I'M BACK!: REEFWALK 11th & 12th DEC! YOZ! I am FINALLY BACK! Where did I disappear to for so long you ask? Well, was away on field trip and some conference thing and then brick loads of work to finish before the year ends. I am sure you emphatise with me. Yah yah yah?

Anyway, here's what happened during REEF WALK on the 11th and 12th of Dec! Yeah yeah yeah, well looonnnggg overduuueeddddddd thing... but... I CAN BET YOU THAT THE PHOTOS ARE WEEELLLL WORTH IT....GAHAHAHAHA!!!! You don't have to even READ my nonsense rambling... but if you do...no harm done, right?

Well, we'll do this in 2 parts! Since there are TWO days of reefwalks: 11th and 12th Dec.

REEFWALK: 11th DECEMBER 2004

Since this was about 10+ days ago, I can't really recall exactly blow by blow what happened, but here's a rough idea of how it went:

Firstly, I remember very clearly that it was....



HOORRIBBLLLEE..WHAT IS THE PUBLIC WON'T TURN UP! That was what was going through my head. Cheh. A little rain never stopped us from going out into the field! Makes it more fun. (This is not so true anymore, especially after what happened the next day, on the 12th Dec...Urgh)



And when we arrived at Kusu Island, THE RAIN MIRACULOUSLY STOPPED!!! WOOHOOO!!!



Oh... isn't it magnificent! THE NATURE! The sky! The wind! The clouds! The weather was AWESOME! Just right for sleeping!
But apparently, sleeping were what these people were doing on....



Luckily, it was just Pam, one of the guides... and her friend. Why those little....*toot* I guess that's the perks for coming earlier...ehehe...

And so we set up the registration booth and people started streeaammiinngg in... There were more than 70 visitors that day... MORE THAN EXPECTED, especially in the rainy weather!







And We got ready to start the walk! I was guiding today and because we had fewer guides today (with the rain comes the flu...sigh), our group size was larger than normal... about 15-16 reef walkers in a group!

First rule of REEFWALK is: PROPER FOOTWEAR! You never know what lurks beneath the sand, algae and mud man...
So if you wanna be a reefwalker, PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO WEAR PROPER TOE-COVERED FOOTWEAR. Stonefishes have venomous needles that can be VERY VERY painful and effects can last up to months if you step on them...



Once with proper footwear, it's time to WALK! Yea...Walk the Reef Walk!



And we saw things like corals, sea cucumbers, seagrass, spider crabs, hairy crabs, sponges, snapping shrimps, gobies, seaweeds, swimming crabs...and THIS!





FANTASTIC.. MAGNIFICENT!!! WONDERFUL!!! AIN'T IT!!! I don't know much about it... I admit my fish ID skills SUCK big time. BUT I KNOW THAT IT IS SOOooOOOOOo BEAUTIFUL... PRETTY PRETTY!!!

And something exciting happened just as we ended the reef walk... someone spotted an...




WOOHHOAAHHH.... But by this time, the reefwalkers were tired and wet and muddy and dirty and were all heading to the toilets to clean up and get ready to board the ferry....And only the GUIDES were left. It had been a lonnnngg loonngg time since I dashed 100m so quickly for something!





After that, it was time to go.... We left Kusu island with a headful of adventure and a peaceful feeling...



Here's a few notes the reef walkers...and the many many kids that came that day....





...what they thought and felt...









Ah... what a satisfying day overall... And I leave you with this photo...to remind you of all that has happened today...



But here's the REAL message that one of the kids wrote that I wanted to share with you all....




REEFWALK: 12th December 2004

I'm... I'm... sorryyy... but I..I..I... didn't update this portion. Will make it up to you... read the latest BLOG with LOADS of pictures!  ¶ 1:02 pm