Wednesday 22 June Kayaking

A few days ago David and I had offered Chris and Christine one free afternoon's baby sitting. We'd take their 3 kids out kayaking for the afternoon. /six year old Cari would come with us in our 2 man kayak and Andrea and Ryan would have their single person kayaks. Where do you take 3 young children? Through (small) waves breaking over a sand bar and up a shallow river over hug with mangroves just like an Indiana Jones film without the nasties. After the river adventure we went to the beach so they could swim and around before delivering them back to Stray Kitty.
Late yesterday afternoon when it was low tide we'd seen the local children catching fish in the outflow of another river into the bay. Today the operation had grown and the women were involved with nets strung across the river. David and I took our kayak and Chris joined us on his for further investigation. A woman we'd met yesterday, Jacinta, told us that once a month the river fish returned to the sea in large numbers and this was what they were hoping to catch. They had a bag half full of the 5” long fish and offered to cook one up on their beach fire. Mmm it was tasty, smokey little fish which we picked the white flesh off and the head and skeleton went to a baby who had the eyes, and sucked the bones. Nothing wasted here.
Jacinta told us she was 25 and married to a man who worked in the 7* resort on the next island. Usually she was a snorkelling guide in the nearby Waitube marine park but had a cold and couldn't swim. She offered to be our guide in an exploratory kayak up the river so hopped on ours in the middle between David and me. This was a much wider and deeper river than the stream we'd taken the children through earlier. Our first treat was an up close and personal with a beautiful kingfisher on the river bank which was bold enough not to fly away. Fifteen minutes in and we came to a village. Here Jacinta suggested leaving the kayaks and going to say hello. On our walk around the village we were given edi nuts which had been boiled. They tasted like chestnuts.

David and village kids

On the faster paddle downstream we were surprised when our guide pointed out a sea snake in the weeds. I always thought sea snakes stayed in the sea. I never knew they liked freshwater too.

After kayaking David brought some of the local children out to the boat for a visit.  They loved coming onto a yacht and were all very polite and well behaved. Even when we offered lollipops they took just one each and gave me the wrappers to put in the bin.