13 January 2011
I booked the Stardust Adventure Day cruise through the Internet while planning our trip to Langkawi. A van picked us up from our hotel in the morning. After rounding up a few other participants from the nearby hotels near Kuah town, it brought us to a jetty, located by a mangrove swamp. Other vans had also been picking the other cruise members from other parts of Langkawi. We were then introduced to the crew and also the other participants. Quite a sizeable group from all over the world.
A speedboat took us through the mangrove swamp and made a stop at the floating fish “farm” located at the wider part of the river.
Langkawi - fish farm on Kilim river.
The farm was not actually for big scale fish farming but rather more like a floating aquarium showcasing many varieties of local fish and sea creatures.
Langkawi Stardust Cruise - sting ray coming to the handler.
We could touch or hand feed stingrays. The stingray was pretty tame and would come to the keeper to be fed.
Daniel held a horse-shoe crab (aka king crab in South East Asia).
One could also just look at the whoppers on display.
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There was also an interesting exhibition of the shooting abilities of the Archer Fish. This is a fish that has the ability to shoot a jet of water from its mouth to knock down insects near the water to its doom. It can also leap out of the water to catch its prey.
Here is a sequence of shots showing the archer fish leaping out of the water to take food from a hand.
After the farm, the speedboat took us to the sailing boat. This was our first view of the boat that will take us out to sea.
Once on the sailing boat, it was time for the sun-tan lotion and finding a spot on the deck to enjoy the sun, sea and scenery. We were actually cruising within the Kilim Geoforest Park with its steep limestone cliffs, mangrove forest below and circling sea eagles above.
As we leave the Kilim river and head out to the Andaman Sea, a sign “Kilim Geoforest Park” could be seen.
The sail was deployed and it was time to feel the wind in the face, listen to the sound of the waves gently rocking against the boat and take in the sights of the Andaman Sea and the outlying islets. We were actually going so close to the Thai border that our mobile phone were now picking up the Thailand phone service providers’ network although we were still in Malaysian waters. Some Thai-style fishing boats or sampans could be seen.
The crew was ever eager to hand out ice cold beer, wine and other drinks. The boom net was lowered at the side of the boat and some of the folks jumped in. You could either jump in from the front of the moving boat and try to catch the net as it sails pass.
If you missed the boat, it would be “bye bye to you” as the sailing boat could not stop. A safer way was to go down to the net through the step ladder. Once you were on the net, the crew would throw you an ice-cold beer.
Don’t under-estimate the force of the water on your back and make sure your shorts or swim wear are well tied! Else, it would be “bye bye shorts”.
All too soon, it was time to break for a buffet lunch. The boat was anchored and we could enjoy this view while taking our lunch.
Many activities were available after lunch as we stayed anchored for quite some time. I went for a dip in the sea.
Had to be wary of jelly fish the size of a football. Thankfully, not many of these jellyfishes.
Some of the folks took the kayak to explore a sea cave. This was a tunnel sea cave where they went in at one end, and appeared round the cliff on the other side.
My son entertained himself with a Sony Playstation Portable while his mum took an after-lunch nap.
Part 2 of the tour continued after lunch - with a cave exploration, visiting of a hidden lagoon and watching the sea eagles feeding in the Kilim river.
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