www.nst.com;  By Peggy Loh: Holding on tightly to a leash, the old man barked: أ¢â‚¬إ“Ambil yang muda! (get the young ones).أ¢â‚¬آ‌ At the other end of the leash, a brown baboon scampered lithely up a coconut tree heavy with fruit. It carefully chose a coconut, neatly twisted it loose and threw it down to the old man.

I watched with wonder as it threw down more and more coconuts أ¢â‚¬â€‌ all young ones. At the old manأ¢â‚¬â„¢s command, the baboon slithered smoothly down the tree trunk. It ambled close to me, probably knowing that I had been watching and was smugly waiting for a deserving pat for a job well done.

In plantations, fruit picking is being turned over to machines, so it is fascinating to know that this tradition is very much alive in Mersing. I marvelled at the strong bond between man and beast and how this intelligent baboon could be taught to obey his masterأ¢â‚¬â„¢s orders so specifically!

While Mersing is renowned as the gateway to the Endau-Rompin National Park and the idyllic islands in the Mersing Marine Park, this fishing town is making its mark as a popular tourist destination on Johorأ¢â‚¬â„¢s east coast. Exploring Kampung Air Papan, I soon discovered that this coconut-picking baboon was just one of the many interesting attractions here.
 
In the bright afternoon sun, the padi fields stood lush and green, swaying gently with the wind. Walking along bunds that divided the field, our group was on an owl hunt. The farmer, armed with a long pole with a net attached, explained that owls were blind in daytime, so this was the best time to catch them.

Actually, farmers consider owls as their best friend. Roosting in nests built on tall poles around the rice fields, these أ¢â‚¬إ“guardأ¢â‚¬آ‌ birds would, at night, keep watchful eyes on rodents that come to steal ripening stalks of padi.

Our first attempt failed. Waiting with bated breath, we sighed as the owl escaped in a swift whirl. Assuring me that the owl would not be harmed, the farmer then skillfully captured another.

Having only seen these mysterious birds in books or in TV documentaries, it was indeed awesome to come face-to-face with the bird and feel its silky feathers. The owl, our celebrity of the hour, posed politely for photos and was then released.
Glad that the owl was free again, we headed for a prawn farm where a great splash was created by air-pumping paddle wheels in the ponds. Standing at the edge of the pond, the farmer cast his net. Then he drew it in and emptied it into a holding pond. Out poured dozens of wriggling tiger prawns, the very sight of which made me drool.
Thus, it was a pleasant surprise when, on our way out, the farmer offered us generous portions of prawns to savour right there by the ponds!

Our bellies warmed by such a satisfying snack, we next stopped at a turtle hatchery owned by the Johor Fisheries Department at Air Papan beach. The woman caretaker would comb the beaches of Mersing and neighbouring islands to rescue newly-laid turtle eggs before they were stolen or destroyed.

These would then be re-buried in the hatchery and dated so that she would know when they would hatch. The hatchlings would be kept for a few days until they were stronger before being released into the sea. I thought that such a meticulous task was clearly a labour of love!

We took turns to re-bury a batch of eggs. Handling the delicate eggs cautiously, each volunteer placed them in a hole dug deep into the sand. Next to that hole, several plots were already buried with eggs and had dates marked on small signs.

As we were gently burying the eggs, a sandy patch nearby أ¢â‚¬إ“movedأ¢â‚¬آ‌ and to our great surprise, something small and dark surfaced. It was a freshly hatched baby turtle! As it squirmed its way out to the surface, I was so charmed by the sight that I even felt a sudden rush of maternal joy!

We all agreed that this rare experience was worth every minute spent at the hatchery. We were still talking about it when we arrived at a beachfront souvenir shop that stocked interesting merchandise, from hats made from fish-skin to hand-painted batik.
We were invited to try drawing batik outlines using a canting, a special instrument that has a small brass bowl at the end of a handle and a tiny spout on the bowl that allowed melted wax to run onto the fabric.

After selecting our souvenirs, it was time for more shopping. There are many shops in Mersing that deal in dried seafood products but two of the more popular outlets have to be Penghasilan Laut Kuantan Mersing Bersatu at Jalan Jemaluang and Perniagaan Keropok Hj Puteh at Jalan Abdullah. Everything looked so fresh and inviting that we came away with huge bags in our hands!