Volunteering with MNS Green Living-

We saw an ad on MNS Green Living looking for volunteers to help clean up turtle tanks, the hatchery and the beach at the Melaka Turtle Conservation. I asked my children if they were keen, and very eagerly they said Yes.

It was quite a wait before the briefing began, because we had to wait for late comers. During briefing children were asked to be very careful, because the tank would be VERY slippery! Their job for the day would involve scrubbing the tanks, as well as gently scrubbing turtle shells too.

 The Melaka Turtle Conservation is mainly home to Hawksbill Turtle...and we spotted only one Green Turtle.
"The Critically Endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) has been exploited for thousands of years as the sole source of commercial tortoiseshell. The beautiful carapace is generally streaked and marbled with amber, yellow or brown and often has a strongly serrated edge (5). The strongly hooked beak on the narrow head gives rise to the hawksbill turtle's common name (6). Unlike other marine turtles, the scales (scutes) of the hawksbill turtle’s carapace are imbricate, or overlapping, hence the scientific name 'imbricata' (7)."(Arkive.org) 

Children gently scrubbing the top of a turtle's shell. They were told to only scrub in one direction, downwards, away from the head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scrubbing done, we headed to the hatchery.

From the outside of the hatchery, we took a peek and saw these babies that were newly hatched and ready to be released! How eager they were to get out of the bucket. :) According to Arkive.org, "probably less than one out of 1,000 eggs will survive and reach adulthood (9)."  :(

~We were not to go near the nests, but clean areas away from the nests. Children were given rakes and bags to clear the area of leaves and whatever trash they found.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Final job for the day was to clean up the beach by the sanctuary. This was a dirty job that required gloves.

Somebody lent Jo this gadget which really came in handy. We found all sorts of garbage, like diapers, lots of styrofoam, old batteries, plastic containers, underwear and just gross items.

Nel carrying her full bag of garbage back to the meeting point.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally to celebrate the hard work done, volunteers were asked to make a V on the beach to celebrate the release of turtle hatchlings. Nobody was to touch any hatchlings. The bucket of hatchlings was tipped over gently and we stood and watched as the little ones began their journey to the ocean. Some struggled even on sand...and we wondered if they'd survive. We know, the rate of survival is low...we could only pray for them and hope.

Back home, Jo drew these pictures in her travel journal. I asked my children if they thought the trip worth it, they said Yes. They never expected to find so much trash on the beach and they do realize how trash will pollute the ocean when the tide rises, harming sea creatures and the environment. I think they learnt a lot from volunteering.

So yeah, Let's keep our environment CLEAN...and teach our children to protect the environment  through volunteering in such programs, and perhaps even starting little projects in our neighbourhoods to educate others about the importance of keeping mother earth clean.

Next Post: Apa Kaba Homestay where we stayed the night after a long working day.

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2015

.

Terrapin Release Sept 2013

I guess, we kinda fell in love with turtles when a friend brought us to Bentong Farm Sanctuary some years ago.

This year, my kids and I decided to adopt several terrapin nests to support conservation, and thus decided to attend the Terrapin release event. We went with two other families, and though we were just a small group, we were still treated to a very informative talk about turtles by Prof Chan Eng Heng. What a privilege. :)

Thanks Prof Chan for sharing about turtles and answering all our questions about turtles.

Pelf measuring terrapins and collecting weight data before the release. The kids initially wanted to help with this, but alas, became very distracted by the baby chicks in the backyard.

It was then time to transport the Terrapins to the river, and our children helped move terrapins into 2 large containers.

This top terrapin (with the dented shell) was adopted by one of our little friends. He named it Sweetheart, and he still misses it till today and cried buckets and buckets after releasing Sweetheart into the river.

Lifting the terrapins onto the lorry before proceeding to the river nearby.

Nel and the terrapin she adopted. It is a real tough and strong one! While all terrapins became still when turned upside down, this lil guy refused to lay still, but would struggle with all its might to turn back. See its little flipper touching Nel's finger.

Chen Pelf Nyok, the person heading the Terrapin Conservation effort in Kemaman giving a short speech, and  thanking her terrapin team for all the effort.  It's great to know that efforts have paid off, and the number of terrapins are increasing. Great job Gang Tuntung!

