RAPTOR WATCH - TANJUNG TUAN

We were here in Tanjung Tuan by the invitation of our PD friends and Malaysian Nature Society to enjoy raptor watch.  Raptor watch is an annual event organised by Malaysian Nature Society to raise awareness on these preying birds that are migratory in nature.  They make a stop in Tanjung Tuan while waiting for the cold weather in the northern hemisphere to end and when the winter is over, they will fly back home to their habitat .  These birds come from as far away as Siberia.

The exhibition for Raptor Watch was held at Ilham Resort, just by the seaside facing Straits of Malacca.  Most people went inside Tanjung Tuan Wildlife Sanctuary to see the preying birds.  Armed with their 2 feet long lenses and DSLR, these people hiked up the tarred road to the lighthouse to wait for that opportunity to snap the picture of the preying birds.  As for us, we were there not only to join the raptor watch but also to do jungle trekking along the many trails of Tanjung Tuan Wildlife Sanctuary.  

It was a busy day for me, I dashed home immediately after attending a wedding reception of nieces in law (two of them at one reception!) and prepared the meal to bring along for the trip.  It was a simple chicken bolognese spaghetti that was ready in less than one hour.  The trip to PD took about 1 hour 40 minutes from Subang Jaya.  When we reached there, there were already huge crowd, some of them leaving the area after a few hours of raptor watch.  From the parking lot at Ilham Resort, it took us about 25 minutes to reach the campsite.  Each one of carried at least two bags consisting dinner, tent, water, etc.  The campsite was large enough to accommodate 60 campers and I got the tent ready in no time at all and there was god supply of fresh water from a well nearby.

I thought we were facing the west and expected to see sunrise.  Much to may surprise, we were facing the east at a lagoon area and I was delighted to see sunrise the next morning.  I slept in my tent and was restless the whole night.  I am always restless, tossing and turning in the tent when I go camping. That's why I always try to avoid camping. 

The light house here in Tanjung Tuan is known as the oldest in Malaysia.  From the raptor watch exhibition, we walked all the way up to the light house.  From here, we followed the trail down to the beach.

We were supposed to follow our PD friends for cliff climbing but we changed our mind and we ventured out on our own.  Upon reaching the beach area, I decided to trek along the rocky beach to go to the campsite.  It was a fun thing to do but I opted for the land trail after a while considering it turned out to be tough for my female colleagues.

This is the cliff that I'd climb one of these days!

We reached back the campsite about noon and after a long rest, we went back to our car.  It was an enjoyable experience for all of us.  It was the first time camping for some of us.  Personally, I don't mind to come back again for camping and to explore the other trails in Tanjung Tuan and to cliff climbing.