July 24, 2013
After unsuccessfully hunting for fruit bats, we hoped we’d spot them from Legacy later in the day when they’d be more active. Sure enough, around 3:30, we started to see bats flying near a particular area in the mangroves.
We headed over to the area and spotted an indent in the thick brush, hidden behind a tree. We investigated further and finally found the elusive tunnel through the mangroves. Bats squealed and squeaked overhead as we made our way through slowly, having to push some roots out of the way as we barely fit at times.
Soon we were in a small clearing right behind the main bat tree! It was so fun to be so close to the bats, chattering and squealing and unfolding their leathery wings.
Bottom line: we know not everyone shares our tastes. Some people love visiting a local village or school, others love diving amid sharks. Rich and I are endlessly entertained by fruit bats even if they poo/pee on us as they take off from their perches. They do it in one expulsion, and if you’re standing below them, you may have to do some hair cleaning.
We realized they were dispersing from the trees and hoped we weren’t causing this. We decided to leave and made our way back out. When we emerged from the mangroves, we were stunned: bats were flying everywhere! There were thousands of them, filling the whole sky over the bay! Rich and I sat, basically speechless. Bats continued to fill the sky, as far as the eye could see, well into the evening.
This was one of the most amazing things we’d ever seen and certainly one of the highlights of our entire cruise! Below is a video of some of our time with the bats. –Cyndi
