Fireflies Watching

On the way to watch fireflies, we made a few rest stops to have some snacks.

Each time we stopped for refreshment, I would peeked out of the car to have a look.

Waiting for cheche to buy something from the fruit stall...

... that sells an assortment of mangoes and other tropical fruits.

I got to taste some of the fruits too before deciding which one to buy.

We finally bought a packet of rose apples, or popularly known as jambu air locally.

The flesh of the fruit is crisp and watery, with a very mild rose scent and a slightly sweet aftertaste.

And I love my jambu air.

On our next stop, as I popped out of the window...

... I caught a whiff of one of my favorite snacks.

The aroma of freshly roasted chestnut filled the air and beckoned from afar.

With my acute sense of smell, I managed to trace the divine aroma to a makeshift stall near the road.

Over here in Malaysia, chestnuts are usually roasted with coffee beans and sugar...

... in a huge wok equipped with automated turning mixture arms.

We continued our journey with two paper bags of freshly roasted chestnuts...

... to keep us busy munching on the road.

Upon arriving at our destination, we had dinner in a seafood restaurant...

... whilst waiting for the sun to set.

By the time we reached the jetty, it was already late evening.

I was filled with nervous excitement as we boarded the boat in thick darkness.

In the stillness of the night, we traveled downstream into the river to locate the fireflies' colonies. We were advised not to touch the water as there might be crocodiles lurking under the river.

Not long into the boat ride, we were greeted by hundreds of twinkling tiny lights dancing through the trees along the river.

Due to the fireflies fragility and its sensitivity to bright flashes from the camera, we did not take pictures of the fireflies. Doing so would harm the little bugs.

Anyways, pictures and words cannot really describe the amazing feeling when the glowing fireflies started to come toward us from the mangrove trees as the boatman expertly lit his torchlight intermittently to mimic a mating signal. There were hundreds of tiny luminous lights moving in symphonic harmony through the moonlit darkness and finally landing on my nose and paws. It was truly an enchanting experience as if one is transported to a world of magical fairies. A magnificent sight to the eyes of the beholder that would stay in memory forever.

On the boat ride home, I was sleepy and mostly in dreamland... dreaming of brightly lit fairies and cotton candies.