Turtle Hatchery and Turtle Watching at Kemaman, Terenggany as the highlight of the KCC1M Terengganu 2013

Turtle Hatchery

The first thing I noticed when I step at the Turtle Sanctuary Centre at Pantat Teluk Mak Nik, Geliga, Kemaman, Terengganu are rows and rows of nests in the Turtle Hatchery shed. It is an indication that many turtles have laid their eggs in the surrounding beach areas of Geliga.  The eggs are usually buried about 80 cm from the surface, any deeper the baby turtles have to work harder to climb to the surface.

Turtle Sanctuary Centre, Kemaman

Turtle Sanctuary Centre, Kemaman

Turtle Sanctuary Centre, Kemaman

Each nest will have a small label that state the number of eggs and the birthdate. Each egg takes between 45 and 60 days to be incubated.

The label

The Birth ....

The Birth ....

The Birth ....

The Birth ....

The sex of the eggs can be determined by the humidity in the nests and incubation period. For female turtles, high humidity between 45 to 50 days is required whereas male turtles require low humidity with longer gestation time between 50 to 60 days. In its natural course in life, the mother turtle will determine the sexes of her babies by her choice of nesting spots. Eggs laid closer to the beach (cooler) will likely be males whereas on higher ground (hotter) are females.

A protective cylindrical wire meshing is placed around each nest so that when the baby turtles burst out from its nest, it will be contained in the area. These babies seem to hatch all at once and in no time, the mesh is filled with wriggling and energetic baby turtles.

The adorable baby turtles

 

With permission from my guide, Pak Su, I get to touch and hold a baby turtle. It doesn’t have a soft belly and a very hard shell. I am told that the sex organ is underneath its tail – hard to see as the baby turtle is so fidgety! I have to hold the baby turtle in between my two fingers, making sure that I don’t squeeze it too tight. It is quite a struggle at first because it seems to paddle like a wound up mechanical toy. Actually, it is just its instinct to swim!

Wan Junior, the Baby turtle

Wan Junior, the Baby Turtle

The right way to hold a baby turtle

The right way to hold a baby turtle

After the photo session with “Wan Junior” – I decide to name it after me - it is time to place it back to its nest for head count by the ranger before he collects it in a basket to be released on the beach.

Zulfa collecting the Baby Turtles

Release of the baby turtle

For the release of the baby turtles at the beach, we were asked to stand in one straight row 10 meters away from the edge of the water. This is because the baby turtles need enough strength to enter the water.

Getting ready ...

Bye2 Wan Junior II ...

Go Baby go ...

Pak Su told us that while out at sea for at least 3 days, the baby turtle lives solely on its yolk in its belly. Only one out of one thousand baby turtles that return back to the sea will survive. It is so tiny that it is an easy target to gulls, sharks, other larger fishes, octopus, you name it. That is not counting, the ones that is been stepped on by enthusiastic “parents” taking photos of “their babies” on their journey to the unknown. If the survivor is female, she will be back to the same beach after 25 years. But if it is a male turtle, it won’t be back because it spends all its life in the sea, even mating.

It seems that the baby turtles wobble helter-skelter all over the beach all the way to the water. The truth is these babies cannot see anything at the moment because they are just being born between 2 to 3 hours ago. It is my responsibility to direct them to the sea.

Bye-bye, Wan Junior II

Bye-bye, Wan Junior II

At night, the ranger will use a torch light from the edge of the sea to assist them to their “new” home. Only then you will see that the baby turtles follow the light in an orderly manner, more or less.

Release at night ...

Turtle laying eggs

According to the Pak Su, our guide who is the key figure in the conservation of turtles in Terengganu (Geliga) and Pahang (Chendor and Cherating), the best time to come and see turtle laying their eggs is between April until August. I was there on 17 June 2013 at Pantai Telok Mak Nik, or more popularly known as Monica Bay. It is the best beach on the mainland for the turtle; otherwise the mother turtle will choose the island during the nesting season. So far, the landing record is on 28 May 2013 with 22 landings that night.

Most of the turtle that lands on the Pantai Teluk Mak Nik is the Green Turtle or Penyu Agar to the locals, which measures about 80 to 15cm and weighs up to 130kg only – The Giant Leatherback Turtle’s weight can reach to 810kg. The mature female turtle lays eggs approximately every 3 years from 1 to 6 nests per season between 70 and 110 eggs each time. Its current age of sexual maturity is 45 to 50 years.

Normally the same turtle will lay their eggs on the same beach, though different spot, every 10 night. It was recorded, from a tagged turtle with satellite tracking applicator, that she was on the beach on 9 March 2010 and return to the same beach on 10 March 2013. Such excellent natural instinct!! These female turtles feed mainly on sea grasses or algae, mostly in the tropics and subtropics, which makes it the only truly herbivorous marine turtles. She migrate long distances between feeding grounds and nesting areas but tend to follow the coast lines rather than the open water.

