Catba Island volunteers' close encounters

Our group weren't lucky enough to spot any Catba Langurs, but they're all sporting 'Save the Catba Langur' t-shirts. And hopefully the signs they painted and helped place will contribute to a decrease in people entering the areas within the national park where the remaing 60 to 70 of this species live. It is certainly not a magic solution, but a step along the way to better protection. Sadly, although the capture, killing and eating of the Catba Langur is illegal, there are still poachers willing to risk fines and imprisonment for the substantial monetary gain to be reaped from black market sales. If the Catba Langur becomes too accustomed to human presence, it won't retreat to safety when it most needs to, and will become an easy target. The next major task the Catba Langur Project will undertake is the relocation of a small all-female group of langur , closer to a group which has a roving male. So hopefully Pacific Discovery will be receiving emails about an increase in baby Catba Langurs before too long. This species is found only on Catba Island and the numbers are dangerously low, especially in a country where its people are accustomed to eating virtually anything that walks, crawls, slithers, flies, swims or just hangs about. Whilst mealtimes in Vietnam can be a real gastronomic adventure for travellers - especially carnivores - education is important to ensure that the recipes no longer include endangered species. And we're sure that with good nutrition, a healthy lifestyle and perhaps lots of good luck crossing the roads, it will be possible for both Vietnamese and their Chinese neighbours to live plenty long enough without partaking of Catba Langur steak for their longevity!

 

So, having survived a few mornings of scheduled 4.30am awakening (yes, even without the roosters) followed by long work days out on the national park boat in Halong Bay and on an inland walking trail, to erect the finished signs and touch up a few old ones, our group boarded a luxury junk for a bit of well-earned R and R. We even got to see the signs we'd put up again.

 

Some highlights and lowlights: 

 

Hannah drew the short straw and got to be stung by a jellyfish. And no, we're not going to add this experience to future itineraries.

 

We paddled seakayaks through a dark cave, its ceiling adorned with hundreds of little bats.

 

We all ate far too much on the junk. Dish after dish just kept appearing at mealtimes. We had to work hard to convince our cooks that not eating everything on the table didn't mean that it wasn't good!

 

A power cut while in the national park - with the threat of no fans all night in the monsoon heat and stickiness - sent a few of the group into a spin. If only they'd spun a little faster they could've provided the needed air movement!!

 

A deluge held off until we reached a little fishing village - and our lunch spot - after the long hike carrying poles and bags of cement and sand. Travelling light is overrated. Ho ho ho ho it's off to work we go. We hopped on the back of some local motos to get to the waiting park boat quicker -  to outrun the worst of the storm -  only to turn a corner and find a big fallen tree blocking the road. No problem for the local lads. Out with the machetes and, before you could say chopstick, we were on our way. The road became more of a river, and between the water below and the water above, the sweat from our labours was thoroughly drowned.

 

Dogs and chickens were everywhere. Humungous spiders, worm-sized mud vipers, stick insects with thumb-fat bodies and mosquitoes the size of the palm of your hand just added to the menagerie. Not all creatures were looked on with love :)

 

Just joking about the size of the mozzies.

 

Janine :)