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Back in Sing to recover from Malaysia, and to get my camera fixed. Anything is possible in Sing if you are prepared to pay. Nikon will fix my camera by tomorrow! Photos have now been uploaded as you will see, but nothing of the highlight of our trip so far, as I had no camera!
Turtle watching in Cherating was a once-in-lifetime experience. We climbed over rocks with a guide and Turtle Sanctuary ranger to get to a deserted beach. Unusually, only Chris and I had booked, so we had the trip to ouirselves. We waited for 3 hours on a beautiful South China Sea beach, and had nearly given up when she finally landed. We watche das hse dughg a huge hole, and then a smaller, really deep one. She laid her eggs with us inches away from her. The eggs have to be collected before she covers them up again, so we were literally collecting them as she laid them. We collected 86 eggs, then left her to it as she made her way back to the sea. It was awesome being so close to a creature one metre across, who might well have been older than us! Then we returned to the sanctuary with the eggs for the rnager to bury them insand in a protected enclosure to ensure they hatch safely. We released a bucket load of tiny turtle hatchlings into the sea, to be told that perhaps one out of the 200 we released might survive.
The downside of this amazing experience became apparent the next day. Both Chris and I had been bitten alive by sand flies, who had got us through the DEET, long sleeves and long trousers. Chris isn't too bad but i am covered in bites, but it was worth it.
Today we have just relaxed: Chris had a massage and we had a brilliant Japanese meal at lunchtime.
Queensland next stop.
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