Let My Hair Down

Let’s take a post break from Cerok Tokun, though nobody will ever get tired with her, physically or mentally, soaked or bored. She is always my weekend lover.

I have my weekday lovers, at home.

One of them let me dwell under its vine tree, although life with her tastes very sour.

Another offer me a bitter bite, but keep reminding me about the silver lining of every cloud.

The third that looks hairy and odd is usually a joker who sweets and sours me from time to time.

Someone said, "There are many pretty ladies but we can only be in love with one; so powerless."

I do not quite agree with this.

A Trick

This must be a trick.

The fern leaves have dyed themselves golden yellow into which a Stripe-throated bulbul merges itself so well. It then tries to perch quietly to trick me, but the big brother unintentionally discloses its position: the bulbul has to avoid itself repeatedly from the glaring sunlight.

This must be a trick in the morning. Nature always wants to play games with me. I am smart enough this time to spot the bulbul.

This makes me feeling very great, no matter of the smallness of the success.

Pulau Aman, Penang (episode 2)

“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”

I believe that we need to explore during traveling, not only touch-and-go, in order to have a deep feeling about the place. To be a traveler, we need to be a littke kid, or we will end up as a tourist.

“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.”

My journey continued.

I saw pineapples that did not grow on ground, but on top of tall trees. Amazing and, again, amazing. Of course, they are not pineapples. Through conversation with the local elder,

I knew that these are “Pokok Mengkuang” (Mengkuang tree).

The word “Mengkuang” has long ago come into my mind, just blankly. It even appeared in my recent post “Mengkuang Dam”, but I had never bother to find out the real thing behind.

The Mengkuang leaves are first cut in long strips and dried in the sun. Once dried, it is boiled and dyed with vegetable colours for weaving into mats, baskets, and food containers.

There was a boarding platform at the end of the jetty. By taking a few more footsteps, it allowed me to have a different view on the jetty. The Principle of wandering around always brings wonder.

There were baby jelly fish struggling against the wave at the seaside. Some were found dead......

I saw some people carried bags of clam back from seaside. After understanding from them, I tried to go to the site where they dug these clams. Luck was not by my side this time, nobody was there. I were not disappointed.

Experience on not always getting something is actually another learning experience.

But finally, I had not went to Pulau Aman.

I had spent too much time seeing what I can see over here.

Its beauty is still not yet disclosed to me.

I promised, I shall be the one to be aboard on the ferry next time. I shall bring back tonnes of beautiful pictures and sharing, solely for you.

By the way, I was first at point B to decide on my next journey that day. And finally I followed the direction of arrow to reach the seaside and the jetty.

Pulau Aman, Penang (episode 1)

One day, out of curiosity, I chose to follow my instinct to head to a place that was new to me.
Remember? I have promised you to explore everything which is within my interest.

By that time, my car stopped at a traffic island. There was no traffic in this remote area.
It was Sunday morning. I was out of factory time zone.
Most important, my petrol tank was full.

Then, let’s start my journey.

The winding road cut across the swamp areas and it crossed a river. I had to make a left-turn before a dead end. Feeling a little bit fishy, I followed the road to go uphill, not too far up and I started to descend, by then, I realised that if it was not a Wonderland, it must be a place worth going.

First Penang Bridge and fishing village

Actually I had arrived at a jetty. Pulau Aman (Aman Island) is on the other side of the straits of Melaka.

Pulau Aman in the background

Arrival hall from different angles

I got to know the entrance to future second Penang Bridge is somewhere nearby from the local people.
By the way, this is a good place for family affair, I mean, you can picnic, swim, do fishing or just wander around.

seaside, white sand, coconut trees, fishing boat

Otherwise, you can choose to do nothing. Just sit down and tune your eye balls to the sea, to your left, right or to your back. Try to appreciate the surrounding with different perspectives.

As for me, I spent my whole afternoon snapping pictures. The return of a boat which took people to off shore fishing or the departure of the boat which carried passengers to Pulau Aman created chances for me to practise my photography skill.

And all these chances came in abundance, as long as they were at the right place and in the right time.

I enjoyed. Hopefully you are as well.