In conserving the turtle at the Pantai Teluk Mak Nik, only qualified nature guides are allowed on the turtle nesting area to control the number and conduct of the tourists that comes every night. These turtle are sensitive to light, sound and touch. They may stop coming to this area; like what happened to Rantau Abang spawning area with drastic drop of around 11,000 nests in the 1950s to less than 10 nests in 1999. Even the eggs are sensitive; some of the eggs do not hatch due to bad handling from the nest to the hatchery.

It is not necessary to wait at the beach the whole night. The tourist will be informed by the guide once a turtle is spotted. Although the mother turtle come up from the sea around 9.00pm and 9,30pm, sometimes there is no sighting at all especially at the end of the nesting season.

My KCC1M group was rather late for the Turtle Watching as we were so awestruck with the “Christmas Tree” of Fireflies at the Sungai Yak Yah, Kampung Mak Cili, Kemaman. When we arrived at the Pantai Mak Nik, we were taken on a wild goose chase for the Turtle Laying session. What I saw were many turtle tracks along the beach; some of which had made Uturns, maybe due to its insecurity to the noise level, camera flashing, human movement or the spot was not suitable. At one instance, a few participants and I were lost from our group which was wandering around in the pitch dark. Hence all of us didn’t get to see any turtle laying its eggs.

When we were reunited with our guide, Pak Su, we were told that the whole process takes about 3 hours, starting from the turtle digging the holes with its flipper to returning to the sea. Tourists are only allowed to see the turtle after it has dug a hole and began laying eggs. The big hole was for herself and another smaller hole – the egg chamber – for the eggs. Even then, you must adhere to the strict instructions by the guide. No riding on the turtle! No flash, only light, as this will aggravates her! Be quiet! No touching the eggs! This process will take about half an hour. If you look carefully, you will see “tears” which is actually salt that was accumulating in its body. It helps to protect her eyes from the sands.

Since it takes some time for the mother turtle to cover the holes, Pak Su let us on another round of releasing baby turtles. Once that is done, we were led to another mother turtle returning to sea. It is such a moving experience as I understand that once she left the nest, she never returns to tend it. That is the natural life cycle of a mother turtle and her eggs! No psychological research has been done on these endangered species.

The journey ....

The journey ....

The journey ....

The journey ....

The journey ....

The journey ...

If you want to participate in this Turtle Watching experience in Malaysia as part of your 1001-things-to-do List, please contact me – Wan - at 03-2260 3667 / 4667 / 016-238 6433 / 017-370 3411 or email leisureincentivetours@gmail.com for more information on this special tailored-made “Adventure” package. Don’t wait because Turtles can become extinct any time from the face of this aging earth!!

KCC1M Terengganu - Terengganu's mouthwatering snacks

This is the continuation of the article titled “KCC1M Terengganu - Sumptuous array of Terengganu’s food” dated 7 July 2013 which is mainly about the hearty food such as Nasi Dagang, Nasi Kerabu and Masak Singgang, with some intermission of the traditional snacks of boiled sweet potatoes, fried oyster mushroom, glutinous rice with fresh mango and Nasi Pulut Gaul Nyior at Peladang Setiu Agro Resort.

This time, I will highlight the snacks of Terengganu. Let me start with the ever-popular Kerepok Lekor, which is readily available anywhere in Malaysia. But of course, the tastier Keropok Lekor comes from Terengganu, found in a proper restaurant or small stall along the roadside that also sells Satar, salted fish and fish crackers.

Keropok Lekor is actually made from processed fish meat, preferable from ikan tamban or ikan selayang or sardine fish due to its sweetness, mixed with salt and sago flour. This mixture is then kneaded into a dough and hand rolled into sausage-shaped around 6 to 10 inches long and immediately boiled.

Hand rolled the dough of Keropok Lekor

The whitish Keropok Lekor with less fish meat

These Keropok Lekor have more fish meat

There are three types of Keropok Lekor; boiled chewy ones, fried chewy ones and sun dried fried ones, all best eaten dipped in chilli sauce. If you don’t like the fishy smell, then it is better to eat the deep fried ones because the boiled ones will have some fishy smell when they are no longer hot.

