Langkawi Mangrove Tour (Eagle Feeding)

*This post was originally posted on our main blog on 04/29/2010*

While we were waiting for the guys and Ash at the Fish Farm, our boatman told us that for another RM100, we could extend the tour by another hour and he would take out to the open sea as well as visit some of the surrounding islands. He said going out to the open sea is a totally different experience compared to the mangrove. As tempting as it might sound, we decided not to go for it because it was way too hot in the mid day sun. If the weather was cooler or more cloudy, we might have taken up that offer.

After they have finished with their Fish Farm tour, we were ready to head out to see the eagles! Our boatman told us that this section of the river was wider and doesn't have that many bends, therefore he would pick up speed and told us to grab on to the rails and hold on tight. Check out the short vid that I took (no, I wasn't holding on to the rails...it was fast, but not THAT fast :P). Please excuse the lil typo at the end of the vid...I know :P I only realized it after I uploaded it onto YouTube.

Boy, that was fun! At certain times, our boat was literally flying above the water. What a thrill! After about 10 minutes or so, our boatman slowed down and turned into what seemed like a lagoon. There were tall trees and high cliffs all around us. He told us that this was the eagle feeding site.

When we first arrived, I looked up and saw maybe one or two eagles flying above us. I was thinking to myself, is that all? I hope there would be more eagles or else, I'll be pretty disappointed. Our boatman explained to us that two types of eagles can be found in Langkawi. The Brahminy Kite Eagle and the White Bellied Sea Eagle. The Kilim mangrove area has been their home since about 40 years ago. The Brahminy Kite Eagle lives in the tall mangrove trees while the White Bellied Sea Eagles would have it's nest up in the sea cliffs. Remember the picture of the huge eagle that we took on our first day in Langkawi? Well, thats the Brahminy Kite Eagle and Langkawi is named after it's reddish brown feathers.

While he was talking about the eagles, he was also making lots of noise with his boat motor. He explained that the noise attracts the eagles and it was like a signal to get them to come out. They would usually feed the eagles chicken skin or chicken parts, so when the eagles hear the motor sound, they know that it's feeding time! True enough, more and more eagles started appearing. Before we knew it, the sky was just filled with eagles and they started to swoop down towards the water to grab it's food. I seriously have never seen so many eagles together at the same time before. Photos doesn't really do justice at how cool it was, so I took a short video clip too. Check it out!

Wasn't that just awesome? If you are ever in Langkawi, you should totally go for the Mangrove Tour. From the thousands of bats at the Bat Cave to the shooting/spitting Archer Fish at the Fish Farm and now this. It was really an interesting experience. After the tour, we went back to the hotel to check out, ate some lunch, did some last minute shopping and soon, it was time to head to the airport to fly to Penang! We were in Penang for a week to celebrate Chinese New Year as well as my Dad's 60th Birthday. Will have more posts in the future about the stuff we did and all the things that we ate in Penang :P Overall, our short vacation in Langkawi was superb. Fun places to visit, cheap booze and chocolates, yummy fresh seafood and most importantly, time well spent with the family. That was indeed the best part of the whole trip =D Thanks mom and dad for planning and sponsoring such an awesome vacation!

Langkawi Mangrove Tour (Kilim Fish Farm)

*This post was originally posted on our main blog on 04/28/2010*

After coming out from the Bat Cave, we hopped onto our speedboat and we're off again! We went back the route we came from, pass the Kilim Jetty and before we knew it, the river grew wider and there wasn't as many tall mangrove trees around anymore. It was mostly limestone caves with high cliffs and some trees (of course). Looks like we were heading nearer to the open sea.

We also passed by quite a number of small yachts and sail boats. I'm guessing they dock their boats in the calm waters whenever they are not out sailing in the open waters. After a couple more turns, we saw this floating pontoon like structure ahead of us. Our boatman told us that it was the Kilim Fish Farm.

By the time we arrived at the Fish Farm, it was already almost mid day and it was scorching hot. My mom and I were not really interested to brave the super hot sun to visit some smelly fish farm so we decided to stay in the cooling shade of our boat :P So, it was just Kevin, Ash and my dad this time around. After getting off the boat, they were greeted by a 'tour guide' and they were brought to an area of pontoon walkways with man made cages filled with various kinds of fishes.

According to them, their guide was really funny and told a lot of jokes. Not only did they get to look at the fishes from afar, they also got some hands on time with a few of the fishes. Here is Kevin with the guide at the Archer Fish cage. The guide placed a tiny piece of bread on Kevin's finger and without missing a beat, the fish shot a spray of water and it hit the piece of bread, spot on. According to the guide, the fish would sometimes jump up and get the bread too. Kevin was pretty amazed at how accurate it's aim was, especially from under water.

