The Mystic Islands of Myanmar (Part 2) [Joshua Burke]

Cool Adventures

While at Minquar we took our first adventure trip. After getting towed by Dad in the kayak, we arrived at the nearby island called Kin Quar. The middle of the island was a lagoon, and the only way in was to wait for low tide and then go through a natural tunnel. The central lagoon was about 400 meters (1200) feet across and was at its deepest point 10 meters (30 feet) down. Below the waves there was a surprising amount of sea life. The bulk of the animals were sea urchins, but there was also many fish and corals. My favorite animal that I saw was the Christmas tree worm. I love how when you put your finger next to them, they retreat their beautiful feeders into their shell.  

Being towed behind the dinghy was so much fun!

Going through the natural tunnel.

Inside Kin Quar. 

Marble Island (pronounced Marbar) was very similar to Kin Quar. It had a central lagoon in its center, and had nice beaches. Before we could check the lagoon out though, we had to wait for the island officer to come back to the island to help guide us on our adventure.

After an hour of waiting we headed off in two kayaks and one paddleboard. It was a very tight fit going through the natural tunnel that led to the lagoon. I had to lie on my back so I could fit. It was an extraordinary view in the middle of the island. You could see many nests and their birds as rays of sunshine filtered in through the cracks in the rocks. You could hear splashing of the water as fish jumped out of our way.

In the middle of Marble Island.

At the far side of the lagoon there was a cave that the island officer wanted us to come check out. As soon as I stepped out of my kayak I sank to my knees in goopy mud. The mud was so goopy I had to take off my shoes and go barefoot. It was time to get dirty. After a difficult walk I made it to the foot of the cave. I looked into the cave, and saw pitch darkness. Luckily we brought flashlights. There was this weird noise we heard while in the cave. When we shined our lights on the cave wall, we saw who was making the noise. It was bats. They were everywhere. We even spotted cute baby bats. Near the end of the tunnel I wrote my name using something squishy from the floor, (it was probably bat poo), on the wall.

Us with the island officer outside the cave. 

A SCARY creepy crawly that was the size of my hand. 

As we headed back toward the natural tunnel that would take us out of the lagoon, we saw that it was gone. The tide had risen so far that the natural tunnel was under water. So the only way out now was to leave the kayaks and the paddleboard in the lagoon and climb our way out. Luckily this had happened to the island officer many times and he knew a trail. The trail was nearly vertical and you had to climb on sharp rocks going up and down. When we finally made it out, the island officer had gotten out of the island, swam to his boat, and came over with his boat to pick us up. He was fast!

Going up...

...And down.

Heading back to the boat.

After getting out of Marble Island Arnold, Jacob, James, and I went in the dinghy around 7 p.m. to see if we could get through the natural tunnel. The water was still too high. While inside, we heard a noise that sounded like bats. When we shined our light on the wall, there were tons of bats all over. Suddenly they started flying and hitting James, who was holding the light. We quickly turned it off. They must have been trying to figure out what the bright light was.

Later, Arnold and I headed back to the beach to ask the island officer when the water was low enough so that we could get our kayaks and paddleboard back. He said the water was not low enough until 11 p.m. I tried to stay up until then by reading American Sniper, but I fell asleep at roughly 10:30. When I woke up the next morning the kayaks and the paddleboard were on the boat.

Sea Glass off Marble Island. 

At an island called one one five, we were going to do something that I have been looking forward to the entire trip. Bonfire night! Arnold, Jacob, James, and I headed into the beach well before nightfall to build the fire pit and gather supplies for the fire. We first built a small test fire and it lit, but we didn’t have the wood to keep it going. After the fire went out we dug a bigger pit, lined it with big, smooth rocks, and collected a big pile of dry wood and leaves. We even built a spit to go over the fire. By the time we finished it was getting dark, so we headed back to the boat to pick up Mom, Dad, and the food. 

We wanted a big fire. So we put on tons of leaves and branches in the pit, poured kerosene on it, and lit it up. The fire was so big it caught the spit of fire! We then proceeded to cook and eat cheesy sausages with Mom’s homemade bread. The best part of the night however, was cooking marshmallows. We happened to find what you needed for smores in a Western store in Phuket. Smores have never tasted better. Before leaving the beach we sent off a load of fireworks. There was this one box that had 180 fireworks in it. I had tons of fun!

Bonfire Night!!!

Thanks for reading!

Joshua