Exploring Pulau Tiga

On the way to breakfast, I saw my first hornbill: Oriental Pied-Hornbill.

I could have gone back to bed and been pleased, but the day only got better.  I felt a bit vindicated from missing the flock of hornbills in the Crocker Range, and tried not to think that if I HAD seen them, there was a good chance that they were one of the other 8 species of hornbill in Borneo.  Such is my on-going quest to appreciate those experiences I have the good fortune to witness and not cry over the ones I've missed.  

Breakfast was enough to put fuel in the tanks and we started our day in the water.  This would be my first excursion into the water without a rash guard or a wetsuit since I moved out here in late 2012.  I have always been a little paranoid about the little stinging creatures that we can't see but would certainly feel in the water.  One has brushed against my face or lips on occasion, and the unpleasantness always makes me thankful for the wetsuit.  Today, I decided to live dangerously and throw neoprene caution to the wind.

We walked west of the main grounds of the resort, having seen a map of where the best reef areas were likely to be.  On the way, we saw our share of long-tailed macaques, monitor lizards, and trees offering a lovely succession of flower buds, flowers, and then bulbous fruits:

No idea of these were edible, but I wasn't feeling THAT adventurous.  We walked for about 20 minutes and then decided to take the plunge.  The water close to the beach was shallow for quite a ways from the beach, but the sandy bottom offered very little to see.  After a good 20-minute swim, we found the corals, fish, and lots of lovelies.  Ryan was able to get close to a giant clam, which never ceased to amaze us with their colors and size:

We saw more sponges out here than we ever have in Okinawa.  In fact, we both comments that we've not seen any sponges of the size we found in Malaysia, or if we have seen them, they don't look at all like sponges.  Clownfish never fail to entertain when I find them with their anemones, and I believe there are some different species here than in Okinawa.  Nudibranchs, turquoise-spotted stingrays, and all sorts of things made for a great day of snorkeling.  The water was a bit murky, but we could see everything if we swam down close, which wasn't difficult because the floor was never deeper than 15-ft, if that.  

The water soon got the better of me, and the stinging creatures finished me off on the way back to the beach.  I kind of "lost it" on the swim back, and decided to kick rapidly to accelerate my trip back to shore.  My sense of direction in the water is not great, and when I popped up to see how much further I had, I was devastated to see that I'd been swimming parallel to shore for quite a while.  Ryan was standing knee-deep in water, watching me.  When I asked why he didn't yell for me, he replied that he had done so.  Jury is still out on just how forcefully he tried to get my attention.  How long he watched me swim is also a question for the ages.

After returning to our cabana to clean up, we wanted to try a few of the hiking trails to see what the land offered.  Unfortunately, the cloudy skies and thick canopy of the forest made for a nighttime afternoon hike.

The rain soon joined us shortly after starting along this trail, forcing us to quickly stow cameras in our dry bags and return to the main resort area.  Most of the afternoon was peppered with brief but heavy rains, so we ended up relaxing on the porch playing one of Ryan's poker apps that allowed for a two-player version.  Ryan is my superior in Texas Hold 'Em.  I haven't mastered the art of looking for flushes, and that's probably not my only shortcoming.  After I complained about not seeing the big deal in looking for shapes, Ryan advised: "There's a flush in every one of us." (See it to the tune of "Flash Gordon," and you'll share in one of our many Malaysia travel jokes.)

I got frustrated and decided to try to call in birds from the surrounding shrubs.  I heard plenty of little zeets and chirps, and noticed the sunbirds flitting all around.  The rain made for poor viewing, and I ended up watching the long-tailed macaques that were feasting on leftover coconut halves that had been harvested and left by some of the resort staff not far from our room.

The rest of our afternoon was spent doing what most people do at a resort: nothing.  eBooks were read and games played, but the rain kept us from doing much of any terrestrial exploring.

There are worse fates on vacation, but I was surprised that I didn't really mind the leisure.  Usually, I am preoccupied that I am missing something, or that I am wasting time on a travel by not doing something, anything.  This afternoon was truly about enjoying the moment.