Sibu kelong 7-8 Dec ‘08

More related links:
Chee Kin's Picasa
Peng Guan's Flickr
Joe's Blog.

I had a very fruitful trip, thank you Kee Long, Joe and ASU for organizing it. We left for Ah Yew Kelong at 8:00am from NP and managed to reach the kelong for late lunch. From 2 to 5:30pm, there was not much catch putting our ‘Kuning Party’ in jeopardy. Things started to change for the better after dinner. The fish came in school. Unfortunately, with so many lines in the water at the same time, we spent more time disentangling than actually fishing.

At about 9pm, we have supper which looked very plain to me – soupy white noodle and red bean soup. I thought my children would run away at the sight of it. Surprisingly, my eldest son who is known to be a fussy eater had second helpings. I also went for more.

The night snack was a ‘Kuning Party’ made possible from the generous contributions form everybody’s catch. We had 5 squids (yummy thanks to Joe) and hundreds of small Kuning and Selar. I under estimated our group appetite. By the time, I reached the table, all the squids were gone. I have only two pieces of Kuning fish. Just as I was about to leave, 10-year old Matthew Wong came to me and gave me a small piece of squid. I was very touched by him for the squid was very delicious and he could have popped it right into his mouth. I shared it with my brother and his wife. They were very impressed with the squid and the boy’s behavior. I proudly told them I was his Sunday school teacher when he was P2.

The next morning, it rained dogs and cats so the trip to Sibu Island was cancelled. Some continue to fish in pouring rain while others stayed in-door reading or playing cards. Soon, it was time to go home after lunch. As our group was very large, three separate boat trips were needed to ferry us back to the main land. My family was in the first group, unfortunately, at the last minute, one of my sons was asked to join another group. My eldest son volunteered to stay behind.

As I turned back, I saw a forlorn figure, I felt very sad and helpless. Just then, my good friend, Lee Kin, called out to my son and invited him to join her family. I was so glad that Lee Kin provided him with a ‘foster family’ to cheer and support him at a time like this.

Lessons learnt
1. December is the monsoon season, I knew it and yet I did not prepare for it. I did not give my children wind breakers to wear for the ferry trip. It was a big mistake. My eldest son was soaking wet and shriveling from the cold. I have Peh Lian Huay to thank for; she shielded my son with her jacket.
2. I suffer motion sickness all my life and I did nothing to prepare for it. I paid the price by contributing my ingested lunch to the sea. I resolved to commit to memory this: Take Novomin half an hour before any long journey and avoid coffee.
3. Wear rubber shoe for wet event for they dry more easily.
4. Bring a big raincoat that can cover the legs so as to be able to fish like Song Sing. I really admire his tenacity and strength, fishing in pouring rain. He got to enjoy the whole sea for himself with nobody to cross line with.
5. Go to the kelong with a humble heart; do not set the KPI (Key Performance Indicator) too high.
6. A big fish took my bait, hook, line and sinker right underneath the kelong. The fishing rod was bent like the letter ‘C’. I learnt that the rod was not stiff enough to control a fish like that.
7. The bait for Selar is whitish green feather. Click here for more fishing tips.

BTW, another surprise – no traffic jam at the Second Link on the way there and back.