I don't know if it's just because we have a large (rather overgrown) garden, but during this time of year we get a major increase in uninvited guests.
Scorpions are in abundance. Just tried to sweep one up under the desk - he's disappeared (somewhere...). Little centipedes - not the nasty ones, just tiny little ones that curl up if you touch them (so sweet, so unwanted in the house). Snakes - seen more over the past couple of weeks than the past four months or so.
I guess it's the rains that bring them all out (or in ). Mai pen rai - it's long-handled brush and dustpan time again.
VS
"Properly trained, man can be a dog's best friend"
For sure snakes and centipedes go out with the rain. Also ants tend to invade the house more during the rainy season. I guess they try to find a safe refuge from the water. Rats are a problem as well as they try to protect themselves from the rain by building their nests in the attic. I have had in the past problems with all those lovely creatures
Our house is becoming like a wildlife sanctuary. We had a very large TUKAAY
in our house which made wonderful large sounds in the middle of the night. To my disgust I learned the maid threw hot water over it to scare it out. To be fair she was pertified. I have visions of the Johnny Depp film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vagas"
Our village up in isaan is very peacefull,but when it rains at night everything just comes alive and in the dead of night it seems quite loud,frogs, toads, tukaays, crickets, chickens, cockrerels, buffalos, then the dogs start fighting.This can keep you awake some times.
But wot garentees your awking is the boss of the village has 3 PA horns on the water tower 100 meters from my house and at 5.00am everyday he starts to spin some tunes,and make announcements to the village, and quite offen the monks in the temple start chanting aswell.
Don't mention Tookay's Jockey. Our lovely dog is fascinated with them. He killed one the other day which had been happily living behind the kitchen cupboard. Great, we thought. Now we have peace and harmony in the kitchen. Saw another one the other night - bigger. Guess it's Mr. of now dead Mrs. Here we go again....
Just to give you some idea of our visitors, here's a lovely specimen:
And here's the tookay killer, scorpion spotter and snake wrangler. He's lovely really!
VS
"Properly trained, man can be a dog's best friend"
kendo wrote:Our village up in isaan is very peacefull,but when it rains at night everything just comes alive and in the dead of night it seems quite loud,frogs, toads, tukaays, crickets, chickens, cockrerels, buffalos, then the dogs start fighting.This can keep you awake some times.
But wot garentees your awking is the boss of the village has 3 PA horns on the water tower 100 meters from my house and at 5.00am everyday he starts to spin some tunes,and make announcements to the village, and quite offen the monks in the temple start chanting aswell.
Get a pair of old fashioned British metal dusbin lids. Get up at 4:30 am and join in! (Remember to roll your trousers up to your knees and wear a knotted hanky on your head)
Does it surprise you how comfortable you become with the creepies over the years? I remember the first time I came to LOS, I was either freaking out about a cockroach, a rat, or anything out of the norm. Now seeing a cockroach racing across the floor doesnt even faze me. THe rats are quite funny. I watched one cross PK road one evening, and I swear it looked both ways before crossing. I haven't had a close encounter with a large snake yet, but i'm sure its only a matter of time. The large asian centipedes are a bit disgusting and I understand the bites are are painful.
Agree with the centipedes, CC. A small one got me once. Couldn't walk for a week. The bite got badly infected and I've still got the small scars where the pincers grabbed me.
I've seen plenty of snakes and scorpions (the latter not in HH) and they don't really bother me too much now, but then again they're not on my land and I havn't just stepped on a cobra
Myself and mrs Cornhole were rudely roused from slumber the other night by a cockroach the size of a small horse crawling between us!!!!
She just turned over while I had a 'wild of hair and eye' moment...
sandman67 wrote: Is there a mongoose equivalent in Thailand?
There certainly is Sandman, it's called - surprise, surprise, the Small Asian Mongoose. It's very common, apparently it has a cousin called the Crab-eating Mongoose, but they're not really found in this neck of the woods. There are a lot of civets (similar to a mongoose) in this area and they come in an amazing variety of colours. We've seen several black, furry animals with long bushy tails around our area. It doesn't look like a mongoose, so I guess it's a civet.
If you're interested in the 'hairy' wildlife of Thailand there's a great pocket-sized book called ' Large Mammals of Thailand' by John W.K.Parr (ISBN 974-484-040-4). You should be able to get it in one of the good book shops in Hua Hin.
VS
PS. You don't need to get freaked by the scorpions. Unlike their Arizona cousins, they don't pack much of a punch (or sting!). In the unlikely event that you get jabbed by one it's apparently no worse than a mild wasp sting.
"Properly trained, man can be a dog's best friend"
thanks for that....I showed Mrs S a piccy of an Indian one and she said the Thais call em Pang Pon (thats what it sounds like).
I stayed in a guesthouse in Sri Lanka where the owner kept a couple of tame ones as pets.....saw one get a snake one time, and saw the pair generally clearing up any bug in the garden, and swore ever after if I lived in the tropics Id try and have one or two myself.....
snakes I dont mind after living with a lad who kept them, but scorpions and spiders freak me out....cant even look at dead ones like they sell at the markets in Issan as snacks.
Im gonna try to find that book and thanks for the tip. Im surprised there are any medium sized mammals in the wild in Thailand....would have thought by now the Thais would have eaten them all as everything from ants upwards are fair game here
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
Your postings had me in tears and that was 20 minutes ago. I'm still creased up and the wife thinks I've gone bonkers
Been there so often in Khon Kaen. No good fighting it. Get up and join in
Thanks for MAKING MY DAY
Had a bad day with TOT until I read your post
Emailed it to a few friends who would appreciate it
Cheers
All and sundry 'don't you think that sums up Thailand???'
RICHARD OF LOXLEY
It’s none of my business what people say and think of me. I am what I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. It makes life so much easier.
). Mai pen rai - it's long-handled brush and dustpan time again.
Get a pair of old fashioned British metal dusbin lids. Get up at 4:30 am and join in! (Remember to roll your trousers up to your knees and wear a knotted hanky on your head) 
