Peeping at a Monkey

If you ever think of monkey is dangerous, it is then very far away from me this time. Anyhow, Dusky Langur is found less aggressive in comparison to a long tailed Macaque. I have never seen them mixing in a group, they must have marked their own territories.

I spotted this Dusky Leaf Monkey in between some dense leaves during my way back. I usually pace myself during the uphill journey, and slow down in order not to hurt the ankles when going down hill.

It should be as light as a bird, sitting on the tip of a tree branch, and picking leaves for its breakfast.

But looking at its size, I could not help myself to believe it was not heavy.

And certainly it was not looking or honking at me, and those actions had never caused the thin branches to vibrate.

Everything was in a peaceful equilibrium, when I kept my distance during peeping, observing, and photo hunting.

I watched this monkey for some time, until it went down slowly and disappeared in the forest. Yes, it went down "slowly", very much different from those long-tailed Macaques that used to swing from one tree to another.

I was not alone. I had pulled the attention of a group of people. They too took out their hand phone cameras and started taking photos.

The Turn

If you do ever think of a successful hide behind a twist or a turn , you maybe wrong. A pair of eyes is looking at you from a distance, you may not know, but he is always out there.

And you may not know what is happening behind the turn, not before you have struggled through the uphill turn, but the pair of eyes knows that.

He knows that, not because he is gifted with super powers, but is just standing outside the mysterious turn.

Anyhow, the sleeping turtle is there waiting for you immediately after this uphill turn. You have then spent more than one hour on the hiking, you are panting, you are tired. It may awake at anytime.

The trail is getting steeper, the peak is not far away anymore, but you have to pass by the sleeping turtle first.

Reflection

Very few people would have come to this place. Cerok Tokun, to many people, is a place for hiking, and this dam has then laid silently at an isolated corner. Silence does not mean alone, it is in company with many trees, be it big, small, tall or short.

I see myself in the mirror whereas these trees find themselves inside the water. I am definitely not the same person at this time back in 2008. I am loaded with many pots of gold, at least, in the eve of my first blogoversary. Cerok Tokun is my gold mine.

These trees see their reflections every time the sun rises. I look at the mirror everyday before leaving home in the morning. I have yet to find Tiger Woods in my mirror so far, otherwise, what shall I do?

I do not believe these trees do think so much nonsense as me,

though they may spend time to reflect on what has happened and what has been done.

Cerok Tokun Web

I was delighted to have spotted this web site. This is one of the beautiful and interesting orb webs I have ever seen so far, and thank to the trapped debris that was big enough to provide me with a useful focus point.

Looking for spider webs along my hiking trail has added more fun to my exploration. But it much depends on luck on how the sun shines, where the cobwebs locate, etc. in order to get a decent picture.

And it is even more interesting when I am able to find them again in a complete shape on my next trip. The size never grows for most of the time, but certainly not the story behind the web which has happened over the past few days, in the day and night, in the rain and wind.

Although this three-dimensional tent web looks messy, but its waterproof nature has kept the water droplets as lines of jewels and make it as attractive as my earlier discovery.

Following the Bees

Following the bees was not an easy task since they made me too busy as well and having the need to fly around, but they did lead me to some wonderful places and show me some fantastic poses.

Sometimes, it showed the funniest posture that can never explain its name quite precisely. We met face-to-face, it looked strange to me, and how am I to him?

I had another question still unanswered. They flew from one flower to another, and back to former again, left, and came back, and was continued. Why can't they stay for the same flower until the job was done?

I met a brown caterpillar over here. This was visible, many were not, and I do not mean only caterpillars.

Many others were still hiding in the bushes, or in the forest.

Kek Look Cave, Episode two

Mother nature has built her library in the same way we build ours. We can read and enjoy the shared experience and knowledge. We can spend our time as long as we wish, only if we want to. When we are willing to let go our imagination, there is no harm to have different understanding or interpretation on what we have seen.

When I walked through, I got to know the collections of the library were written through thousands of years of Nature’s evolution. Ours are traced back only to a few thousand years.

They are written partially by dripping water, some by the atmospheric influences, or tectonic forces. These are all great writers whose efforts do continue day in, day out without showing any sign of tiredness.

And of course, another great writer who I must not miss out is the moments of time. We can only see him through those speleothems or cave formations.

The library is not big in size, yet the collections of literature are many. It is up to our wisdom as how much invaluable knowledge we can learn.

