We took a little trip into the country over the weekend, to Mutoyi. There are lots of wonderful things to say about Mutoyi, but I'm going to start with something spooky -- giant spiders. We were touring the grounds of a hospital. The children and the nurses and all that stuff was great but we became captivated by giant yellow and black spiders spinning webs in the bushes just over the terrace wall.
I think they are golden orb weavers. There were at least twenty of them, and this one was the king. His body had to be about as long as my thumb. If they are golden orb weavers, then we are lucky they didn't decide to get stuck in our hair as we were leaning over the railing trying to snap photos. Their venom is similar to that of a black widow, but less potent. They are usually not fatal to humans but can cause some nasty swelling and pain around the bite site.
We were in a group, and some people couldn't understand my and Mike's fascination with the spiders. Je les deteste, "I hate them," we heard from more than one person. I tried explaining in my broken French that I like all animals, but I do prefer spiders when they're outside and I'm inside. I think my reaction to the chicks, bunnies, and cow later in the trip proved that I'm an animal equalist. But I've seen chicks, bunnies, and cows before. I'd never seen a spider like this.
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