house and walked loudly behind it as it slithered onto the property of the abandoned house next door. 

Later, while talking to a Canadian mate who has lived many years in Lao we enquire as to the venemous nature of the snake: "Yes, they are venemous".

This is the point where I realise that my Australian sense of "venemous" is directly linked with "life-threatening", and after continuing the discussion I come to realise that venemous simply means "the bite hurts like hell".  I sigh with relief and smile, content that this snake has nothing on our nasties back home.

The scorpion on the other hand, I am a little bit more freaked out by.  But, just like the huntsman spider, with a trusty tupperware and piece of card it can be caught and released to the vacant lot down the road in no time.  Gavin is becoming quite skilled at the task. Once again, after talking to locals, we should consider simply killing the scorpions outright....but I'm still getting used to the idea.  I definitely prefer relocation of any animal, especially the huntsmen, as they are harmless really, but just frighten the bejebus out of me when they run around in the shower while I'm naked.

Our beloved scorpion friend....

But, seriously, the geckos.  They are everywhere. You don't realise how precious we are in our daily western lives until you you set your first rat trap and clean the gecko poo off the kitchen bench each day. I know we have to deal with them in Brisbane (and at least here there is some biodiversity among them!), but not to the same degree.  In reality, I don't mind them - they keep the insects down (I hope), and in many ways, it's quite nice that rather than swatting at insects the geckos simply leave you with a nutritious packet of insect remains that can be easily swiped away without the need to engage in an aerobic session as you swat them!

Keeping the fruit flies down no doubt....thanks Little Fella!