Sepetang charms again 20 April 2017

Post: Silas

We are back at Sepetang again! But when we got there, we saw so many extraordinary things like it's our first time there. Probably because we had a guide to bring us to some places we haven't been from our previous visit. I think we were so engrossed by the wildlife in the mangrove that we just didn't realize that the river mouth nearby has just as much stuff.

Somebody has been busy drying fishes for our dishes...


A visit to the charcoal factory. At least this time I understand what was really going on in there.


A walk among the mangroves, but it was in the afternoon, low tide and not very humid, so we didn't really see much of the creatures. 


But we did see some inquisitive crabs coming out of their holes to greet us...


I realized that when we were in the mangrove, we always look down, because that's where the crabs and mudskippers are. But this time when I looked up, it was like a different world altogether. Birds and monkey hiding at the treetops, waiting for us to spot them. For instance, this is the first time I've caught a glimpse of a green-billed Malkoha. 


Looking down again, to see a family of mudskippers, chilling under the shade to hide from the searing heat of the sun... What a hot afternoon it was!


Welcome to the Kuala Sangga Fishing village. What's fascinating about this village is that the school has only 14 students, and 10 teachers. You saw that right. So the class with only one student wins the Best Award every year!! Besides that, it's just a few houses, a church with a unique history and a Kopitiam.



Look at the black tub. The village has no water supply, so they rely mainly on rainwater. But how clean can the water get?


The main 'highway' connecting every building in the village together. No traffic jam!!


I foresee a very promising fishing trip coming up soon.


Can you believe it? An actual wild boar!! I've only seen some on televisions, but they are all CGIs. But this is the real deal. No tusks, less aggressive, but still a wild boar. 




The villagers work so hard just to provide their families' simple life. No fancy smartphones or shopping malls. Looking at this place, I am very much grateful for all that I have. 


"Life is like riding a bike. To keep your balance, you must keep moving..."


Now we've come to the second highlight of the trip, Brahminy frenzy!! It all happen as soon as the boatman threw a bucket of food and horned. The kites immediately zoom out from their nests to eat. It was truly a wonderful sight to see.


Now that we've seen so many of these kites, spotting one circling around the city won't bring as much excitement as this. 



After the exploration, we settled down to eat some of the local specialties- Curry laksa and ABC ais kacang. And although spicy is not my cup of tea, this is one exquisite dish I've ever tried. Store opens at 3pm.


Who would've imagine? Just when I thought I could call it a day, after seeing the wild boar and the majestic Brahminy kites, we spotted some creature we never thought we'd see. Pink Freshwater Dolphin!! To be honest, I thought they could only be found in Singapore. But this, this is more than what I'd asked for. This trip is, by far, a rather intriguing and eye-opening one.

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