Creepy Crawlies

It`s been raining here in Cuenca for many months. Although the sun is making more of an appearance these past few weeks, and the rain isn`t QUITE as ferocious as last month, it still rains everyday for at least an hour.

One thing I`ve noticed lately is that many disgusting and gigantic bugs have been sighted down by River Tomebamba, AND climbing up The Escalinata (stairs, at the top of which I live). Though a lot of them are getting killed during their pilgrimage up the stairs, a whole lot more are now crawling around where PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIVE! Ick. When I first got to Cuenca in September, there were no bugs to be seen. It`s a city. I would see the occassional cockroach or fly, but bugs of the scary giant variety were non-existant. Now though, I frequently have to cross into the street because huge-ass beetles the size of my HAND are sitting pretty in front of my door, or a tarantula is trying to hail a cab. The moths here are the size of BATS. I didn`t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I once made fun of a friend for an entire month who was traumatized by a moth in his bathroom. Little did I know he was NOT exaggerating the size of the buggers, until I got caught in the bathroom with a moth/bat myself, unable to get out in time.

I never thought of myself as scared of bugs. Granted, I`d rather not have them crawling all over me, but in the past, I was the one who was brave enough to kill a spider on the wall or trap the cockroach that got in. But these ones, they`re HUGE. Monsterous. Dinosaur-like. The thought of one of THEM creeping along my neck or up my leg is enough to give me the heebie-jeebs for a week.

Mom, send bug spray.