Life: I found that I am alive when I go for fishing

Sometimes you need to be alone to realize who you really are and what your capability is. Surely, for some of us this is difficult to be alone, but I am not. Few days ago, I went fishing to totally new area that I have never been before. The only thing I was confidence enough is canoeing, I am sure that my canoeing ability is about muscled memory and that is still inside of me. Somehow, when I was alone in the middle of the green blue river, I could feel myself alive.

I started in the morning, it was about 7.30, to go somewhere to get the fishes, this is the place I took the canoe. I borrowed it from the owner I just met that day.

I keep paddling heading somewhere I don’t know, to explore more and more, dipper and dipper into wild mangrove forest. It has been midday, but I haven’t caught any fishes. I saw no one around or any other fishermen nearby. I might be at the wrong place, but not. It is the right place I want to be, somewhere I have never been before. I marked every single turn I made with specific object in order to be able to return to my start point. But why I went into the wild?.
When I feel I have no hope and no purpose of doing something, I would go somewhere that is able to bring me back to feel alive, to feel the pure spirit, or in the other word is to bring survival instinct back again. This time I chose to be in the wild area with crocodiles, snakes, and fishes. I talked to friends of mine that I will go for fishing, and yes I brought some fishing baits (shrimps), fishing line, and spare hooks, everything I need for fishing. But, after 3.5 hours wandering around for fishing, I got nothing at all, I decided to go somewhere that I have never been explored. I went there because I need to listen to my instinct.

I got what I need to have, when I was alone in the middle of nowhere and I don’t really remember how to get back I would get my adrenalin back and that moment was the moment I feel really alive as a man. I have prepared for it with complete basic survival kits (victorinox, flintstone, and candle), I do realize that this area is full of food supplies even I could not find the way out of this stream labyrinth. I tried to make some photos by my phone before the battery running off.
Somehow, I threw the hook into the water, it was too deep from the string line I marked, it is almost 20 m. I wait while floating slowly in the middle of the river. Around 4 at the evening, the surface is quite enough to float on the surface, and that is the way the fishermen fishing the big fish here. I got my first barracuda it was about 0.8 kg weight. It seems the small fishes has gone because of this barracuda, I got this one, and after a while I got some other fishes with smaller hooks on my other fishing spinner. I got another 3 smaller fishes. Now I realize that the fishes was scared by barracuda that are hunting around in the water, and when I got one of them, the smaller fishes started to come out from the hide. For a while I forgot where I was, and the way to return home.

This was the place I landed to have lunch (late lunch) and scooting around to find the way back

The problem occurred when the sun was starting to fade down, I need to find the way back to where I took the canoe, since the canoe I use for fishing was borrowed from someone I just met, I need to keep my promise to return it back safe to the spot. But I have no Idea where to head for getting out of the swampy mangrove trough small stream, luckily that the tide was getting up again. I have been 2 hours peddling down the stream. The only reason paddling downstream was to find the firth of this stream I hope I can find someone to ask.

When the dark fallen, I arrived at the big river intersection I was so confuse, but in the distance I saw someone is stretching the fishing net. I wait no longer to approach the man in the canoe to ask the right direction to return. I have completely lost when I enjoy fishing the fishes and forgot to remark the turn.

Everywhere I saw, only wild mangrove forest, with no sign of anyone else nearby, I was stuck in swampy small stream on my way to get to the large stream

Illustration of fishermen I met, at that evening

So then, I talked to him while paddling closer and finally he told me that I had been away for the right stream about 3 km, wow. The good news was, I just need to paddle straight ahead to cross the first intersection the left and about a km from there I will see another intersection and I need to take left again before straight ahead to the place that I have recognize.
Finally, I saw the first marking I made, and it was already 21.00 at the evening and I still need to go for another 1 hour to the point. I found what I seek, feeling alive again in the middle of nowhere and respect my own life after a while in the routine.

Paddling under the moon light, I arrive at the small hut where I took the canoe at 22.15, I tied the canoe and counting the fishes I got. I met someone else that has already been there coming from fishing as well, he got 3 small fishes. He said that this season is not good for fishing and no one gets something big. He saw that I got 10 fishes, and he said “Oh you are so lucky to get that many young men”. I told him the places I went for fishing, and he did not believe that I went there. “Unbelievable, no one will go there willingly, especially in this season because the area is too dangerous with the crocodiles and water snakes. And the most scary thing is many of us has lost and found after days. How you could come back here that short of time?”

"I made someone who was stretching the fishing net, and he told me how to get back". I told him the place I saw the man. And again, he was so surprise to hear that (look like he scared and worry). And he said “That was not a man” because no one stretching the fishing net around there, the area is too deep for netting. You are well protected by the great spirit of the river young man”.

Well, I just said to him. Perhaps, I was so lucky to get back. But, in my mind: I don’t really care that was a man or something. For me, he was definitely a man who helped me to get out from the labyrinth.