The thin vs fat deep fried Keropok Lekor

Satar from Terengganu differs from the ones from Kelantan; the latter is made kangkung or water spinach mixed with the normal fish meat, ginger paste and freshly grated coconut. The Terengganu Satar is a bit spicy with finely sliced birds’ eye chilli mixed together with the other concoctions. Whether it is Satar Terengganu or Kelantan, the smell is unbelievable when you remove the slightly scorched banana leaves. The little pyramid of Satars has to be grilled over medium charcoal fire, giving it a smoky fragrance and the texture will be soft and flaky. It is best eaten hot from the grill. Whenever I want to take the Satars home to Shah Alam, I have to take the cooked one, immediately placed them in the refrigerator and will oven-grilled, not fried, each and every time I want to eat the yummy Satar. My advice to all Satar lovers, the Satar in Kuala Lumpur and anywhere outside Terengganu lacks the fish meat and uses more sago flour, hence it loses the oomph factor!! 

 

Me and Zulfa with our Satar bamboo skewer!!

Satar dipped in chilli sauce

Otak-otak is literary brain-brain, this savory snack somewhat resembles brains; being reddish-orange, soft and mushy. The well-known ones are the Otak-Otak Nyonya and Otak-otak Kempas, the former is steamed as a cake in a daun pandan or screwpine leaf whereas the latter and is wrapped up as a thin slice using the coconut leaf and grilled over a slow charcoal fire, giving it a drier texture with a more distinct smoky fish aroma.

 

Otak-otak Nyonya is simply delicious!

Filling the otak-otak in a coconut leaf

Grilling the otak-otak over a slow charcoal fire

The grilled otak-otak

Enough of these fish-based snacks; it’s time for Sekaya Telur Terengganu, a steamed egg pudding. Here’s the recipe …

Ingredients

1 big chunk of Gula Melaka or palm sugar

½ cup water

12 grade B eggs

200ml coconut milk

1 or 2 tablespoon Tepung Jagung or Corn Flour (optional. Just to the thicken the mixture)

Methods

Boiled the water, placed the palm sugar in the boiling water until it is completely dissolved

Sieved the liquefied palm sugar and set it aside to cool down.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs.

Pour the coconut milk, corn flour (optional) and palm sugar in the said bowl and mix thoroughly.

Sieved the egg custard and pour in a 7-inch square baking pan.

Steamed the custard for 40 minutes until 1 hour or until a fork inserted near the center comes out clean.

Let the baking pan cool on the wire racks before refrigerated

Best served chilled

The brownish Sekaya Telur at Restoran Kuah Singgang

Another weird-name Terengganu dessert is Lompat Tikam which literally means to jump and stab. Actually the name implies the rise and ready to start the day after eating this dessert. This sweet and cold dessert comprises two main layers, the green part underneath and the white part on top. A generous helping of coconut palm syrup compliments the sweetness of Lompat Tikam.

Lompat Tikam at Warung Otak-Otak Che Wan, Kemaman

Like the “Save the Best for Last” expression, Laksam has my double thumbs up for the best local delicacy in Terengganu. It is a delightful yet simple rice noodle dish with mackerel or sardine fish gravy. The noodle is made from rice or wheat flour, steamed and rolled up, like chee cheong fun and sliced before eating. The gravy is made from fish meat which is boiled, pureed and later mixed with coconut milk. It is served with condiments such bean sprout, long bean, cucumber, bunga kantan or ginger flower, daun kesum or laksa leaves and other local herbs. Laksam Terengganu is different than the famous Penang Assam Laksa, Laksa Sarawak, Nyonya Laksa and any other kind of laksa from the other states in Malaysia.

Laksam at Laman Polo, Terengganu Equestrian Resort

If you wish to venture on a special tailored-made Terengganu Food Heritage Trail package, do contact me – Wan – at 03-2260 3667 / 4667 or email leisureincentivetours@gmail.com for more information.

To all my family and Muslim friends, Happy Fasting for the Ramadan 2013 month! For all my readers, have a nice day and remember “There is no love sincerer than the love for food” – George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman

KCC1M Terengganu - Sumptuous array of Terengganu food

For the Visit Malaysia 2014, instead of taking the normal tour of the numerous places of interest in various parts of Malaysia, you must venture on a gastronomical journey of each state. Join me and discover the many culinary delights of Terengganu, complete with its recipe. Thanks to Gaya Travel Magazine and Tourism Malaysia Terengganu for the invitation for the KCC1M “Kembara Cuti-Cuti 1 Malaysia” from 17 – 20 June 2013.

