As I mentioned in my last post, we went on a dolphin-spotting tour last Sunday. We drove up to Santubong, around 45mins from Kuching, and took a boat out from Permai Resort to the Salak estuary (river mouth) where the dolphins apparently like to hang out in pods.
The kids were all super excited and looked forward to spotting cute dolphins swimming in the wild. They went equipped with a pair of toy binoculars each, which I went searching for the day before!
Sad to say, we did not spy a single dolphin. According to the tour guide, there is a 70% chance of seeing one, but alas, it was low tide, and they usually go out to sea then. Also it was nearing the monsoon season and it's easier to spot the dolphins during calm waters.
The guide also added that when the water is calmer, there will also be more fishing boats which also mean more dolphins. This is because the dolphins sometimes come to feed on the unwanted fish which the fishermen discard. Amazingly, these intelligent creatures sometimes even help the fishermen for their reward. The local fishermen will bang on the side of their boats with oars and the dolphins will then help them by chasing fish into their nets! Is that simply adorable or what?
These are the species found here:
Anyway, the trip was not a total waste, as we spotted two huge crocodiles, sunbathing on the river bank! The guide estimated one of them to be around 2m long! It was quite hard to see them at first, as the were the exact same colour as the grey mud they were lazing on. When we got closer, they slid into the water and swam for a while before disappearing. It was super creepy scary to imagine falling over into the water just then! (me and my imagination...)
The boatman took us along a river and the kids could see the mangrove swamp and it's fauna up close. They loved the abundant blue fiddler crabs which stood out like brilliant sapphires dotting the grey mud. They also enjoyed spotting mud skippers which skimmed the water surface as soon as we approached. Claire called them 'mud hoppers' and 'mud jumpers'! Whilst Eva just called them 'nailclippers'!!? :)
We were supposed to go further out towards the sea, to a nearby island, Pulau Satang for some snorkelling, but the sea was rather choppy and Hubby had them turn back. The boat was rocking violently when we were out at sea, and I thought the kids might get worried, but instead, it surprisingly rocked them all to sleep!! (except Claire)
There we were, bumping up and down in the boat, while kids nos.1, 3 and 4 slept soundly! It must have reminded them of being in the buaian/ sarong thingy (a cloth cradle suspended by a large spring) which they slept in when they were babies! I think this buaian must be unique to Malaysia... or maybe South Eat Asia? I have no idea. To those of you from other countries, do you use this where you come from?
Some people say it's not good for babies, like maybe all that hard rocking will cause 'shaken baby syndrome brain damage' or something. However, all I know is that it makes babies sleep for hours on end, and if you ask any mother, that in itself is *priceless*!!! (BTW... I bet they sleep so long in this contraption because they are suffering from motion sickness with all that shaking!! hahaha...)
Initially, with kid no.1, I was idealistic and did not want to use this, but in the end, after all the constant crying and sleepless nights, it was; "anything goes"!! "Throw in the pacifier too while you're at it!" So, all my kids have been "shaken" and not stirred!!?? (hahaha!! get it? did not stir in their sleep?) ...whatever... and they're still smart! :)
Okay, okay, back to the trip...after everything, we went back to the resort to have lunch and played a bit on the beach. By the time we got home, everyone was bushed! Well, the outing was great fun indeed and educational to boot! I think we will try it again next year, maybe in July, when the chances of spotting a dolphin is better. Till then, I'll see if I can get Annie to read up a bit on them first...
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