I’ve been in many unpleasant bathrooms in my travels — mostly of the unsanitary variety in China — but this one was rather frightening.
At Sierra Llorona in Panama, there are plenty of animals and insects that I’ve never previously encountered (and some that I’d prefer to never encounter again). It was not the most pleasant of experiences when I went to my bathroom after breakfast and found this thing alongside the shower. At the time I wasn’t sure what it was and I really didn’t want to stick around to find out.
I found it again in the bathroom just before dinner. My host came to the room to see what it was and to shoo it out. Before shooing the critter, she mentioned that we should ask Sergio, the visiting Italian photographer, if he’d like to take a photo of it. Sergio was impressed by the sight and scooped it into a specimen box and took it back to his room.
I later discovered that this creature is a tailless whip scorpion and it is relatively harmless. It just happens to look menacing. Having never seen one before, I was uncertain at the time if it was dangerous. It’s better to err on the side of caution.