Kek Look Cave, Episode one

I visited Perak, the Silver State of Malaysia with two places in my mind yesterday. The journey that covered a distance of 518km started at six in the morning, ended at home at half past four in the evening. The first place turned out to be a disappointment, but Kek Look Cave, one of the cave temples in Ipoh, capital of Perak, has offered me a great trip.

Kek Look Cave is a place where worshippers of Taoism and followers of Buddhism come seeking wisdom for their next journey and answer to their unsolved questions.

Right above the entrance to this limestone cave, there is a small opening on the top of the hill. Is this where all messages are sent to the sky? Will all the answers and wisdom that are eagerly sought be then sent back through the same channel?

When I move around, there are more to be explored on the other side of the cave.

Following the traces of time, reading from one line to another, are we going to understand something that help to clear the doubts in our simple mind?

This tree must have witnessed the cycles of glory and agony over centuries. It must be wise enough to point out the Dos and Don'ts in our daily practices, but are we open-minded enough to be hinted?

A group of singles transform into a community, and there lies the power of love, the passage to dissolve most of our unsettled disagreements, but shall we not to be blind to know that?

No matter how tough our life is, we still survive through if we would like to. Somehow, there is no favouritism given by the Mother Nature to us.

At the end of the trip, I am still an ordinary me as before. But, ordinary is sometimes good enough. Just seize the day, live while I can.

Oops Hops

I have found this tiny grasshopper perching between the greens and yellows this morning. To have spotted this critter in a small corner of this vast forest, and without much effort and time, was simply unexplainable.

There was then no hesitation for my next action since we were fated to meet each other, at this moment. This moment would be erased within seconds, and left behind no traces.

I lifted a piece of leaf and moved my camera through gently and carefully for a closer encounter.

"Hello! Hello! Can you please adjust your pose a little bit?" I had to move myself then since it seemed to be a one-way communication.

I squeezed myself further into the bushes. It could smell a man better by now, but hopefully it would never confuse the smell of a man with that of sweat.

Oops!! It hopped, and was forever gone.

It appeared from nowhere, and had to return there finally.

Birder

I mixed up Asian Glossy Starlings that feasted on my papaya with Mynahs five months back. Anyhow, these close relative of Mynahs are no less noisy, the decibel level is sometimes intolerable high to an uneasy heart.

I live nearby a village, a oil palm plantation and paddy fields. This certainly hints that I have been offered opportunities to watch many birds, included these "Perling Mata Merah", or Startling in Malay. In fact, I have seen many but rare to picture some decent one, and the temptation keeps running wild as long as the failure continues further, until this evening.

I pretended as a birder.

This couple was spotted having their quiet moment in such a way trying to mislead me, but my experience helped to deny this, or they had the belief that romantic starts from Wordless Wednesday.

This immature Starling was found staying atop of this tree at a distance from the couple.

I pretend as a birder. I cannot identify most the birds included the next one, but this would not deny it to be my favourite.

But this could not help to keep her for much longer. My favourite had flown away.

My Family Time

A short break from my Cerok Tokun....

I repaired my bicycle and then went for a ride with my family in the evening at my neighbourhood. These mynahs never felt alone as a couple, just like us. They took their time strolling around. An evening walk as well?

Parked our bicycles in front of sunset. It was a good time we had enjoyed.

And this still go back to the joy of a simple life. We spend nothing for this family time, yet able to enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of our neighbourhood.

Coincidence

"We were doing the same thing lately!" But I would like to tell Tes it is more than that. I have pictured a black wasp at Cerok Tokun this morning. Thinking of Googling for some information before it can be a "virtual star", I found it in Ratty's place today. I know I need some pain killers when I read the comment by Icy BC, "I think I took pictures of the same critter like you".

There are so many coincidences lately.

This black wasp flied to my favourite fern leaf when I was doing my searching. If not because of the white tips on the pair of antennae, and the black and yellow stripes on its legs, I should convince myself about the existence of the forth dimension, and this black wasp might have made it first, instead of us.

This wasp kept waving its antennae in such a way trying to communicate with me. This is what I always presume out in the forest when I come face-to-face with any critters.

Only when the antennae are still strong, it can hear without ears; it can smell without nose, it can converse without tongue, otherwise, it would soon perish.

That's why, it was so "talkative", and I replied in my camera way.

