There are so many nasty biting critters in tropical places aren't there?
I remember when much younger I used to travel all over West Africa alone. I often stayed in a 'campement' (basic lodging) in southern Senegal. The lady had several goats which I took to immediately. They all had kids and were very friendly. In the afternoons I'd sit on the bare earth in the goats' enclosure and offer them bits of tomatoes and onions etc.

The very kind lady flew out one day waving her arms in the air and shouting in Wolof (a language I don't have in my repertoire!) She grabbed me and hauled me to my feet, pointing at the ground. I could only see a lot of termites in the vicinity, and tried to shrug, showing her I didn't mind ants.

She nearly burst a blood vessel and pointed again. It was then I noticed a rather large black scorpion meandering around where I'd been sitting. Its sting was arched over its back. They're pretty deadly, so maybe the lady saved my life!

It was she who rushed out and retrieved the flat dish of water I put out for the birds. Her son Léon who spoke French translated that all the snakes in Senegal would soon be zooming into the enclosure for a nice drink.

Every evening the goats were locked in a ramshackle shed under the 'chateau d'eau' (water tower) and in there lived the biggest, hairiest spiders ever to be seen on this Earth. I once ran out of there screaming blue murder when I saw one near the door while I was giving the goats a bedtime snack.

I reckon they thought this weird English woman was completely bonkers.