Jungle Living (on living in Manjou)

   My boss recently left on a trip to Tanzania and graciously offered to let Chris and I house and dog sit for them during their absence.  We gratefully accepted their offer; eight months of living in a hostel can be tiring and we were looking forward to having some private space.  I loved living in Jialeshuei, steps from the surf break, but sharing living quarters with strangers can drive anyone a little crazy. 
   Their house is not very far from Jialeshuei- about a fifteen minute drive up the mountains.  Since the county that we live in is rural to begin with, Manjou is a pretty podunk town.  There are chickens and geese running around in front yards which also happens to be the main road, more power chairs than usual are used as a mode of daily transportation, country kids with dirty faces and happy grins are a common sight, country men with dirtier faces and happier grins are an even commoner sight and there are a lot of wild critters. 

   My definition of "big spider" has definitely changed in the past week.  I used to think any spider larger than a nickel was pretty big- excluding Daddy longlegs, which I grew used to in California.  These days, nickel sized spiders go completely unnoticed around here.  The spiders about the size of my hand that I have been spotting every few days have now refreshed my definition of "big".  Not only are these guys big, they're hairy - visibly hairy, if you look closely you can see their eyes which stare back at you.  Plus, they're incredibly fast! I've developed a technique for catching them, I use a sturdy and big paper bowl and get as close to the spider as possible.  They know that you're trying to get them, the shrewd beasts, so the trick is to quickly place the bowl about 3 inches in front of them, then it's like they just walked into the bowl. 

   Spiders don't really bother me too much, they kind of give me the creeps but it's kind of fun trying to catch them and letting them go outside.  It's the cockroaches and mosquitoes that I absolutely abhor.  If I see a cockroach, every inch of my skin tightens up and I involuntarily cringe with pure hate.  I think it's because the cockroaches here are enormous and they fly, they're absolutely disgusting.  Mosquitoes don't gross me out but I hate them. I am obsessed with crushing any that I spot.  I can't think of anything else that gives me more satisfaction than slaughtering a mosquito and watching it explode red with blood.
    Yesterday I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom when I heard a scratching sound.  I looked up at the window and there was a crab walking outside of the screen window.  I thought this was totally random, I have never thought that I would see a crab walking on the window while brushing my teeth.

   Something that I've gotten completely used to during my stay in Southern Taiwan are geckos.  They are EVERYWHERE.  At first, I thought they were cute and it only took me a few nights to fall asleep to their loud chirping, something that I hardly notice anymore.  Now, I don't mind them, but I do mind their feces sometimes.  They crap all over the house, it's on windowsills, walls, the floor, the kitchen, the bathroom, sometimes I find them on plates  or on my clothes and that's really annoying.  At least they eat mosquitoes so I don't mind having them around too much. 

Gecko in the bathroom, that's the tail

Geckos in the kitchen

Little tiny baby gecko in the sink, it's right underneath the can of beer.

   So far, living in Manjou has been great! It's like living in the jungle.  The frogs and toads here are so loud and at night it's like sleeping to a very obnoxious frog symphony, but in a way, it's peaceful.  Monkeys come and go through the trees right in the yard.  The commute to work or just anywhere is unspeakably gorgeous. It's a relaxing, comfortable and interesting environment to live in.   
   Supposedly there are tons of poisonous snakes around here but I haven't seen any in the house yet.  My boss showed us pictures of a cobra and a viper that they found snooping inside the house.  Hopefully I won't have to get rid of a snake in the house but I'll let you know if I do.