The evening manager came, box in hand, and joined in the chase. It took about ten minutes, but we finally shook the elusive little guy out of the empty suitcase and into the box. The manager looked at me and said, “Here, Lizard, Lizard, Lizard” in perfect Taco Bell Dog bogus accent. I could only respond with “I think I’ll need a bigger box…”

He informed me that the lizard was a gekko and that he would release it in the shrubbery outside. They’re never killed because they eat undesirables like mosquitoes. We both agreed that it would not have survived an airplane trip to Baltimore in the luggage compartment.

On a subsequent trip to the same hotel I was introduced to Austin’s other wildlife companion, the cricket. They multiply and come indoors in the late summer. They’re not as much fun as the gekkos.