Exabees Team Building at Pantai Kerachut – Part 3

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Heading to the turtle hatchery site after playing 5 exhausting but enjoyable games
Heading to the turtle hatchery site after playing 5 exhausting but enjoyable games
Turtle crossing area, humans please do not trespass!
Turtle crossing area, humans please do not trespass!
Turtle eggs buried deep into the sand, protected by iron cages
Turtle eggs buried deep into the sand, protected by iron cages
Gathering in front of the iron cages and listened attentively
Gathering in front of the iron cages and listened attentively

 

Before we got to see the cute little baby turtles, we gathered in front of the turtle hatchery site and listened to the heart touching explanation by the person in charge.

According to him, out of 1000 baby turtles, only around 1 of them would survive after hatching. Even though if they successfully made it to the sea, a large number of them would still be eaten by other fish in the ocean or simply couldn’t survive.

 

Moreover, there are a total of 8 species of turtles in the world and only 2 species are available in Penang. We also learned that female turtles were the more ‘hardworking’ ones as they would travel around the world while their male counterparts stay and wait for them to come. Wow, this is definitely something totally opposite to what happens in the human world.

 

Truly amazed by the facts of the turtles
Truly amazed by the facts of the turtles
Really? Only 1 out of a 1000 baby turtles would survive?
Really? Only 1 out of a 1000 baby turtles would survive?

 

The person in charge further explained that the turtle hatchery center did not accept any cash donation. However, they welcome all kinds of assistance rendered by the public to help them clean up the seaside, turtle tanks and other voluntary tasks.

 

Baby turtles swimming inside the turtle tank, before returning to their permanent home - the ocean
Baby turtles swimming inside the turtle tank, before returning to their permanent home - the ocean
‘Stacking up’ on each other
‘Stacking up’ on each other

 

Fascinated by the cute little baby turtles, we were also keen on contributing our time and energy to give a helping hand to the turtle hatchery center. We started by helping to wash the turtle tanks.

 

 

After the cleaning, we needed to fill up the tanks with seawater, in order to provide the most basic living condition for the baby turtles. So shall each of us carry a pail and go near the sea to get the seawater?

 

 

In the spirit of teamwork, we didn’t do it this way. Instead, all Exabees formed a line stretching from the tanks to the sea. That way, we would be able to bring the seawater more efficiently, and it would be a lot of fun!

 

Forming a line and passing along the pails
Forming a line and passing along the pails
Getting seawater from the sea
Getting seawater from the sea

Passing back the pails containing seawater
Passing back the pails containing seawater
Pouring in the seawater
Pouring in the seawater

Checking out the to-be-release baby turtles in the tanks
Checking out the to-be-release baby turtles in the tanks
And here we go, putting in the baby turtles into a pail before releasing them to the ocean.
And here we go, putting in the baby turtles into a pail before releasing them to the ocean.

 

Go…. turtle go…..!

 

Watching them returning to the ocean with great happiness
Watching them returning to the ocean with great happiness
Toddling back to the sea
Toddling back to the sea

Making way for the baby turtles
Making way for the baby turtles

 

It’s truly an amazing feeling watching them toddling back to the sea, in which they started their forever brand new life. Exabees strongly recommend everybody to try this out while rendering your help to Penang National Park’s turtle hatchery center. It’s something which you need to do it yourselves to experience it.

 

After the heart warming turtle watching and releasing, we rested on the lovely beach, waiting for the beautiful sunset.

 

While waiting for it, why not do something fun?
While waiting for it, why not do something fun?
Trying to form some ‘letters’ on the beach
Trying to form some ‘letters’ on the beach
And we got ‘EXA’ – short form of Exabytes
And we got ‘EXA’ – short form of Exabytes
Jumping in the air – we did it!
Jumping in the air – we did it!

 

Finally, the sun was sinking into the beautiful ocean and by just gazing at it, it gave us a sense of tranquility and calmness.

 

We couldn’t help to wait till the sun was fully set before we made our way back to our tents. The soothing ocean breeze and the mystifying sunset had left us mesmerized by the beauty of nature, and 100% disconnected from everything in our normal daily life.

 

Finally the night had pushed its way through, and we were heading back to have our last dinner at Pantai Kerachut. After the dinner, some Exabees headed to their tents to rest while others were anxiously waiting for another night adventure, jungle trekking at night the Avatar way!

 

According to the instructors, some trees and leaves and even some creatures in the sea do glow in the dark at night.

 

Just like the saying ‘seeing is believing’, as we marched into the jungle, it felt like we had entered the world in James Cameron’s Avatar.

 

The next morning, CEO Chan bid goodbye to Exabees as he needed to catch a flight in the afternoon. However, due to the slightly stormy sea, the boat driver advised us to have 10 persons on board to ensure a steadier and safer ride.

 

Nine Exabees accompanied Chan going back to Penang earlier
Nine Exabees accompanied Chan going back to Penang earlier

Sitting inside the boat, the wind was chilly although the sun was scorching as usual. As the boat advanced, it seemed that an eagle was following us in the sky!

 

The rest of Exabees stayed at Pantai Kerachut a little longer, taking their time to eat their breakfast while some walked around the island to take some photos before heading back home by boat around 1pm.

 

Recalling the sweet and memorable trip, we had trekked through a jungle, set up our own tents, visited the wonderful Meromicitc Lake, played some delightful games, watched and released baby turtles back to the ocean, witnessed the mesmerizing sunset and experienced the beautiful night of Avatar. In these 2 days and 1 night, not only had we built a closer bond among each other, many Exabees would agree that this is the most exciting and unforgettable trip in the history of Exabytes’ team building which left us a lifetime of memory.