Let me start with the ever popular rice-based dishes such as simple Nasi Dagang and healthy Nasi Kerabu. The name Nasi Dagang derives from the word Dagang which means travelling from one place to another, in those days it mainly involved trading trips. During such trips, the traders packed along the Nasi Dagang to be eaten along the way. It must be simple to prepare but yet nourishing! This dish is made by steaming the Nasi Dagang rice or a mixture of regular and glutinuous rice in a coconut milk over low heat. The trick is the method of steaming. Initially, the rice is steamed for 20 to 25 minutes or until half-cooked. Next, stir in the thin coconut milk and continue steaming for 15 minutes until the rice is nearly cooked. Lastly, stir a combination of thick coconut milk, shallots, garlic, ginger (these 3 ingredients are all sliced finely), fenugreek seeds or halba and a pinch of salt into the cooked rice and let it steam once more for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rice is properly cooked. Nasi Dagang is usually eaten with side dishes of tuna curry or kari ikan tonggol and pickled cucumbers and carrots

 

Nasi Dagang Terengganu rice sold at Pasar Payang

Nasi Dagang rice in the neighbouring state of Kelantan is special reddish brown glutinous rice

Nasi Dagang Terengganu

Compare to Nasi Dagang, preparing Nasi Kerabu is more complicated, with its condiments of Sambal Ikan, Kuah Sambal and Ulam-ulam. The rice with 1 stalk of lemongrass and permitted blue food coloring is cooked like ordinary rice. For Sambal Ikan, pound the onion shallots, ginger, lemongrass, black pepper and grilled mackerel or ikan kembung panggang until fine. Mix the pounded ingredients with grated coconut and cook over low heat, stirring all the time until it dries. As for the Kuah Sambal, pound the dried chilli, onion shallots, garlic, shrimp paste (slightly roasted) and ginger. In the meantime, simmer the coconut milk until it produces a thin layer of oil, indicating that it is properly cooked. After which, you add the pounded ingredients, lemongrass, brown sugar and dried tamarind into the cooked coconut milk and simmer until it thickens and it is ready to be served. The normal Ulam-ulam or Salad side dish used is long bean, cucumber, laksa leaves or daun kesum, cabbage and ginger flower or bunga kantan, all these condiments are sliced finely and immediately seasoned with a pinch of salt to retain its freshness. Nasi Kerabu can also be eaten with raw bean sprouts, fried fish crackers, roasted meat, fried fish, salted eggs and sambal belacan – the choices are yours!

Nasi Kerabu served at Peladang Setiu Agro Resort is simply the best!

I need to side track a bit … a special mention of Peladang Setiu Agro Resort, with its agrotourism concept, has the best selection of authentic traditional Terengganu cuisines, whether for tea break, dinner and breakfast. The local Mak Ciks prepare the meals with fresh vegetable and herbs plucked from the Resort’s Vegetables and Herbal Garden, delicious fried mushroom from its Oyster Mushroom Project and delicious mutton curry from its Goat Livestock Project. Seasonal fruits, from its Fruit Orchard, such as durian, dokong, limes, rambutan, mangosteen, jackfruits and others are available in abundant at every meals.

Boiled sweet potato and tapioca served with chilled anchovies at Peladang Setiu Agro Resort is a reminder of the Japanese Occupation in Malaya !

 

Huge chunky fried oyster mushroom at Peladang Setiu Agro Resort is out of this world!

Fresh mango with steamed glutinous rice and coconut milk (plenty of it) at Peladang Setiu Agro Resort will make your day !

 

This is Nasi Pulut Gaul Nyior or simply glutinous rice eaten with grated young coconut with salted fish at Peladang Setiu Agro Resort is a must try !

I prefer this Nasi Pulut Gaul Nyior which is cooked with brown sugar at Peladang Setiu Agro Resort

Another popular dish in Terengganu is Singgang, you can either use fish or squid. In my birth place Kedah, this simple dish is called Ikan Pindang Kuning. The method is so simple that my 12 year old daughter can cook this dish. Put onion shallots, garlic, galangal and turmeric, which give the dish its yellowish colour (all these ingredients sliced,) dried tamarinds, fresh chilli and fish in a pot of water. Bring it to the boil until the gravy is reduced to about half of the original portion. You must use fish with a thick texture such as Tuna or Mackerel. It is best eaten with raw vegetables such as lettuce, cucumber, kacang botol or winged beans and daun pegaga or pennywort leaves and Sambal Belacan.

Ikan Singgang served at Restoran Kuah Singgang is very tasty!

 

Sotong Singgang is another dish served at Restoran Kuah Singgang

 

Me and Nalini at Restoran Kuah Singgang

 

During the KCC1M trip, my plate is filled to the brim with delicious spread of food on the table. My saying … I eat to live but I live to eat at KCC1M … My advice to you, food lovers and adventurers, you must visit Terengganu to taste the real flavor of their food, prepared with lots of TLC (Tender Loving Care) by the proud local communities.

Lunch at Terrapuri Heritage Village. The oyster is from the Setiu Wetland

 

Lunch at Terengganu Islamic Civilization. The curry meat is simply delicious !

My next blog will be all about the common snacks of Terengganu, only in Terengganu for the people of Terengganu and most local and foreign visitors.

Please contact me – Wan – at 03-2260 3667 / 4667 or email leisureincentivetours@gmail.com for more information on special tailored-made Food Heritage Trail package.