Here is my dad and Ash with the horseshoe crab. Not only were they given the opportunity hold the horseshoe crab but the guide also placed the horseshoe crab on their hands and head for a 'massage'. I guess it must be some sort of Fish Farm guide humor. :P

Ahhh this is pretty cool. This is the Stingray cage. It was quite an experience for Kevin to actually get a chance to touch and pet a Stingray. I think he looks pretty nervous here. I would be too, those guys are hugggeee! Apart from learning about fishes at the farm, there is also a restaurant where you can have lunch or dinner. We didn't have lunch there but from what I hear, the prices can be a little steep. You can basically get seafood just as fresh from the seafood restaurants in town for half it's price. There is also a small sundry store where you can buy snacks, ice cream and drinks as well as a restroom (not so sure about the cleanliness though). Next stop on the tour - Eagle feeding! Woohoo!

Langkawi Mangrove Tour (Bat Cave)

*This post was originally posted on our main blog on 04/27/2010*

On the last day of our trip to Langkawi, we thought that it would be a good experience to go on a tour of the Kilim River mangrove. The tour would allow us to explore the Kilim River ecosystem by boat, with stops at the Bat Cave, Fish Farm as well as witness some Eagle Feeding. There are many tour companies around Langkawi offering such packages, with prices ranging from about RM80 til up to RM200 per person! We know that all the tours cover the same things and they start from the same place. So, the cheapest way to go about this is to go to the source, the Kilim River Jetty itself. This way, you can eliminate all the middle men and deal directly with the boat operators.

Getting to the Kilim Jetty is pretty simple. From Kuah town, just head towards Galeria Perdana. Once you pass Galeria Perdana, keep a look out for small signs saying 'Kilim Jetty' or 'Kilim Geopark'. Once you see the sign, turn into that small road and it will lead you to the jetty. There are ample parking spaces in front of the jetty. The best time to go would be either early in the morning or late in the evening. We were told that that's the best time to spot wildlife and of course, it won't be that hot.

The price is pretty much fixed (so don't bother trying to bargain), RM150 per boat for a 1 hour tour which includes stops at the Bat Cave, Fish Farm and Eagle Feeding. You can fit up to 8 people per boat, so if you have a small party, you should just hang around and try to share a boat with other tourist. Since there are 5 of us, we just decided to get one whole boat to ourselves. Only RM30 per person, not too bad at all.

After paying the boat operator, we were off! It was pretty interesting to navigate through the twist and turns of the mangrove, with tall trees and abundent wildlife. We saw some kingfishers while we were there and if you are lucky, you would be able to spot a few monkeys as well. After a short 10 minute ride, we saw the pier of the Bat Cave ahead of us.

The Bat Cave actually consist of two caves. The smaller cave is only approx 270 square meters, with a low roof and the bigger cave is about 750 square meters, with a 10m high roof and is about 60m long. As the name suggest, the Bat Cave is home to four different species of fruit and insectivorous bats. Unknown to many, Malaysia has a high species diversity of bats, with 117 different species (20 species of fruit bats and 97 species of insect bats). One would also be able to have a breathtaking view of many stalactites and stalagmites formations in the caves.

The entrance to the cave is just a short walk from the pier. There is a wooden platform that runs throughout the entire length of the cave, so it's pretty safe and you can stay dry at all times. However, it can be quite dark inside, especially on cloudy days. So, it would be wise to bring along a powerful flashlight to fully enjoy the experience. You can rent a flashlight at the pier for RM1 before you head out to the caves.

Check out the magnificent stalactites and stalagmites formations! Initially when we first entered the cave, we didn't want to use any flash photography, because we didn't want to disturb the bats. Therefore, we couldn't really get very good photos. Most of them turned out all green and grainy, like the photo above. We also commented that there were not many bats around, maybe because it was too dark and we couldn't really see them. After a while, I realized that everybody else was using flash photography, so I decided to join them. Check out this pic!

YESSSSS....those are alll bats!!! OMG! I was totally grossed out when I saw that photo on my camera view finder. Thousands and thousands of bats, all hanging above us. Now I was pretty glad that we were in semi darkness. If not, I wouldn't even want to go into the cave! I knew that my mom and Ashley were really freaked out, just by being in the cave. So, I didn't show any of them the photo until after we were out of the cave and out in the bright sunlight. Ewwwww...so gross.

Here is another one. Look at how terrified Ashley looked, and that was even before they knew there were so many bats hanging above them. At certain parts of the cave, the ceiling was really low and I bet, the bats were just mere inches above our heads. Sooo gross! Thinking of it now still makes my spine tingle! :P

Ahhhh he looks relieved to be getting out of the cave and out in the sun! I would say that as much as it was gross, it was a pretty good experience. Now it's time for us to hop back into the boat and head out to the Fish Farm. Stay tune...all that and more in the next post.