When I was in the Philippines, I caught a humungous live spider. It was not quite as large as my open hand, but definitely bigger than my closed fist. I put it in a Ziploc baggie so I could show everyone, but when I got back to the room two hours later, there was a big tear in the bag, and Kumo (Japanese for spider) was gone!!
.
I expected that I would not sleep well that night because this guy was going to return with a few of his brothers for retaliation. The fact is, that we worked so hard that when it was time for bed, I fell asleep in no time at all.
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Someone, quick, get the oxygen masks! Two mamas, a child, and three dads who thought they were brave, down in row 6!
Really, Craver, did you have to test us out like this? Posting a traumatic picture like that, sucking all the oxygen out of the cabin.
YUCK!!
Why? Why would you see a big, ugly spider and put it in a ziplock bag? I don't understand.
Well, you better not return any time soon to the Phillipines, 'cos "you-know-who" will be waiting for you.
LL, I was calm and composed until I saw how fast that booger moves. And then, when I saw it jump!! Whew! Did I move fast!! It was in a little bathroom, but I could not run out because all of my brave buddies were blocking the door.
For now… I thought you liked hair. Spiders have hair. :-)
Oh Llama Momma, as a mother of boys, you should know that a boy does not need a reason to catch a spider; he just does it. Actually, I wanted to show everyone how big this spider was, and something about a live, moving spider makes it so much more menacing.
Ex-shammickite, I had a roommate in that apartment. He and I had this whole story concocted about how this guy was going to come back with Guido and Luigi- his “family.” There was character development, plots, twists, accents from the South side of Chicago… It’s amazing how creative you can be when a monster attack is imminent.
No one could tell us whether these spiders were poisonous. It wasn’t until I got back to the states and checked on line that I found out… Nah, I’ll tell you later.
Thanks, now I'm going to be having the heebie-jeebies all day long. And I'm officially adding the Philippines to my list of places I have no intention of visiting.
Btw I hear in parts of Africa there are spiders as big as dinner plates (try finding a Ziploc for one of those guys).
Are you mad! how could you sleep at night knowing this thing was crawling around? Do they not say that the average human swallows about 10 or so spiders at night whilst they sleep during their lifetime!
Mad?? Stark raving, thank-you very much.
Believe me, I checked every square inch of that room, in every nook and cranny, through ALL of the luggage, which included removing everything and shaking it out thoroughly. We paid special attention to the insides of our shoes.
But after all that, there was nothing we could do about the hole in the ceiling and the fact that they just don't use normal windows there, but instead, they vent the room with shutters that are impossible for spider-proofing.
My wife refuses to go with me for the '07 trip because of my little buddy Kumo.
There were geckos all over the walls too, and roaches that, well, they were so big you could fingerprint them!
That's it! I won't be going to the Philippines!
I once had a pet wasp, but spiders? No way. You're lucky you made it out of the Philippines without carrying that thing back in your suitcase.
You did check your suitcase? Right?
Quick, look behind you!
Oh, Charity... good one!
Barkat - you took the words right out of my mouth, while I sucked all the air out of my entire office building.
I had read the entire post before the page had loaded completely... I just kind of smiled at the thought of such a large spider (only wincing a wee bit at the mental picture.....and quickly moving on).
Then--just then--the page loaded in its entirety...and a picture of a humongous spider practically JUMPED at me!!!
Eeeeeeeeevillllll, Craver.
Aaaaaawesome, dude. It makes my skin crawl--especially the thought of sleeping where the bugs could getcha.
Reminds me of how much I hate stepping on spiders. I just can't stand feeling their abdomens pop under my shoe. Ugh.
In Alabama you can't fingerprint the cockroaches, but we ran from them anyway. They flew. Have you ever had a cockroach fly at your head? I was only in middle school, so that is my excuse for running and screaming.
You can almost picture a big spider riding a harley in the deserts of Arizona speeding your way. He has a bandana around his head and glasses on and is smoking a cigarette. "One day I'll find him" he thinks to himself "and then...he'll be sorry".
The comments on this blog post could be an interesting study on the differences between men and women.
On one hand, you've got "ewwww..." and on the other "cool dude!"
To think there are people out there who believe that men and women are the same!
Hmmm... sorry Llama Momma, but in my house I'm the spider killer (or catcher, if I can)... and he is, well, I wouldn't want to ruin a reputation.
For now…, never say never.
Charity, a pet wasp??! Well, that’s different! Oh, and you better believe that I thoroughly checked and rechecked our luggage! I get the shivers just thinking about it.
Look at LL Barnabas, being the encourager! There are certain types of behavior that we do NOT need to encourage. Do I need to put you and Ms. Singleton in separate corners?
Oh, Jennifer! I WISH I could have planned it that way!! You should have seen MY reaction when I saw the real Kuma jump! I’m so glad I could have shared the experience with you… Mwaa Ha Haaaaa…
Mrs. Craver also freaks out at the sound of bug guts bursting through an exoskeleton. It has never bugged me. C’mon Marcus, squishing is good fun! I don’t always kill spiders, though. I would rather have a sedentary spider slinking in the shadows, than a menacing mosquito or frisky fly any day.
Running and screaming? Probably justified, but still funny.
Petey, call me when Kumo and his gang of motorcycle spiders rumble through Normal. That will give me enough time to call Mark Goodyear and invite myself over as a houseguest.
I agree with Llama Momma that this would make an interesting study, but it surprises me how may times I find the expected responses to be reversed! There is a young teenaged girl from church who likes collecting creepy crawly critters. It would be so funny if she ends up with a guy who is the opposite.
I couldn't even stay in the same hotel........yikes!!!
I am soooo sorry. I have not consistently spelled it "Kumo." It's supposed to be the Japanese word for "spider." "Kuma" is Japanese for "bear." I have to reserve that name for a much bigger spider.
Craver -
The male/female response thing? Might be accurate, but then again...I have three daughters. Which should exempt me from finding creepy crawlies (of the plastic variety) tucked under my pillow? Right?
Nope! I have followed Musing Dad's instructions to not bias my girls against bugs by freaking out when I see them. I muffle my shrieks under my hand and motion for my girls to "come look" while I run in the other direction. Now that they're old enough to have formed their own opinions, they enjoy creeping Mom out with both fake & REAL bugs.
And thanks to the Llama twins' birthday party last year, my timid daughter has a whole jar full of plastic bugs to tuck under my pillow. However, even my bug loving girls would probably freak over a spider as big as your Kumo.
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