It might be nobody was listening. Both were too busy.

PS: I have to make a correction base on the input of Amila Salgado. This insect is not actually a wasp, but a Stilt-Legged Fly. The antennae that I have mentioned is its front legs which it constantly waves around as if signaling someone or something.

Thanks to Amila Salgado.

They bloomed from a different angle

I do not have enough of my little flower plants yet. They were many over here, and looked differently after I have adjusted my position.

They even bloomed from a different angle.

Lush green was now the setting, instead of earlier gloomy waterscape. It was more appropriate to go along with the lively activity that took place on the tiny stems, in the early morning.


If you are bored, but I do not think you are, I am bringing you a butterfly which maybe the owner of those lines of eggs.

It was not a charming one, but if I managed to follow her, I should have another wonderful story to tell you, only if I have a pair of wings.


But I have another reason to feel great. Tomorrow is my Happy Weekend again!! And I have a date with Cerok Tokun.

For Your Naked Eyes

I have neglected far too many things. My eyes have never told me the full story occasionally, yet I assume they have at the first place. With the help of my camera, I have a stronger pair of eyes today.

I first followed a few bees, they took me to this flower tree this morning. They never stayed, but I did after I was amazed by what I had seen through my viewfinder.

I was on the top of the dam that looked like an ancient kingdom fortress again.

The secret of these ants is no more a secret. They were caught red-handed on the missing eggs of butterflies.

Before they could remove all the eggs, this caterpillar managed to escape and survive through the metamorphosis.

It first started from a few flying bees, then to a flower plant, red ants, eggs, and finally came the existence of this caterpillar. They appeared in stages, like in a movie. Nature is the film maker, waterscape is the setting. The rest were the actors of the day.

I was just a photographer who magnified the moment, just for you naked eyes.

Treehopper

When I was having my fun time taking pictures of flowers, I discovered that there was a tiny critter having a rest at the other side. You may think I had found a colourful butterfly, in fact it was not. Its body length is approximately the size of a grain of rice.

The title of this post should have told you it is a treehopper (I am quite sure it is although I cannot find an exact match), which I did not know earlier, otherwise I would like to know how a treehopper hops at that day.

"Treehopper is a group of insects related to the cicadas which can be found on all continents except Antarctica, although there are only three species in Europe".

The name treehopper may have suggested that it is an active insect, however it stayed still the whole session I was with him. That was why I only managed to get the picture in a fixed angle. Then you may ask again, ha ha!! I could not move for another angle as well. I was standing beside a slope.

"Male and female treehoppers signal to one another as part of the mating process. Some aggressive males use signals to "jam" the communication of another male with a female".

Looking at the black dot on top of its body, is this its eye? Then, it should be watching at me for all the time.

But I did not aware at all. Similarly, I must have neglected many other things as well, which I do not know until now.

Malayan Water Monitor Lizard

While I was enjoying my experimentation on the Water Dam that looked like an ancient kingdom fortress, there was a water monitor quietly spending its time near the dam. It might be there for a long time which I did not know, but once my experiment was extended to closer to the dam, this five feet long lizard started to move away. It moved its clumsy body steadily away from the glassland and heading towards the other side of the wetland.

Actually, Water Monitor Lizards are no strangers to me. I used to see them along my jogging trail besides the bank of Prai River, in mangroves or swamps. They can remain underwater for up to half an hour. Malayan Water Monitors can survive in habitats that would not be able to support other large carnivores. Unlike most of us, they are not choosy on their foods. They eat anything that they can swallow, from tiny insects, to crabs, snakes, fish, even other monitor lizards, rubbish, human faeces, and dead bodies.

They look big, they look scary, but they are more afraid of me than I am of them. They usually move very fast to the bushes or into the water once I jog towards them. It is so funny to see them getting into such a fluster, although I may not see them for some time, but the sound of splashing water or rubbing sound against the bushes tell me the story.

This Monitor Lizard at Cerok Tokun climbed very well on the cement wall using its strong curved claws. Steadily it moved, and finally disappeared in the wetland.

The chasing after this giant lizard had distracted me from my experiment, but landed me onto another giant critter, a millipede.

This millipede seemed to have a relaxing bath in the down flow of water from the top of the dam. I do not know how it managed to stay still without being carried away by the water on the wet wall.

What a different discovery to show to you from MyJourney today.