What about the R.O.U.S.s?

In my family growing up, there was always one movie we could agree on--The Princess Bride. For those of you who have not seen it, shame on you, but I will paint the scene a bit for you. After the long lost lover saves the princess from the evil kidnappers, they decide to venture into the fire swamp in order to escape the devilish prince and his posse. This particular fire swamp is known to have 3 dangers, which notoriously let no one out alive. First, there are the fire spurts. Second, there is the lightning sand, which is like super quick sand. And, third, are the R.O.U.S.s, or Rodents Of Unusual Size. While Wesley (the long lost lover) does not think they exist, he is sadly mistaken as a giant rat comes out of nowhere to attack him and wrestle him to the ground.

So, if you find yourself thinking like Wesley that R.O.U.S.s don't exist, I want you to know otherwise. I assure you that there are R.O.U.S.s in abundance across Cambodia. This is a dead one that I passed on the road this week. I considered putting my foot in the picture in order to give you a scale to look at, but I'll be honest, I wasn't about to get that close. Thank God for a zoom lens! While this is by no means the largest rat I have seen, he was a pretty good sized rat. I estimate that the length of his body was 10-12 inches (that does NOT include his tail). It is pretty bad when you see one out of the corner of your way and question whether it was a rat or a cat!
I will say this about the rats. They are perfectly content to remain outside. So, as long as they maintain this pattern, we can live quite harmoniously. The day they decide to enter my front door will be the day that our relationship will have to change...