After the short speech ceremony, terrapins were  carried nearer to the river for release.

Jo and her little terrapin. They were reluctant to part with each other I think.

On your mark...ready....get set......Go!

Terrapins excitedly heading towards the river for their first taste of Freedom! We learnt that baby terrapins are carnivorous when young, but will turn full vegetarians when older. (hope I got that info right.)

Jo and Jo refusing to let their terrapins go. I stood near them and heard them saying lengthy prayers aloud for  their terrapins. Something about letting them survive, finding food, to be protected, long lives etc. I'm sure God heard their prayers. :)

After the release, everyone was treated to a feast of Malay food. Some of the adults went hunting for fresh paku (which we later had for dinner). The children kept thinking of the terrapins they'd released, happy for them, yet missing them.

Well, if you're keen on releasing terrapins, watch out for their announcement  on their facebook page, and sign up to receive their newsletters.

To Help in conservation, you can adopt a terrapin/nest, purchase Batik and other merchandise, become a member of TCS or simply donate to them. More information  can be found on 
Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia- Facebook
and  http://www.turtleconservationsociety.org.my/


My other posts on turtles:
Watching Turtles in the wild and tagging terrapins 20/6/11),
 Kuala Terengganu (Turtle Alley),
and Releasing Terrapins 21/May/2012.

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

.

Road Trip East, Camping on Perhentian Island

 Rarely do we get to go for a family holiday longer than three days. But when hubby was asked to take a one week compulsory leave for Hari Raya, we decided on a road trip. :)  Well, the 6 days went by way too fast, and we're back, happy, tired and with pretty bad sun burn!

We drove along the East Coast, stopping by Cherating, Kuala Terengganu, Setiu and finally camping on Perhentian Island (the highlight of our trip.)

CHERATING
Our first destination, Holiday Villa Cherating. Puasa month is a really good time to visit Cherating, as almost all hotels offer a 50% discount off room rates. Thus a room that would usually cost 360RM cost us only 160RM.  The kids enjoyed the beach tremendously, until Jo got stung by a jellyfish.  Her whole left arm turned red and red bumps began swelling all over. Was pretty scary, and painful for her. Thank God, after rinsing with salt and running water, it began to subside. The rest of our stay there was relaxing and wonderful.

PENARIK INN SETIU

Penarik Inn is located on a really REALLY quiet stretch of beach. The effect of it is wonderful...peace and tranquillity. I felt like I'd gone back years and years in time. There are no motels nearby, and the only sound we heard was the crashing of waves and laughter of the host family as they celebrated Hari Raya with loved ones. 

The rooms are very simple/basic, and the beds...kinda sink in the middle. But that's ok for us. We really loved the hospitality there though. We were served a feast of ketupats and rendang for Hari Raya, all on  the house and had wonderful conversation with the lovely host and family that runs the place.

The little inns at Penarik Inn. Very basic accommodation.

 Our children really loved this tree house and spent hours in it.

The very peaceful beach, and a turtle and terrapin hatchery run by WWF.

We met the son of the host family, Kidir, and he happens to be an artist. He and friends have set up a really small, but lovely turtle information centre with art and sculptures all made up of recycled materials brought in by the ocean. I loved his turtle painting and the little art decorations all around the inn.

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves at Penarik Inn. If going, bring lotsa mosquito repellent. Do not expect a perfect room. Rooms could do with improvement. But excellent hospitality and location, if peace and tranquillity is what you're seeking. By the way, they are planning on having Hari Setiu on the 6th of September. Itinerary include gasing (top spinning) and Wau competition.

CAMPING PERHENTIAN ISLAND

This was the most exciting part of our road trip. We awoke very early and arrived in Kuala Besut jetty to meet Sh and family.The moment we arrived, motorbikes followed us, each one persuading us to get boat tickets through them. In the end we went with the one that offered the best deal. Adults RM70, and children half price.

Upon arrival on the island, Sh commented "How lovely...just us on the island campsite."  We spoke too soon, for we heard the sound of loud engine approaching, and turned around to discover a large fishing boat with an entire kampung of campers arriving. Later in the day, 2 other large boats turned up. So all in all, there must have been close to a 100 campers staying the night with us. :)

One of the fishing boats parked 

The first night was like celebrating Hari Raya on campground. Generators from the campsite and boats whirred through almost half the night. Fireworks blazed through the darkness, laughter, barbeque, music. The people were really nice though. They told us it was a yearly affair to have Hari Raya reunion on the island. How lovely indeed. Wonder if I could ever convince my uncles and aunts to do the same? Impossible I think.

