An odd number means good luck, seven calls means very good luck and nine calls apparently means the best of happiness and success. Just as I do when I am in Indonesia, it’s almost like a favourite pastime, in the cool of the quiet evenings, I will always listen out for the call of the tokek and count the number of times he calls out. In the evenings, throughout the whole of Indonesia, in big cities and in small remote villages, when an Indonesian hears the tokek call out, they will surely count the number of calls. Tokek atau cecak besar adalah hewan yang aktif dimalam hari dengan mengeluarkan suara yang sangat khas. The well-known call of the tokek is believed by Indonesian’s to be an omen of good luck. Harga tokek saat ini berkisar antara IDR 2.500.000 sampai IDR 250.000.000 tergantung pada jenis, bobot dan panjang dari tokek itu sendiri. But it’s their colours and patterning that are really quite unique and amazing to look at up close and personal. But I really became acquainted with the gecko, and their big rounded pads on the end of their toes that allow them to climb smooth and vertical surfaces and even to run across smooth ceilings.

I again met these cute little guys when traveling in Cairns and Indonesia as a teenager. Terdapat beberapa jenis cecak, yaitu cecak rumah, cecak pohon hijau, dan tokek. Namun kebanyakan masyarakat Indonesia menganggap kadal sebagai hewan bertubuh kecil, bersisik licin, berkilau, dan hidup di atas tanah. Cecak dapat memutuskan ekornya untuk melindungi diri. Jadi istilah kadal mencakup seluruh binatang yang termasuk Upaordo Lacertilia seperti cecak, tokek, biawak, iguana, bunglon, cecak terbang, dan sebagainya. Cecak mempunyai ukuran rata-rata 7 hingga 10 cm. The first time I met that cute little guy that hangs around people’s houses in tropical areas – known as the ‘gecko’ to us here in Australia, was when I was 5 or 6 years old when traveling in the Northern Territory. Cecak juga memiliki lidah yang panjang dan lengket, sehingga dapat menangkap serangga. That cute little house pet…you know the one…you must have spotted him on your travels in Indonesia.

Cecak tokek