The Critters of Penang

      What's this little critter?  It's a civet cat, but not the one that lives with his family in the ceilings at my husband's workplace.  That bunch scampers around both day and night, enjoying all the free food that gets scattered about.
       Periodically the maintenance man traps them and releases them somewhere else, but, knowing a good thing when they see it, they return!   Or maybe they send their relatives to take their place.  There's a lot of joking about whether they could provide the exotic "kopi luwak," -- the most expensive coffee in the world.  But those pricey coffee beans pass through the digestive tracts of a different kind of civet cat, alas!


       Pulau Tikus means "Isle of Mice"  (or "Rats').  Some say it's named for a small island off the coast near here that's shaped like a rodent.  But considering how many rats I've seen scuttling around  behind the hawker food markets, I'd say it's because they're so common here.  People say "our" rats are so smart they have PhDs!  (They can steal cheese out of a trap without losing their tails or their lives.) 

    Even the highest of the high-rise  "luxury super condos" aren't free of local critters.  The other day I was visiting one when suddenly a monitor lizard (or was it a Komodo Dragon?) scuttled in front of me, dove into the pool and did a quick lap to the other side.   I gather they come up from the nearby beach.  Guess they prefer high-rise swimming pools to sea water.  Those monitor lizards go to college, too.  Over at USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia -  Malaysian Science University) one caused a non-fatal accident when an Iranian exchange student mixed it up with a monitor lizard that crossed a busy street in front of him.  Final score:  Monitor lizard- 0; Iranian student, 1.


      All this closeness to nature is wonderful in theory, but the other day, not so good!  I was by the pool, just happily reading a (borrowed) book when suddenly a twittering bird passed overhead.  Then, "SPLAT"!    Bird, 1;  Becky, 0!