Sunset Cruise

Welcome aboard the Sunset Cruise. You're about to embark on your own private tour in a charming canopy boat through one of the Pacific's most beautiful wetlands, home to abundant wildlife, especially birds. These backwaters formed when part of the original river branched off into a closed off lagoon. They're surrounded by atmospheric floodplains and mangroves, and with vast skies stretching in all directions, you can be assured of a glorious sunset as you relax and take in the sights tonight. But before setting off on your journey down the river, let's take a moment to do a short wind down exercise. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise. So when you're ready, let's begin. So first, get yourself comfortable. Now, just bringing the attention to the breath and just noticing where you feel it, in the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm. You're nice and relaxed. We're going to be taking a deep breath in for four, holding it for four, and then breathing out for six. So are you ready? Let's begin. In for four, two, three, four. Hold it for four, two, three, four. Now breathing out for six. Two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. Great. Now returning the breath to normal. Some stretches of the river are so clear, and still they look like a mirror. Now the boat is nosing through a rather pretty algae bloom, like orange flowers growing on the water. At clearer spots, if you look closely, you can see the shadows of plump fish darting here and there beneath the surface. It's incredibly tranquil on the river, but that's not to say of course, that it's soundless. Actually, if you listen, you hear a chorus of enchanting calls from all the creatures that live around here. Can you tune in to a few different frequencies? That steady rushing noise, which sounds a bit like rain, is the chattering of cicadas, all of them eager to seek a mate. And over the top of that, there are any number of bird calls from those in the water, like the pygmy geese with their smart brown caps. Or in the trees such as the yellow or green orioles with their pretty pink bills, and the gorgeous bright blue, and orange kingfishers. It's a tuneful array of chirps, quacks, croaks and peeps, always accompanied by the swoop of wings beating against the air as different flocks lift off and land at the river's edges. All the while there's the sound of the water jostling ever so gently at the sides of the boat, just letting you know that it's here. At the edge...