One of the places which we took our visitors from UK to, is Kuala Gula, very much off the beaten track.
Few weeks earlier, we went to check it out and got details of hours suitable for watching birds and fireflies.
The recommended time for taking a slow boat ride to the river estuary surrounded by mangrove swamps, was after 4 pm. We were introduced to a tour guide, Choo, who was incredibly friendly, so much so, I was shocked when my wife actually handed Rm250.00 (for 10 persons) straightaway before even having sight of the boat! Soon after, a Malay fishermen brought some crabs and Choo told us that he used to be his worker and recommended that we buy from him. To check the weight of the crabs, the two of them walked away and I was getting worried that if Choo were to be a conman, my wife would look incredibly stupid for being so trusting!
Anyway, luck was with us and Choo kept to his promise. Ten minutes later, his boatman came with the boat. We were given life jackets to put on. He gave instructions to go slow so that we can enjoy ourselves. It was a smooth ride and the boatman knew when to switch off the engine when we were near some exciting birds like egrets, herons and storks. We could see an eagle or two circling overhead looking for prey. We spotted a few monitor lizards in the muddy waters, with their heads sticking out like snakes.
We were told that we could try our hands at trapping crabs. The boatman threw in 5 cages and Alex did the honours for the last one. On our way back after more than 2 hours, Alex and Paul were given the chance to pull up the traps. The first trap got 2 crabs which got us all excited and raised our expectations. It was followed by 1 each for the next 2 traps and nothing for the rest. Upon reaching the pier, Choo suggested that we throw back the 3 small crabs and take the larger one for cooking with the rest which we have bought earlier.
The crabs were divided into 3 lots for different ways of cooking: first lot fried with meehoon, second lot with curry leaves and third with sweet and sour sauce. It was really delicious. Together with a few other dishes, we could not finish the crabs. The leftovers were packed for Jeff who did not join us.
After the meal, it was dark and suitable for watching fireflies. Choo told us that it would cost Rm5 each. We were told to follow him and his mate on a motorcycle. The road led to an oil palm estate. The oil palms were on our right and a canal was on our left. Further to the left were some trees.
Though the boat trip went smoothly, I had misgivings about the way he led us to the dark and lonely plantation. As soon as we arrived at the recommended spot, we were told to switch off our headlamps and shut the doors of the 2 cars too. This, he explained, was to encourage the fireflies to come near and show their lights. He and his mate showed us the way further in using their torchlights and then switched them off too. I was getting really worried. It had all the signs of leading us to a staged robbery! Perhaps it was my too imaginative or cynical mind but thank goodness, I was wrong.
We were excited to see a tree on the left lit with fireflies, just like a Christmas tree! Some fireflies were coming to us from the estate too. Some of us caught a firefly each to have a closer look at this wonder of nature. We were told that we did not get to see more because of the drizzle. Anyway, we got to see what we intended for the trip and Choo made some easy money for the evening.
I still maintain that we should not have handed him the money before the boat trip.
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