Our campsite, right by the snorkeling site. It got really quiet when the group of campers left on the second day. Still we loved it As my lil one mentioned, "I miss camping mum. I miss getting up early in the morning, putting on my swimsuit and just jumping in to snorkel." Indeed, the snorkeling site at Teluk Keke is lovely! :)

During the day when the sun got too hot, the children built and ran this restaurant, which occasionally got destroyed by fellow picnickers, and which the children kept repairing. In the end to protect their restaurant, they made booby traps all around. (Don't ask me who taught them how to make traps..ahem.)

While diving, our children found sea cucumbers. They discovered that these creatures have tentacles that are really sticky and will stick to the hands!

While enjoying the corals and beautiful fish, we also found a  Cushion Star (Culcita novaeguineae) which we picked  up just for a while before releasing it back to where we found it.

Rock climbing, another favourite pastime while camping.

As for food, the nearest restaurant was about a 15 minute walk away. We feasted mainly on instant noodles, but twice during the stay we walked to the restaurants to have a good meal and ice cream. :)

We booked a snorkeling trip by boat. At one point we saw a turtle swimming. I dived in to watch the turtle way down on the grass bed feeding slowly, gently. Unexpected encounters like this make the trip all so worth it. The turtle and encounters with the Clown fish "Nemo" and sea anemone was the highlight for the children. Jo however, loved the parrot fish most of all.

Children watching  boats pass by.

I guess, the only downside of camping on Teluk Keke was that, all toilets were NON functioning. No flush, no water supply. Thus a spade to bury "stuff" came in really handy. As for bathing, we depended on well water. The children did become experts at drawing water from the well. Basically...as the Malay saying goes "Mandi Kerbau"....

Would we camp on Perhentian again? Oh definitely a Yes. If camping there, pack light, as you'll have to carry everything onto the boat and unload on to campsite.
Things to bring:
-Goggles/snorkel
-Swimming board/life vest for kids
-lots of sunblock
-repellent
-vinegar for standby in case of jellyfish bites
-tea tree oil or ointment for bites
-paper and spade for toilet
-cooking stove and lots of snack.
-at least four bottles of 5L water for a 3 day stay if cooking. (buying necessities on island can cost almost double!)
-etc.

There was one more thing we loved about being on the island.....the dark sky like a sea of endless twinkling stars...oh so mesmerising... :) 

(For our first road trip East, with more stops and visits to random places, please click on this post HERE. )

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

.

Baked Eggplant and other random things.

Of late, words will not come to my mind. I wonder where have they gone. Perhaps I'm over tired, especially after teaching, and then helping my own children with subjects such as literature. So another short picture post today.

 The yarn art from previous post has been turned into a simple turtle. Next time we will try weaving the yard onto wires to try shaping it, perhaps into an umbrella or a better turtle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friends...
Kids had some friends stay over. Jo had a wild time in the baby pool with the little guys. They were a RIOT! doing all sorts of stunt jumps into the pool,shooting at each other with water guns. Of course they had to walk into the house, leaving puddles of water everywhere.

Nel and her gf decided they were too old for this, and spent time playing Tinker Bell fairy games online, and practicing ballet. They also decorated Nel's doll. Nel stuck yarn on her doll's dress, and added her ballet skirt. Then they painted the rest of the shirt using crayon for fabric.

That night, little guy friend wanted to do some art (paper cutting.) I asked what picture he'd like, naturally he said "CARS." So my very first car kirigami. He coloured it all carefully and stuck them in his book. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Fund Raising.........
Some time back, I blogged about my children raising funds for the poor. Well, Jo actually made lemonade and cookies on her own to sell. Here, she's put all the money in an envelope and passed it on to her grandpa who will use this money to purchase food stuff. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baking Eggplant......
My children have a dislike for eggplant, which I typically stirfry with dried shrimps, or chilli and black salted beans or salted fish. I asked Nel, what would motivate her to try some. She suggested cheese. So  I tried this today,

- season eggplant with salt and bit of paprika, drizzle with olive oil. Top with pasta sauce and bake at about 210C till soft.
 -Remove pan, add a spoon of plain yogurt on each eggplant, top with light cheddar cheese, bake till melted.
 Well....Nel gobbled them up pretty quickly. :)  As for Jo, just 2, not bad for a start.

