Death to geckos

Having killed most of the starfish population in Borneo, we decided to have lunch on one of the nearby islets (is there such a word?).

Generally speaking, out here we have fun watching the geckos tongue-zap the bugs -- they kind of dance round the walls; lights; ceilings etc chasing creepy crawlies and eventually (inevitably) getting the kill.

So we were not surprised when, during lunch, a gecko started prancing round just by our table ... then it started doing really crazy zig-zag movements on its back etc ... I thought it was some kind of new bug-slaying tactic ... it stayed dead still for ages whilst some bug crept up by it ... it was not until the bug started nibbling at the gecko's nose that I realised the gecko was dead still because it had just died on us.

That was really hard to explain to the boys - not nearly as hard as the time when, in Hong Kong, a baby gecko got into the apartment ... the boys chased it into the study ... I gently came into the room to capture it ... could not find it. Next day I did find it (well, Billy found it) - squashed flat in the door frame. oooops.

Any way, I've decided it's probably my destiny to come back as a gecko (man). Could be worse things - I could come back as a Chelsea supporter.

The four of us went snorkelling in the shallows (well, Archie floated!) .. the tropical fish beneath us were great. We were warned about jellyfish there ... I kept an eye out for them ... did not see anything, but felt myself getting stung (mildly). The next day I read in the local paper that two Japanese tourists had, that week, drowned in exactly the same water we were swimming in. Suspected heart attacks brought on by excessive jellyfish stings.

M