Friday 2 September 2011

River Cruise

At last, after 11 years missing boat ride I finally had the experience last holiday. Although it was a brief ride, it was a very memorable experience especially for my son, who has never been on a boat before. It was quite a brief ride because the river water was very low due to the dry season. My cousin didn't want to go further upstream because at certain areas we had to drag the boat. As we went along the river, I noticed there were a few changes in the flow of the river. I noticed two areas whereby the direction of current has taken different courses. The rest, still the same; the rocks (of course), the sand bars, the landmarks and the best of all is the CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER. I could see the river bed (shallow areas) clearly.

My son and his cousins were the ones who really enjoyed themselves. They rocked the boat from side to side as they shouted. They played with the sand, the rocks, small stones and even shrimps among the rocks.

The brief ride reminded me of my younger days when the villagers were using "suah" or bamboo to push their boats. Going upriver, against the current was a hard task. Lots of energy was needed. Going downriver was easy. If they were not in a hurry, they would just used the "pengayuh" or paddle to steer the boat. So, the boat would go downstream following the current. But, my last ride was using a small engine, may be about 5 horse power (why horse is used?).

It is proven that deep in me, I am still a kampung boy, could not be seperated from nature. I love nature; rivers and jungles. May that is the reason why I really love outdoor activities; camping, trekking, caving and mountaineering.

Let's enjoy the experience...
The ugly-looking engine but has served its master well.

My boy, his cousins and grand pa.

The deep part (lubuk)

The shallow part.

Common landmark- a place to put the "iju" (bubu)

Shrimps.


Having fun.

Crystal clear water.




My chilhood playground

How long can all these last? "Bidapud lagi..."

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