I had my eggplant with bread, and added shitake mushrooms, lightly sauteed with paprika, and bit of salt.  Together with salad, it made an absolutely delicious sandwich.

Here's to a good weekend everyone. Cheers.

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

.
.

Releasing Terrapins and Turtle Hatchlings-Kemaman

Last year, we went for two awesome Turtle related trips.

1) The first was a trip where we helped to measure and tag terrapins (read post here).

 2) The second was a field trip to Terengganu (turtle alley and museum) and Kemaman (turtle watching, where we saw 3 turtles lay their eggs that night.) (read post here).

These trips were unforgettable, and my children begged several times to go back. So when we found out that Turtle Conservation Centre, Malaysia(TCS)  was going to release about 200 river terrapin hatchlings into the Kemaman River, we decided on a return trip. It was a beautiful trip, just like the previous ones.

We first met up with Pelf Nyok, co-founder of TCS at the Cherating Turtle Sanctuary, where she was giving an educational tour about turtles. We then headed towards the terrapin conservation site.

Terrapin hatchery. Because terrapins do not lay as many eggs as turtles,  conservation efforts are very important to ensure the survival of river terrapins.

These terrapins are so fortunate, coz with the help of TCS, they are able to survive. This little fella in the middle was checking us out, and I think, excitedly waiting for release back into its natural habitat.

Nel had two hatchlings in her hands. She was holding them up for other tourists to see.

See the little white bit protruding near the nose? That's the egg tooth which is used to break through the egg shell when hatching.

A picture of Pelf who conducts the tour group on turtles and terrapins. She talked about her research work on terrapins, and provided lots of interesting information. This was followed by yummy food, lovingly cooked by Wazir's family.

Later they transported the terrapin hatchlings to the Kemaman River. A large group of local people came to join this event, and it was really like a happy celebration! Well, I just found out it was in conjunction with   World Turtle Day! :)

The local children have got their hatchlings and are ready to let them go. :) Jo and Nel have got theirs too.

While waiting, children dug a little pool and put their hatchlings there first. There's no better way for a child to learn about conservation then to come face to face with the creatures that need protection. I know, coz I see how passionately my children talk about conservation to their cousins. :)

Everyone got into a row, ready to release the hatchlings.

Nel's hatchling's first taste of freedom....it moved towards the river by instinct

Poked it's head into the water

Circled a little in the slightly murky water...

and then went under....weeeee..... :)

Most hatchlings poked their head up after a while for a short breath, before they were swept away by the current of the flowing river.

 This is Wazir who looks after the terrapin hatchery 

 At night, we met up with Pelf and the group at Teluk Mak Nik, where Pelf talked about turtles, providing us with lots of interesting information. For instance, how many fathers does it take to help produce the 100 eggs? Well...to find out, join one of Pelf's trips. :)  :)

 Turtle Hatchlings were provided by Pak Su who is a well known tour guide for turtle watching.

Jo released this hatchling, just 2 hours old.  Here it's finding its way to the ocean, guided by the light. Hope it makes its way safely in that wide ocean. Be safe baby hatchling. :)

 We watched the turtle lay her eggs. (For videos, please click on my other post)

This is the mama turtle we watched last night. She is so beautiful. When you go turtle watching, respect the privacy of the turtle. Too many people used flash photography. Please, refrain from using flash at the turtle. You wouldn't want flash in your face either, especially when your eyes have grown accustomed to the dark night.

Well....if you're interested in joining one of Pelf's tour, you can sign up HERE . We certainly learnt a lot from the trip. You can also help their conservation project by liking their facebook page TCS Facebook,  or purchase a copy of the book Little Turtle Messenger (a book my children love) and do help spread the word around so that people are aware of the need for conservation. Yeah, help save the turtles and terrapins. :)

Read further about the World Turtle Celebration Day (Written by Pelf)  on TCS's webpage here.
.

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2012