So, my friends, and I, we surveyed at the beckoning counters upon arrival at the airport. There were various packages which offered a combination of all activities from walking around islands to diving. After a much heated debate and contemplation, we finally decided on the 3-in-1 package which included a dip in the Pregnant Maiden Lake, visit to the Eagle's sanctuary and the Beras Basah Island. Honestly, I got confused with the Beras Terbakar spot. I thought that Beras Basah was equivalent to Beras Terbakar. Apparently, I was mistaken. The two, couldn't have been more different. Former being Wet rice, was an island by itself, whereas the latter was a spot on the Langkawi island where the Siamese burnt the rice and it didn't turn into ashes. Another one of the Langkawi's magical stories that captivated visitors from all over the world.
Can you make out the shape of Dayang Bunting? the Pregnant Maiden?
The moment I stepped into the boat, I knew it would be a totally different experience. First, the boat navigator drove us to Tasik Dayang Bunting (Pregnant Maiden Lake).
The Boat Driver, perched high up on his seat
As soon as we approached the island, he said, "Ok. This is Tasik Dayang Bunting. Everybody, you have 1 hour here. "
Like excited little kids, all of us hopped out of the boat one after another. Upon encountering monkeys, we 'ooh-ed' and 'aah-ed' in amazement, just like city folks, as if we had never seen a monkey before. We saw monkeys grabbing stuff from tourists bags, picking out lice from each other's furs, banging onto the zinc roofs, swinging from tree to tree, and sun-bathing on the wooden bridges. There were monkeys everywhere and we stopped to see every one of them. I noticed that when monkeys yawned, they opened their mouths so wide, and their lips had to be wide open too, flashing their sharp 'fangs' that nobody would ever think of teasing these unpredictable, wild creatures.
As soon as we arrived at the lake, we eagerly dived into the cool, fresh water. My! The lake was deep. I never expected it to be so deep. The information board stated that its depth ranged from 30m - 60m. Before we swam, our boat driver warned, "Ok! For those of you who want a child, do take a few sips of magical water from this lake. Once you drink it, you will have a child by next year. If you're not, then be warned! Do not drink any of this water when you're in it!"
As I swam in the deep blue lake, I was careful not to gulp in any of the water. Yet, I kept wondering to feel the taste of freshwater in my mouth. After all, I had always swam and gulped down lots of salty seawater. This was my first time in a freshwater pool. So, I scopped up some of the water and tasted it with the tip of my tongue. Oddly, it wasn't totally void of salt content. There was a slight salty taste to it, which I could attribute to the fact that it was partially connected to the sea.
Then, we visited Eagle Sanctuary, where some of the boatmen threw fishes into the sea to attract the eagles. The whole area was just flooded with so many eagles flying above our heads! As we looked and stared straight up into the sky, I was impressed not only by their sheer number, but also by the way these proud and vicious animals, proudly spreading their wings and soaring high above the skies, and diving down at probably 0.5m/s , dipping its beak at the surface of the water, before the fishes have sufficient time to sink at the bottom of the water.
Sara, on the other hand was not too happy by this sight. "It will only encourage them to be dependent on humans for food. These animals ought to be fending for themselves. Sooner or later, they are going to lose their natural instinct to hunt and feed their young."
As much as I agree with her, I understood that we could not do much. After all, we were neither naturalists nor conservationalist or environmentalists. As far as I could see, our boat driver was not feeding throwing fish into the sea. I was pacified by the fact that we had not chosen a tour operator who participated in the taming of these wild, protected eagles.
Next, on our itenary was the visit to Beras Basah Island. Until now, I have no idea why it's named as Beras Basah (Wet Rice Grains). I guess it has something to do with the shape of it. The moment we arrived at the steps of Beras Basah Island, bright, shining colourful fishes with strips of blue and yellow greeted us, happily swimming around our boat. When we fed them with our loaf of Sunshine bread, they attacked it in a matter of few seconds. I guess the bread crumbs did not even get a chance to sink to the bottom. The fishes looked so greedy and hungry, as if they had not been fed for 1 whole week.
The island, by itself, was pretty fascinating. Surrounded by white sandy beaches, with part of the seas dark, and some clear waters, schools of fish swam past me as I soaked in its calm waters. I just couldn't believe my luck. I was here and all I could do was being mesmerized by the heavenly view . Mother Nature had truly blended it all in.
As we walked on the jetty, one of the naughty monkeys grabbed the bag of one of our fellow passengers, took out its contents and poured it all over the beach. Our helpless young guy could only venture a weak smile as he thought of the mess that he had to go through at the police station, reporting loss and theft of stolen credit cards, by a certain monkey at Beras Basah Island. The police, by this time, had probably obtained reports of such cases and would not even bat an eyelid when he lodges this report.
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