My sister has been trying to move to one of the Canary Islands. Everytime I visit, she askes me the same thing. "Did you see any lizards or geckos crawling around?".
She's herpetophobic, if that's even a thing. I'd laugh at her, but I take her very seriously. I understand how phobia works. I've got phobia of dogs, which apparently the entire planet loves. I know how irrational fear works.
It's funny, of all the places she could have picked, the Canary Islands are awash with creepy crawlies of the reptile variety. Lanzarote's symbol - the diablo of Timanfaya, has a reptilian appearance. From what I remember, there were quite a number of lizards of different sorts crawling around that rock.
On Tenerife, however, I don't remember seeing any. It could just have been that I wasn't seeking them out, so my consciousness wasn't fine-tuned towards them, but I think I would have noticed if they were in any similar numbers to those in Lanzarote.
Arriving at Gran Canaria, while walking into the arrival lounge, I was confronted with this massive signage.
Having been here for a few days now, I can understand this. These geckos are everywhere! I love geckos, so I don't have any problem with that. They're a sign of good luck in many parts of the world actually. Some people say if you build a house and you don't see geckos indoors, that's a bad sign.
Geckos eat insects like mosquitos and flies. They also eat roaches and spiders. They are a very welcome addition to the home if you live in the tropics. It's like owning cats in mouse/rat invested town.
Anyhow, I think my sister is slowly coming to terms with the fact that she will never move to the Canary Islands. The weather is so perfect, but those darn reptiles!
Do you have a phobia? I have two - dogs and lightning
Peace and Love ✌🏿
Adé
All copy and photos are original content by me.
© adetorrent.com
