Land Of The Giants

My petite Panasonic GM-1 is dwarfed by a giant leaf in an isolated and remote rain forest trail. I was on my way to the unknown Sungai Sendat Waterfalls located in the Batang Kali Forest Reserve. In the land of giant leaves and trees, the Lilliputian GM-1 camera belies its sophistication.

It is a very capable m43 mirrorless system camera. Serving as my backup and secondary camera.

My love and fascination for giant jungle leaves started when I was a kid spending my school holidays up in Cameron Highlands. My uncle worked at the power station there and he would stop his car for me to marvel at giant fallen leaves strewn by the roadside. For a young boy, everything was gigantic in Cameron Highlands, from giant trees, giant leaves, massive waterfalls, very wide Rajah Brooke birdwing butterflies to enormous rhinoceros beetles.

Penang Peranakan Mansion museum director and author, Lillian Tong, is seen here using a giant leaf as umbrella or shade. Picture copyright Lilian Tong and used with her permission. I will feature some of her dressed up pics in future.

The gorgeous Peranakan (nyonya) culture expert from Penang is normally prim and proper in stunning kebayas. You can read more of her expertise at her Naughty Nyonya blog http://naughtynyonya.blogspot.my/ She was in a jungle trek in Teluk Bahang near Batu Ferringhi and Monkey Beach of the Penang National Park. She went for “jungle bathing” – a new hipster fad or trend, I think.

The giant leaves are disappearing like old culture and is getting harder to see with the depletion of primary jungles.

Love for the environment and nature ought to be inculcated from young.

Happy Earth Day.

See over 132 hotels in Cameron Highlands here. In Ringlet, Brinchang and Tanah Rata. Availability may depend on your booking dates.

#earthday #jungle #rainforest #nyonya #penang #selangor #pahang #cameronhighlands

The Real Dangers Of White Water Rafting

Since we are looking at Sabah hotels, I dug up some pics from a trip to KK with the NPC or the National Press Club. Don’t wear red life jackets or red safety helmets in case you encounter a charging water buffalo mid stream. The dangers are not just from hidden rocks and sudden drops. I shot this from the famous wobbly suspension rope bridge high above the Kiulu River.

The Kiulu River white water rafting site is about one hour or 50 km by road to Kota Kinabalu. It is a beautiful place surrounded by lush rain forest and enchanting wildlife. One hour away, you can indulge in luxury hotels such as the Hilton, Hyatt and the Shangri-la.

For hotels in KK, see my previous post on The Klagan http://www.mycen.my/the-klagan-riverson-kota-kinabalu/

#sabah #kk #whitewaterrafting #buffalo #borneo #kiulu

Memories of Qingming – Part 3

A Love Story From The Graves.

On a gloomy and windy day, a frangipani landed on the edge of a tombstone. Perhaps, it wanted to be near the fading, hanging red hibiscus it was admiring and longing from the treetop? Will the impending rain separate them again? Or will they wilt together? An ant and silent, invisible souls around them will bear witness.

The frangipani or plumeria is known as the “graveyard flower” locally and the trees are found in abundance at Chinese, Malay and Christian cemeteries. It was in bloom during Qing Ming 2015 and the fallen flowers were scattered beautifully on top of graves.

The frangipani tree is the national tree of Laos and the flower is the national flower of Nicaragua. The hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia, South Korea and Haiti. It is also the state flower of Hawaii where the plumeria is used as one of the flowers for the Hawaiian Lei or garland. Like the hibiscus, the plumeria comes in a variety of colours.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 3200, f9, 1/640 sec.

#qingming #grave #love #flower #plumeria #hibiscus #nature #cemetery

Around Kuala Selangor

Kuala Selangor is a fantastic nearby getaway. There are those monkeys at Malawati Hill, the lighthouse and nature park, the seafood and fishing village of Pasir Penambang and if that is not enough, there is also Auntie’s Kopitiam, Cendol Bakar and more.

It may be a good idea to stay at the De Palma Inn , Sun Inns VI Boutique Hotel (and Sky Mirror) which are near to these places. Don’t forget the Fireflies Park and the beautiful Sri Shakti Temple. Links to most of these places are given and as with all my pages, alternative, related and other nearby accommodation options are also provided: See also Hotels In Sekinchan.

See also http://www.mycen.my/de-palma-hotel-kuala-selangor/

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Loved how serene the swampy coastline and the mangrove stumps appeared near the Persatuan Sukan Layar Selangor (Sailing Sports Association). Soothing in every way.

“I like the way your sparkling earrings lay,
Against your skin, it’s so brown.
And I wanna sleep with you in the desert tonight
With a billion stars all around”

Peaceful Easy Feeling was a song recorded by The Eagles in 1972. They don’t write songs like this anymore.

Last I heard this song was while driving fom Kluang to Kota Tinggi with Ken Chia many years ago and listening to Singapore’s Gold 905 FM on the radio. The station from Caldecott Hill can be listened online from anywhere in the world today.

Panasonic Lumix GM-1, ISO 200, f20, 1/250 sec.

#beach #mangrove #landscape #seaside #mangrove #landscape #coast #goldcoast #selangor #gold905 #singapore #eagles