GOOD MORNING MANGROVE!
it's third day and we have to get up extra early to make sure we get to the mangrove on time.
finally, we got to put our plans to good use. the weather was perfect in the morning and we had no difficulty reaching the mangrove according to schedule. the tide had dropped a lot and much more wildlife were visible. we had no problems finding our marked spots from the day before, and before long we had the measuring tapes drawn to pick up the living creatures. the process was quick and simple--the number of plants and animals were easy to count. it seemed a bit hard in the first place to trek through the mangrove tree roots (they were all over the place) but eventually we made it through and the GPS coordinates were taken by yvonne at the marked spots for further research by the GPS team. i discovered that the mangrove has a few obvious species of plants and animals, as taken by the T7.
nonetheless, we got our task completed and put the information gathered in print. taking a few samples of the plant leaves and fruits, we headed back to the boat again. amos and wei xiong were busy as usual catching crabs.
i have no idea why my luck is always so great but i got my clothing cut a second time at the mangrove that day. it may have been the same plant but i swear i didn't harm it intentionally! haha.
the evening was spent with us learning how to fish, the standard way. we were given rods, hooks, lines and sinkers and the instructions explained. i didn't dare to try it at first but soon after i borrowed a rod from my group member i got the hang of it and managed to catch some small yellow fish. it wasn't exactly edible so i dumped it in a bucket for whatever use it may have for the fishermen. the rest were doing quite well themselves, with amos owning everything in double or triple-combos. the evening sun had never been hotter, and we all could see our skin starting to turn red. the sunset, however, was beautiful.
sashimi-making was the last activity for the day. not many people could actually hold their stomachs when they see blood, but somehow or rather i managed to sit still and even recorded a video of the entire process. the fish was huge, and you couldn't have gotten it fresher anywhere else. right from the sea, straight into our mouths. the small raw slices were dipped in ice water to 'firm up the flesh' and mixed with a bit of soy sauce+wasabi. so was the squid, which happened to be rather tasteless but according to the maker was supposed to be if it was fresh. i swear it was, cos the hapless sotong was still breathing.
i decided to break away from the pack that night when there was no programme left. having left my ipod back with a friend, i brought only a CD player and a pair of powerful headphones. i walked out to the far end of the jetty where it was a 360-degree view of the sea, the sea breeze, the stars and obviously the moon. there was no-one there, at least for a 5m radius. so stuck in the album of Story Of The Year, i stood there for a good one hour, hardly moving and letting the music complement the atmosphere. i seem to have a flair for doing that, and i think i can pull it off quite well.
later on, it was back to the bunk again. a few sprays and tooth-brushing later i knocked off for the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment