Bangkok Gecko Wrestling

Gecko Wrestling !!

If you've ever lived in the tropics this will not be any surprise to you, but if you haven't, well this is how it is. You know what a gecko is (those cute little lizard type creatures they use to advertise for the insurance company - Geico??). Well when you live in a tropical climate they are all over the place. You don't always see them, but you can hear them. They make a loud repetivite clicking noise. They are not very talkative, so they generally aren't much of a problem. They usually stay up near the ceiling. They are small enough to be able to get in to your home no matter if you have screening or closed windows, they get in. There is one that I know lives up in the study who sort of keeps me company when I work up there. I rarely ever see him or her (how could you tell?), but the periodic "talking" let's me know he's there watching me.

BUT today when I was looking for my address book, I went in to the study & there were 2 little geckos locked together rolling over & over on the floor. They were obviously fighting or wrestling or something. It was really funny to see. They didn't even stop when I went over to get a closer look. I ran to get my camera, but when I got back up there & pulled the curtain aside to get a better shot, they let go & ran up the wall.

My Thai friend told me a story about geckos that makes me glad the only ones I've ever seen are the small ones. He said that if you get too close to the big ones, they will jump onto your face & suck on your skin & will not let go. So you can pull & pull, but they lock on. He never told me how you can finally get them off, but it makes me think they aren't so cute any more. The other night I heard something scurrying around our bedroom & all I could think of was "it's a big gecko & it's going to jump onto my face & I won't be able to get it off". So I searched to see what was making the noise, but didn't see anything. I lay there for a long time until something that felt fairly large ran across my legs (they were covered by a quilt). I left John in the room (he never heard or felt anything) & went to sleep upstairs. In the morning I checked out the room again & found droppings that I knew to be mouse droppings (of course I have no idea what gecko droppings look like). A day later there was a dead mouse curled up in the corner of the kitchen. I guess the maintanence guy had put out some poison. And I haven't heard anymore critters in the bedroom since then.

The joys of living in a tropical country!!