A Gecko for Luck

Book excerpt: The large house gecko, called tokek, is regarded as a lucky talisman by the Indonesians. When its 'Toke' resounds in the night, they count how many times it calls, both in town and in the country, and this number determines how lucky the call is. Only an odd number is lucky: seven is already quite good, but nine promises the peak of success and good fortune. The author has spent 18 years in Indonesia and helped the young independent country in its development and construction on the sectors of telecommunications, electrotechnical and solar power engineering. Amusing and interesting events from his private and professional life during those years make this book historically interesting and also humorous reading for anyone who is interested in getting to know Indonesia off the beaten tourist track. The author and his famliy had tokeks in both their house in Jakarta and their weekend home in Carita. He often has heard nine successive calls, and the prophecy was fulfilled: Indonesia has brought the author luck and happiness.