What would a tropical adventure be without a snake story and photo? One of the reasons Deb and I chose to spend our final five days in Indonesian New Guinea at the tiny Raja Ampat Eco Lodge was because the website promised good herping (searching for reptiles and amphibians). When we spoke with the owner, Jack (a relocated Englishman), about a night hike looking for snakes and other critters, he suggested his new assistant, Ruben, who he said, “Is like Tarzan in the jungle.”
Ruben was in his early twenties and didn’t speak a word of English. We were his first guiding clients and would pay him directly for his services, because it was a side gig apart from his normal duties.
As the night progressed, Deb and I found more creatures on the hike than our guide did. We found lizards, walking sticks, crabs, katydids, snails, and a variety of large spiders (photos of those at a later date). We returned hot and sweaty—me bruised from a fall on some steep wet rocks—but were pleased with what we found.
The next evening, Jack asked us if we’d like to hire Ruben again, as Ruben had gone out with a machete during the day and cut a new trail that he thought would be more productive. This time, we said no, as Deb and I were in the mood for some less-strenuous gin and tonics on our porch while watching the moon rise.
Ruben, obviously, wanted a second chance to prove himself, so he went out anyway.
Jack had warned us that the local people were terrified of snakes. Nevertheless, Ruben soon showed up with a snake he had caught with a snake stick. He was nervous about his catch, but proud to show it to us. I hadn’t brushed up on the snakes of New Guinea, so even though I thought it was a brown tree snake, I wasn’t going to pick it up in the dark, in case I had misidentified it and it was a more venomous species. Instead, I got down on my hands and knees and shot several photos.
When I finished, I thanked Ruben for bringing me the snake and handed him a nice tip. He smiled broadly and headed back into the rainforest to release the snake.
Later, upon examination of the photos, I confirmed that it was, indeed, a brown tree snake. I once held a brown tree snake in Australia. They are venomous, but only mildly so.