During our stay here, I’ve had to learn to adapt to the ‘EcoSystem’ in Bali and to embrace the many bugs & creatures that live on this beautiful island with us. Trust me, this is not so easy for some people – just ask my mom…She used to Freak Out at the site of an ant or a spider at home. Since coming to Bali, she’s learned to accept having ‘roommates’, not really by choice mind you…
I, on the other hand, have had no problem (in general) getting used to these little creatures – aside for the recent attack of the red ants at the beautiful villa in Ubud (see Word of the week: “Ubud”….and “Salad”). Word of advice: If you see red ants, beware cuz they tend to sting (compared to the black or brown ones) so I would keep my distance.
When we first arrived here, they told us that the Geckos were harmless and they were handy to have around cuz they eat the pesty bugs (ie. mosquitoes, flies, dragonflies 😦 …). Unfortunately, from what I could observe, they don’t eat ants!! This is really too bad for them, cuz there are a Gazillion ants (and more) running around freely, ready to be feasted on. Perhaps, it’s a good thing otherwise the Geckos would become Humungous and scary! A Balinese friend told me that the reason why geckos don’t eat ants it’s cuz they’re bitter – but I really don’t know how reliable this source is…Did he taste the ants for himself or perhaps he interviewed a gecko to confirm this? I have no idea, but this is what I’ve been told. I haven’t had the urge to taste for myself either, but I’m sure that unknowingly, we’ve all eaten our fair share of ants so far here in Bali…
It turns out that having ants around can be sometimes pretty handy. They demonstrate some good qualities such as: perseverance, patience, being hard working and methodical, they promote team work and they help clean up….I’m sure that some Employers would be glad to hire them… I’ve recently noticed these characteristics during the event of the “24-Hour Feast”!
One morning, there was a baby Gecko, measuring about 5cm, who was looking extremely weak, probably due to the humidity and heat like the rest of us!
Baby Gecko
Given its dire condition, my friend Ami decided to move him from the middle of the kitchen floor to the edge of our counter top, to protect him from being accidentally squished I presume. Although we did not notice, that is when the 24-hour Feast began for the happy ants in our neighbourhood…
The next day, at exactly the same spot where we left the gecko, there remained only the skeleton of our poor gecko. The ants had patiently taken their time, shared the ‘joy’ and cleaned out that gecko leaving only it’s little bones…What can I say…Poor Gecko!
And I thought geckos were supposed to eat insects, not the other way around!
Poor Gecko 24 hours later...
Little Sumo Girl 