Deciding where to go on a day trip depends on SP's fancy, and Kuala Gula or Kuala Sepetang count among her favourites.
So it was Kuala Gula last Friday with her niece and her hubby and two kids. Whether I was to come along was decided just after filling up the tank, which was why Peter had to call asking whether I wanted to join them for breakfast when we were on our way.
It was typical of us to go on a trip without preparation and without contacting anyone at the place of destination about whether it was the best time, especially where K Gula is concerned, bird watching is high on the list of interests and being seasonal. To us, just the drive and lunch would be good enough even if nothing else.
We went past the entrance to the government run tourist place which was under renovation the last time we were there. We just turned into a lane leading to some village houses. SP got off and asked one of the villagers and we were told to wait for her husband who has a boat which he could take us for a ride. Mr. Tan Eng Chong came shortly on a motorbike and as it turned out in the course of our discussions during the boat trip, he is a qualified eco-tourism guide!
We were shown privately owned fish and cockle farms. Across certain sections of the river mouth were poles sticking out which we were told were used for catching prawns. The nets are placed according to the direction of the tides, reversing between low and high tides. While we were there he pointed out the largest bird in Malaysia which looked like a stork. There were some kites (smaller than eagles) and herons. We were told the best time to watch for migratory birds is during end of the year, not in June.
It seems for those who were lucky enough, at night when the water was still, one can see planktons glow in the sea, much like fire flies. Even fire flies could be different: green or orange light, some with steady glow, some blinking like signal lights!
As usual, SP did not check the time, just continue from one itinerary to another. I had to tell her that it was already 1.15pm and she had in mind, lunch in Kuala Sepetang! And we have yet to visit the belacan factory! So, with the agreement of our guests, we decided to have lunch in Kuala Gula, then the factory. The poor guide had to wait and chat with his friend while we had our lunch. We had 3 large 'lai liu har' (praying mantis prawns), a fish, two plates of deep-fried soft shelled crabs (second plate was a mistake due to miscommunication, what with a Hakka woman and a Hokien woman, supposed to be for a baked crab), two plates of fried sotong (second plate was because young Evie liked it so much, eating it for the first time) and kangkong fried with belacan sauce. Ray said it was the best meal since their arrival from Canada! That was certainly a real compliment to what we had ordered at the right place.
I googled 'tourist guide Tan Eng Chong Kuala Gula' and I managed to get this site which is informative for those interested in such visits:
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