Waterfall, the path of time

It is always a surprise to encounter something that is not expected or planned for. The only response I can have is just a O shape "Wow".

The waterfall is located not right in front of Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum, but it will not be missed out no matter how because of its size. By the time I arrived, the hot afternoon sun might have driven people away and that helped me to capture some "silent" pictures.

It is not dangerous to go up to the top if walk with precaution on the wet slippery surface. Top of the fall was nothing but a slow moving little stream by the time. It was gentle enough to be a mirror for the daily make up of the flower and gentle enough to make people losing imagination on her tremendous look later.

Further then I could see water had gathered some momentum, started to turn from gentle to a little bit furious. I meant a little since the fall must be drumming down loudly during monsoon season. The water flow marks would never have chances to hide any secrets but to show us how and what the falls have done onto the rocky surface.

It has done the most when the falls keep rushing and drumming down repeatedly in day and night. The traces of dark unrecoverable carving proved to be the most memorable parts of past ages.

Anyhow, the final fall before water returns to ground and converts into a creek provides a good natural massage to those who have chosen the right location. It is located at the bottom right corner in the next picture.

The power of time and nature can never be underestimated which you must agree with me. The gorgeous artistic look on the last picture should have given us the answer. At the same time has registered down the path of time.

Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum

My agenda of the day was actually to hike Mount Jerai. Unfortunately massive landslide that blocked the trekking trail for a couple of months then diverted me to Lembah Bujang (Bujang Valley) for the Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum.

Anyway, it should not be a bad idea to re-visit history occasionally.

Mount Jerai can be seen at the far side behind the museum. The lush tropical rainforest greenery in the background of the museum was really a good replacement after the earlier setback.

Research showed that because of its favourable location along the trade route, Bujang Valley became an important and prosperous kingdom attracting traders from China and India.

The treasure trove showed Bujang Valley had a thriving Hindu and Buddhist civilisation from third to 14th century AD.

There are ruins, including temples (Chandi), that may date more than 1,500 years old in Bujang Valley.

Ganesha is one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. Statue of Ganesha is no doubt to be found during the excavation in 1938 and 1939.

A sitting Budda Statue

Having gone through a brief history lesson, then come a big surprise to me. I got to know some stories of Cerok Tokun, my weekend lover, 40km away from her home. I do not know whether she was too shy to tell me on the spot or her caretaker did not bother at all.

Cerok Tokun inscription chiseled in Sanskrit meaning 'while Young' dated to the 4th century AD.

A sailor named Buddha-Gupta was wished a safe voyage in the inscription dated in 5th century AD were discovered in 1845. Every now and then, when the trees start talking, I shall know and appreciate that they will be telling me stories back to few hundred years ago.

By the way, for someone who are interested to track my footsteps at Bujang Valley, then once you exit Sungai Petani at the southern toll, follow the signs and you will be led on a 20km drive to Bujang Valley, Merbok where the museum is located.

I shall come back in the next post showing you some pictures on waterfalls at Bujang Valley.

My tree at Lembah Bujang

It is interesting to discover some fruits grow differently from what we have observed normally. Usually fruits emerge from branches but fruits in my post today are not.

When I first found the tree with "climbing plant" along the trunk, my perception told me this was nothing but just another ordinary climbing plant. When I followed the vine until to the bottom, I was wrong that the vine was actually part of the tree.

No fruits were detected on top of the tree, (it might not be now yet), but grew on the vine. It was their striking colour that pulled me for a closer encounter.

But there are always hidden danger behind the beauty. Once I indulged myself in the colour and tracking for the origin of the vine, I overlooked the necessity to check the proximity for any red ants which we usually do.

This story is not the continuity of previous post. It is just a coincidence that you may think I have made up.

The red ants were not only found on the vine, but they were everywhere. And this everywhere is located at Lembah Bujang of Kedah State, somewhere nearby Gurun.

I'll continue in next few posts on some stories about Lembah Bujang. See you then. But before I leave, my words to you: "Again, curiosity kills the cat".

(According to Chinese, by the way, cat does have nine lives. It affords to be curious anyhow).