
I won't call him a visitor like I did the scorpion. He and several of his family are permanent indoor residents. I don't mind. Geckos eat insects and that's a good thing because we have plenty of insects in the tropics. And it is a good thing that I don't mind because it is virtually impossible to keep them out. They come into the house from between the windows and the screens and under the doors.

We also see iguanas of up to 3 feet (1 m.) in the trees in the yard and another type of medium-sized lizard that seems to run on its back legs seeking insects in the vegetable beds. Luckily these larger ones aren't interested in coming into the house. I'm not sure I would be so tolerant of them.

It can be a little disconcerting when you catch sight of something out of the corner of your eye flashing across the wall. But better a gecko than a cockroach, right? We don't have any of those!