We ventured out again today, after nearly a week indoors.

The lovely picture above is the proof.

The outing gives me a good opportunity to round up one or two other riverside matters:



After our encounter a few weeks ago, we're doubly sensitized to crocodile stories. Here's one we pass every time we walk along the river:


The tale goes like this:

The mouse deer wanted to cross the river. But he didn't want to become a crocodile's breakfast in the process. So he told the biggest crocodile that the king had given him orders to count all his friends and relations. Impressed by this, the big croc asks for instructions, and the mouse deer tells him that he and all the other crocodiles have to form a line stretching across the river. The crocodiles duly oblige. The mouse deer jumps from back to back, counting as he goes. Eventually he reaches the other side of the river. "How many are there?" shouted the big croc. “Just enough!” said the mouse deer. “And all of them silly!” And off he trotted into the forest, singing his trademark "can't catch me" song.

As an IR person, I often used to think that some countries followed the mouse deer approach to foreign policy. Trouble is, you can pull this kind of stunt only once...

Not in Kuching, but still fascinating, was last week's scary story about a massive crocodile (the weight is variously given as 500 kg and 800 kg) that was found in a monsoon drain near a school in Limbang. Before it was rescued, someone had shot it in the head, so it subsequently had to be euthanized. Crocodiles are a protected species, so there will be an investigation.

You sure have to admire the guys from the Fire and Rescue Department, who are first in line to deal with these incidents...

Let's close on a more peaceful note: