Monday 5 May 2008

Ninja Turtles

Remember the turtle post? So I went again yesterday to try my luck. Dem tired, but went anyway. We depart around 11pm. We took along one more guy this time. My Malay colleague. Jilakak him want so late for wat. I was looking at around 9-10pm to depart.
Anyway, there we went, reaching around 1am because we went 30 minutes futher from last time. Even more bends and lousy roads. Small n full of pot holes, wooden bridges. Brings back that kampung feel.

I was dead tired. But I managed to stay awake to chat wif the driver - AhMeng and also to give the direction. I've never been there but being a guy, my sense of direction is better than the two females sitting behind.
We reach a place called Grand Rivere Beach Resort or sumthing. Its not really a resort. Its a restricted area for turles to come ashore and lay egss. AHA!!! A sure bet to see turtles perhaps? Rather than just sitting at a random beach hoping one would come?

It was disappointing when I'm told it was closed. They will only allow access/registration from 8pm-1am. Im just in time for a too late. Chamness. Then I lash out my nego skill and wholla. We paid TT$ 390 for the registration fees and a tourguide brought us in.

And OHMYFARKINGGOD!!! There were lots n lots of turtles there doing there business. Easily more than a dozen of them there. Its quite a small beach, so its like a freaking traffic jam there. Bloody hell, why didnt even one went to the place I waited b4?
You need to be very careful when walking along the beach. One is because you can lose your balance because of the uneven dug sand. Another is because you will stumble with one of the turtles if you are not careful. They are somehow camoflauge in the dark.

Huhuhu. So many of them. Some were coming ashore, some where leaving. Some were digging, some were laying and some were just about to cover up the egss. Magnificent creatures I must say.
Good effort by the authorities to make it a restricted area. If its not, the turtles will be dead by now. I was told that beach is the most dense for turtles egg laying beach in the world. No wonder the traffic jam (turtles jam)!!!!
The only sore sight - plenty of turtle eggs unearthed by other turtles in their sand digging process. Many of them accidently stepped over by human and other turtles. Day predators will simply come and goble them up easily. Hopefully they wont dig the nests though. Easy meals.

No picnic or photographs like last time though. Its understandable.
Fuh....so many turtles. The Malay guy said - even in Terengganu, its hard to see even one in a season.
Huhuhu. So many turtles