Nightwalk

After dark, it is nice to give the tourists a short tour of the farm ‘by night’. Below are some idea’s, remember that for someone not used to the jungle, almost everything is interesting. The walk can take anywhere between 15 minutes and hour.

Flowers of the Dragon fruit:

The flowers of the Dragon fruit only bloom at night, which makes them very special. The white flowers are large and fragrant and they have the typical cactus flower shape. Nicknames for the flower are Moonflower or Queen of the Night.

Fireflies:

Although there are far less fireflies here than there are in some other places in Malaysia, they are still fascinating to many tourists. Below some facts about fireflies are listed:

• Light production in fireflies is due to a chemical reaction that occurs in specialized light-emitting organs, usually on the lower abdomen.
• The firefly most common to Malaysia’s peninsula is the Pteroptyx. This kind of tropical firefly routinely synchronizes its flashes among large groups, a startling example of spontaneous biological order.
• Female Postures fireflies are known for mimicking the mating flashes of other fireflies for the sole purpose of predation. Target males are attracted to what appears to be a suitable mate, and are then eaten. For this reason the Postures female is sometimes referred to as “femme fatale”.
•  Adult fireflies live for a few weeks.
• The ancient Chinese sometimes captured fireflies in transparent or semi-transparent containers and used them as (short-term) lanterns.
•  In Mayan mythology, fireflies were said to contain the light of the stars.

Look for frogs:

You could follow the river for the short way; see if you can find frogs. Show the tourists how to stun a frog in the light of your flashlight, maybe show them how to catch one.

Listen to the jungle

The sounds of the jungle are very different from the sounds most tourists know. So let everyone turn of their flashlights and listen to the cicadas, frogs and night birds.

Stars:

Have a look at the stars. So far out of the city, they are much brighter than usual. And they are different from the stars we see on the northern side of the globe. The big dipper, for example, is turned upside down. It could be nice to have a map of the constellations at hand.