Tropical Mystery

This is Cath here, posting under Bill's login. I must say that this @(#*$&(@)*$ Aperture software is not very intuitive and it is taking an unreasonable amount of time to complete a simple post. But the software and Bill's document filing system are not the tropical mystery.....

They mystery is why, aside from the creepy crawlies you see here, we really have *not* seen all that many tropical wigglies. Why? I have been to other tropical, warm and wet places and seen bugs big enough to carry off the furniture. I suppose one of the reasons I like it so much here in Belize is that it has been relatively bug-free.

The kids did find a scorpion in our cabin; we must have not shut the door all the way. I was actually not present for that and Thank Goodness for you probably would have heard the shrieking all the way back in the U.S. It must have stood still long enough for its photo op and then scurried around, just as terrified as Eva was, trying desperately not to be caught.

The tarantula picture is from Tikal. While there was no way I was going to touch it, it doesn't seem quite as horrible to me as the scorpion. The tarantula was so large it looked almost like one of the kids' toys, like a Beanie Baby. And it didn't move very fast (although I am sure it can when it wants to).

So I am not sure why, in this tropical paradise where so much is Alive, the volume of large and spectacular insect life isn't higher.  There were no scary surprises in the River Camp loo or showers, not even in the twilight hours.  But I am not complaining.  

What we have found instead, now that we are in Placencia and down by the beach, are these microscopic sand gnats.  They are teeny, you can barely see them at all but they feast upon you as soon as you go outside and you find out later just what a smorgasboard you've been.  The itching is torturous.  Unfortunately, I think these gnats have had many many generations to build up their resistant to deet and other insect repellant.  We can't tell that the bug spray is working at all.  I guess the bugs you can't see are worse than the ones you can.