Author: busker

Another day.  Last minute decision – we go the the 2nd beach which is closer to our hut.  Emma makes a sandcastle with a moat and a bridge.  I fish but so close in-shore they are too small and just nibble the snail from my hook.  The snails we use for bait are truly well armoured and Alex and I really need to hit them very hard to break the shells.

After lunch we have plenty of time to wash and do diaries and we are at the boat for our mangrove tour very early.

A tractor for moving luggage and a huge pineapple.

We have the blue boat with Cindy as our guide.  An italian couple with 2x kids join us.  There are loads of mud skippers and blue crabs here.

The village on the island and a floating fishery.  Lots of crocodiles here so nobody swims.

Santubong in the background and a tug anchored offshore because of approaching bad weather.

Alex’ favourite drink.

Update: While having dinner this cheeky bat was cruising through the restaurant every minute or so.  I caught it with flash:

This is the tree crab that lives in the tree just outside our hut:

In the morning we take out two kayaks and go all the way to the lonely tree at the end of the bay. It’s raining and this actually makes it a pleasant trip. We go between the rocks and get half stuck a few times. Emma and Alex write in the sand on a deserted beach we find.
We race back and Emma and I win.

We also visit the little shopping mall next to the Damai resort. Huge stainless steel hornbill statue and as everywhere, fish ponds.

In the evening we are supposed to do a mangrove tour, but reception forgot to pass our form. The good people of Permai arrange for us to do it the next night. The resort manager is quite angry and apologises. He had just sent the boats back because nobody was going tonight!

So instead we eat dinner at the restaurant and have a quiet time in the hut.

We are very late for breakfast but still decide to take the jungle trail (blue-red, ~90mins).
The trail (it’s about here) leads up the west side of the Santubong, maybe 1/3 up with a little bit of rock climbing, but nothing technical.

But before we set off, here is a picture of the red ants near our hut, next to a flip-flop:

There is no end to the variety of mushrooms:

A nice fat centipede (the resort manager said these were more dangerous than the snakes) and a trail of ants, similar to the one Jane stepped into one evening.

We only cross one (dry) stream with a rope bridge:

When we reached the waterfall almost at the top of the walk we spotted a frog! It’s about our normal size, but with nicer colouring.

And finally a lizard on a tree just about to relieve the world of a mosquito:

I am certain we missed 90% of the animals as they are very good at hiding.

We do the walk in 2.5 hours and only encounter other people at the end. There are many threatening words on the signs when you enter the forests about watching your step, no fault for injury and death, etc.

And as we walk back Alex spots another snake. Same type as before but much smaller.  we have since worked out that it is a Striped Bronzeback snake which is mildly poisonous:

Alex repeats the feat the next day when he steps on an even smaller version of this popular snake.

At lunch we meet an Italian couple who came over from Kuching on a rented motorbike and have a flat tyre. One of the men running the resort cafe is very helpful and gets them in contact with a place to fix the tyre.

From the cafe we spot this beautiful green lizard with blue stripes:

Alex playing with the beast-quest cards and Emma playing patience in our hut.