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.

Wandering, East-West Highway

My family has the habit to make a last minute decision to visit one place or simply drive around somewhere that is new and seems interested to us. The journey maybe as short as one hour, or it can be a whole day adventure. Although this is an ad hoc plan, it actually started in our mind for quite a long time ago resulted from the information in newspapers, magazines or "hear-say" from friends.

It is excited to listen or read repeatedly about the herds of elephants wandering along the picturesque journey through virgin jungle along the East-West Highway. I had travelled once on this highway to Kelantan about thirty years ago, during which this highway was put under strict security control by Malaysian army whereby it was closed from the evening until the next morning. At that time, Malayan Communist Party (CPM) was still active in most of the jungles in Malaysia.

My whole round trip covered 250km which started from BM, passed through Kulim, de tour Baling, then we witnessed the rolling hills with miles of rugged terrain. After we had reached the other side of Lake Temenggor Bridge nearby Jeli, we made a U-turn for home.

Our car, at most of the time, ran along the tricky curves flanked by wild bushes and big trees. We scoured the bushes by the roadside for any signs of movement. But, alas, there was no sight of the wild beasts throughout the drive along the mountains that form the backbone of the peninsula.

According to on-hand information, "herds of elephants, some numbering 10 to 12, have often been seen crossing the highway at almost the same spots every time. Chances of sighting them are 80 per cent, but almost always at night".

By the way, I have kept something undisclosed and would like to tell you silently now. I might, it turned out to be another disappointment finally, also spot a tiger crossing the highway.

I have not found any road signs to warn motorists of elephants crossing, instead there were a few on deer crossing. Anyhow, none of these animals bothered to say hello to me.

It was an exciting, but dangerous, drive along some narrow and steep roads, especially in the heavy rain. I was sorry to see two car accidents along the way. To penetrate through the dense fog was kind of blind-fold, yet it was simply fun.

Home Sweet Home

I like to witness and enjoy calmness in different perspective. It was late when I reached this estuary. These fishing boats had settled down from a hard day's work. They were now safe from any thunderstorms and roaring waves.

This place is a synonym to our home as to the fishing boats.

Home shelters us from the elements. The tired man will finally return home. No matter how far we have travelled, we shall go home.

Trekking at Mengkuang Dam

I have made a change on my trekking plan yesterday morning. I went jogging at Mengkuang Dam again after a long break. I like to alternate between hiking and jogging becasue I believe different exercise does stress different muscle.

By its name, I saw most of the time water, images on water and a large crowd of people around this small dam. There was no adventure but looked more like a weekend family outing for most of the people.

Not to be adventurous for at least a little moment was not a good idea to me, I had then continued my jogging to the trek that little people have ever gone to. This decision thus separated me from the outside world, I was alone on a quite muddy track which was surrounded by more trees.

Unlike the usual track that has been shown in the second picture, most parts of this extended path were not visible behind the trees. There must be animals up on the trees! I tried to peep around and to listen carefully, yet it seemed like no sign of animal nearby.

Don't get me wrong, of course, there are plenty of fish inside the water, but they are not my aim. Adventure should be equal to wildness.

May be I shall try another side of the trek on my next visit for some new discoveries.

Something moved very fast in front of me

I have come back to my hiking trail after a short break to Penang Butterfly Farm. As a working man, I am only able to hike on every weekend, thus I have to skip and miss my weekend lover if there is any schedule change. By the way, there is not much to say on the changes on my trekking trail after a week of absence since I am living in a tropical country, yet there are disturbances in my mind. The disturbances started to accumulate after a few “coffee shop gossips” during lunch time which focused on the experience on the close encounter of the third kind at the trekking trail.

Of course, there are very many stories of this type which took place anywhere, yes anywhere especially at Gunung Jerai, or Mount Jerai. And of course, all these stories are more scary than finding trees trying to talk to me.

And today, I saw something that I have not seen before. I got to know something was behind the leaves up in front of me through the fast moving image. It ought to be a little one.

I tried with my limited courage to check it out. No, it must not be a monkey that always keeps itself busy jumping from one tree to another, it should not stop moving by now.

Before I gave up and moved away rapidly, the little image appeared to move again. I followed and looked carefully, I knew it was a squirrel by this time. This was the first time I managed to find squirrel at this hiking trail.

Wasted no time I pointed-and-shot. Before my camera was able to response for another one, it disappeared and no more visible again.

This is the only picture I can put up in my post. It won't be easy for you to detect the squirrel otherwise I must admit that I am really old.

I have not seen any black squirrel. This was a brown squirrel that I use to see.

Bee-sy, outside Penang Butterfly Farm

I got the series of images on today post solely by luck. When we were ready to make our move for next stop, I happened to see the beauty of full bloom outside Butterfly Farm which appealed to me for some snap shoots.

