... maar we willen rechtdoor!

"I find their migration fascinating, particularly the timing of spawning. How does a crab living in the jungle know when it is the turn of the high tide on the morning of the first day of the quarter moon? [Spawning takes place at 3am on the last quarter of the moon in December every year]. There is a particular Christmas Island style of driving during the migration. The speed limit is reduced to 40 km per hour, and we become quite skilled at not running over them. You get a real feel for how fast they move, and which direction they will back off in when the car wheel gets close. The unfortunate thing is that the crabs eat the other crabs that have been squashed on the tarmac, and are in turn run over. Since the island is quite humid, the rotting crabs on the roads smell really bad. Locals have a great affection for the red crabs, and every year we act as lifeguards when the female crabs spawn. They can't swim and drown if they are washed out to sea, so we pick them back out. During the migration you have to remember to keep doors closed at all times because otherwise they come into the house or school. They are quite good at finding food."

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