# General > Events, field trips and gatherings >  Sawarak Adventure Part 1 (Pix intensive)

## benny

Hi guys,

Was in Sarawak earlier and thought I'll share the trip here with you guys...


Kuching was our point of entry and the weather was fine for most of the trip, but usually peppered with occasional showers.

Our first stop was to collect _betta brownorum_ and off we went into the forrested areas around Kuching.



As the trails were not marked, sometimes, we have to be careful so as not to lose our way. Most of the time, the collection area looks exactly like that all round you, with no defined trails at all.





This is a close up of a typical area where the betta would be found. 

A good start to the trip as we found a couple of the betta shortly after we started.

More to come..

Cheers,

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## benny

Next, we went looking for aquatic plants, namely Cryptocoryne species...


This was one of the small streams that we chance upon.


Exploring further, Mr. Tree found something!


But we couldn't see what it was from where we were.

So, the moral of this story is that those who are not willing to get wet are not going to see/get anything.


The rewards of wet toes..._Cryptocoryone longicauda_!


Actually, there's a lot of it. We collect a few stalks as specimen and moved on.

More to come.

Cheers,

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## benny

Running around like that can make you really hungry and we went to the local market for food.

Couldn't pass up the chance to get some pictures at the fish store.









A lot of the fishes that were seen in the rivers ended up as food for the locals, be it snakeheads, rasboras or anabantoids.

Of all the fishes there, only the snakehead were still alive, testimonial to how hardy this species can be. The rest were packed in ice to keep them fresh.

More to come.

Cheers,

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## benny

Besides peat swamps, we also explored some clear water streams.


This is one of the stop that we made, hoping to see some _Betta taeniata_.



Instead, we found many barbs, rasboras and half beaks.



From above, their color is not obvious so as to protect them from predators above.




We were not getting what we wanted as the water was becoming shallow, so we moved on to another part of the stream. Besides, the mosquitos were really attacking us.



As can be seen, this is a "S" shape bend, so there's a corner with some slower curent. Also, there are some litter in the water, giving plenty of hiding place for fishes, but more importantly, an overhanging canopy over the water where the betta would feel comfortable. We were pretty confident to find something here and we were not disappointed!

More to come...

Cheers,

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## benny

Finally!


The object of our desire! We found quite a few specimens. If I recall correctly, a total of 8 pieces. After selecting a few for photography, we put the rest back into the stream.

Besides _Betta taeniata_, here are some of the other species that we came across..









More to come.....

Cheers,

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## benny

And here's another picture of the _Betta taeniata_




We went back to the river after getting some pictures, but it started to rain. So that was the end of the program as we journeyed on.

More to come in Sarawak Adventure Part 2.

Kindly leave your comments/discussions in the final part. Thanks!

Cheers,

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