The next destination (Ooi confirmed just a day earlier) was Haji Sukarno's house cum his office/centre of the Perak River Safari outfit. A female Rufous Woodpecker was sighted in a tree nearby tamely feeding away while a stork-billed Kingfisher perched itself comfortably on a cable strung across the Perak River. For RM15.00 each Hj Sukarno catered for a buffet lunch and a return boat trip to an island in the middle of the Perak River situated just opposite his house. He left us on the island promising to pick us up 2 hours later at 12.30 noon for the buffet lunch.

The group trekked across the island and noted the varied plant life, wild boar tracks and avifauna. Plants that caught the group's attention were fig trees with big red fruits, an orchid with creamy white flowers and a twining vine with large bean pods. At the pickup point Kim Chye drew attention to a thorny creeper with equally spikey pods which opened upwards with two or three large grey-brown seeds that looked very similar to birds' eggs in a nest. A yellow-vented bulbul's nest with two eggs were spotted among some low bushes which was quite unusual.

Sukarno came as promised and ferried the whole gang back for a lovely lunch of curry santan chicken, two types of fried fish (one plain and one with a sweet chili sambal), hot sambal belacan with cucumber, crispy popodams, fruits and cordial drinks. During the meal, heavy rain poured amid thunder claps as the group bantered about and enjoyed the idyllic river view. The end of the downpour gave the signal to disperse after a memorable day. Watch out for a repeat soon!