To my excitement, a bee was flying from one flower to another busy at collecting honey. I missed the initial few but learnt from experience to follow the bee to where it went, got my camera half press on the button, waited till it retreated from the interior, then these are my pictures, the pictures that I have dreamed for but never happened to have earlier.

It was very interesting to witness the bee “squeezed” its big body into the flowers. It moved in very fast and smoothly, but to me, it simply looked like it was squeezing its body fat in order to get inside.

This bee worked at the rate that I could not believe if compare to another smaller species. It took less than 3 seconds to enter and retreat, I do not know should it be its body size for which the suction power was stronger for the same amount of honey, whereas the smaller species seemed to have sunk inside for a while that I needed to snap through the “funnel” and just hoping the exposure was good enough for a presentable image.

Butterflies do need to eat

We know our eating habits, but it is much more interesting to know the way butterflies take their meal.

The first picture shows how satisfied the butterfly was with its sweet meal. It looked quite relaxing and enjoying in front of my camera.

The second preferred to have it on the reverse way, thus keeping its close watch towards the open space, kind of precaution to the surroundings and uneasiness on my presence.

I had eye contact with this little creature and said a friendly hello, but this failed to comfort it. Anyhow, it is very funny to look through its eyes for its inner world.

The last two butterflies believed in the principle that eating come first thus my presence was hidden behind their back. They might not care as well.

Eye Contact

We have learnt that one of the communication method is through eye contact and we always enhance the feeling of love through seeing the eyes of the other side. This happens exactly especially between us and our pet dogs or other kinds.

This is what I was thinking when I was at Butterfly Farm. With their eyes staring at me, I felt like they were my pets.

I tried to record these down without a tripod but holding my breath for a second and using a 2 seconds timer to avoid jerk while pressing down the button. It did help though not totally perfect.

The insects seem to take the visitors like us as their family members. They showed their pose very steadily though there were repeated NG from me.

How do you feel looking at their eyes?

The next picture belongs to a stick insect. The feeling is totally different simply because I did not know where were its eyes at first glance.

Then I have my conclusion (the working nature always trains me to look for conclusion at the end of the discussion), we must not avoid the eye contact during talking to someone, otherwise it won't help much to build a good rapport.

Adult Matter, Penang Butterfly Farm

I brought my Singaporean friends and relatives to Penang Butterfly Farm this Saturday. This turned up to be two sides of story. I missed my weekend lover, my jungle trek this round, but I gained extra more from the visit to the Butterfly Farm.

I intend not to talk too much on this post because all the pictures relate to the adult matter. How do you expect from me to describe words by words on all the actions, though it involves only butterflies, the very innocent butterflies that have been placed in the Internet unwillingly by the paparazzi?

Note: Penang Butterfly Farm is located at Teluk Bahang. Pantai Kerachut is in the neighbourhood.

Sea Shore

I have abundant of wonders in my neighbourhood. I have mountain, seaside, paddy fields, rivers etc within my easy reach. It may not be too luxurious for me to pick my like of the day for the visit and since I was urged to visit the seaside a few days back after reading some posts, I finally made it this evening.

This seaside is at fifteen minutes driving distance from my work place. It was 6:15pm, the glaring sunlight had not been filtered by any leaves or branches on the shore line. After some warm up on the normal look of beating wave, I pointed my camera to the direction of the evening sun hoping to create a different perspective with some extra exposure.

The waves were not as fierce as what I have seen before which can be as high as two meters, and were not as dangerous as those during the invasion of tsunami many years back.

To see a man in action with his fishing net is an excitement to me. I think the beauty was kind of dynamic at the moment it was wide spreading open.

The man tried his luck at different directions, I followed and captured in all those directions. He failed to get any after all these tries, but I managed to have a few good pictures after him.

There came this Malay man for his turn of luck with his fishing rod, at the same spot, after the Indian man had left.

I might have not captured the action to the best, the man was actually swinging his fishing rod as to get his bait far away from shore.

Both men used different tools but with same objective in mind, the end result was not the most important, it was the process that count.

Cerok Tokun Painted With Extra Colors

Not all the times beauty can be witnessed. This is why we are born with creative and wild imaginations and this is what I was enlightened by Mother Nature while I was having my mountain trek at Cerok Tokun these few weeks.

I found that there were some changes on the trekking trail during these few journeys. Parts of the trail have been adorned with red flowers that made the normally greenish look become more charming and attractive.

The trekking trail was parted simply by the reason of reserving the trees, I would rather think in this way.

Travelled further up I did not observe anymore blossom but I knew there were. They must be on top of the trees but only shied away from me behind the tallness of trees and the luxuriance of leaves. I could see yellow flowers were collected on the ground.

Some others were retained by the spider web.

There is no definite answer to what we have not seen because we are always held back by our limitation, though we are sighted, during the exploration of truth.