Amit, FRIM & Batu Cave

"Low!!! Hang dah kayor ke?" (Low, are you rich now?)

Yazid greets me in heavy northern Malay slang, as I stepped into the FRIM's public relations office, late Saturday morning.

Rich? I can't guide any groups if you guys never call me up for duty! But partly my fault, too. Its been almost 5 weeks since I last visit them. I'm here today because of a guest from India, Amit who now works in Malaysia. Oh no, Amit is my friend, he just need to buy me lunch later! I don't charge my friend for showing them around! Be it in the city, tourist hotspots, or in the forest!

So here we are, Forest Research Institute of Malaysia, or better known as FRIM. Sometime I'm here almost every weekend, sometime not even once a month. The bottom line is, their need to dial my cell number! Officially became a statutory body governed by the Malaysian Forestry Research And Development Board in the year 1985, FRIM covered an area of 1528 hectare. Not a small area, considering Kuala Lumpur city center are just 16km away!

Normally the whole trekking journey would take around 3 to 4 hours, depends on the groups stamina and their interest on what the guide are about to say. In the first hour or so youll, find yourself surrounded by dipterocarp trees, most precious members of the lowland rainforest - - precious for human, as far as the timber industry is concerned. Sometime it still amazes me that these trees are not only tall, strong, useful but in the same time beautiful!

Getting off the muddy trails infested with mosquitoes, everyone will be happy to walk on crushing-stone-paved rover tracks. This road is wide enough for a jeep to cross, but generally only officers vehicle are allowed. Instead, visitors can bring in their mountain bike, cycle on this hilly tracks can be challenging. Else, do what Amit and I do, walk the walk.

As usual, i'll let the photos to do the talking, all 13 of them. I don't know about the rest of you, but 13 is certainly a good number for Chinese! It's close to mean will live!

Crown Shyness

Amit must have tumble few times because of the tree roots, crawling all over the forest floor. Fair enough, the nutrient-rich soil strata are shallow in tropical rainforest. Flora didn't evolved to suit human trekker. Everything else on the floor looks interesting, small shrubs, fallen huge leaves and fruits, I even asked him to watch out for occasional giant ants, while watching out for those roots!

Only in one particular "WOW" spot, I will have to ask him to look up for a while. No one would expected the phenomena known as crown shyness display by the Kapur tree, or Dryobanalops Aromatica, until we planted it systematically in a same area, some 70 years ago. Why aromatica? Pick up any leave on the floor, crush and smell it. That aromatic camphor smell...so refreshing! Now we are ready for longer walk.

Sure enough, Amit tumbles more later.

Hop-hop and away!

I think it's general rules: When you walked into someone's house, as a guest, you'll surely trying to behave, keep clean, admire the furniture, paintings, etc. without touching it, let alone damage it. You'll try keep your voice down, maybe their children are still in bed. Anyway you do not wish to disturb their neighbour next door, say meditating. And here we are, as a guest, in the forest.

Once a while, we'll come across news like people went missing in the forest, lost their way while trekking and so on. Believe it or not, if you are trying to mess with the mother nature, you're look for troubles! They are here for thousands of years, but you start shouting and joking at awfully high tone 10 minutes into the trials. Go ahead, it's you right.

Eco-tourism. I like it when it's just me and Amit. Talking about a huge group of people...they will just scared away Miss Grasshopper.

We're almost there, just 500m!

Almost there, almost. This is what I told my guest again and again, as the last 500m hike to the canopy seems endless. Mainly because of its terrain, those slopes can be a killer after an hour of trekking, with a mumbling guide. No pain, no gain?

But really, we're almost there! I'm telling the truth, of course!

Hantu

I always thought that Trevesia Cheirantha are found on the earlier part of the trails, until Amit found this one. Hantu simply means ghost in Malay language. The locals name this leave tapak hantu or ghost prints palm because of it's unique shape. Walk past it's shadow in the evening and you'll get the feel.

Hevea Brasili... what?

Forgive me, I wished, but i'm not a naturalist. This is rubber tree, and that's canopy walkway!

Suspended 30m above ground level, here you'll be able to walk on the tree top, spaning 220m in the mid-air. Originally constructed as observation platforms for our fellow researcher, public now come here to get a glimpse of the city, from the altitude of 1000 feet a.s.l. I've explained not less than a dozen times, that no one can run, jump or even get closer than 3 meter with the person in front of you. Firstly, you are not a researcher. And researcher don't come in a group of 30, with another 200 on their way, down there somewhere.

They, don't jump, either.

No hut too high

I'm always fastinatic by all the climbers in the forest. There are everywhere. No matter how difficult the condition appears to be, they can always find their ways to survive. Man-made obstacle or not, i'll get my own sunlight!

Both of us did trek from the entrance hut to the exit hut, but not on the wooden canopy planks! I felt sorry for Amit, he missed this experience because the canopy is temporary closed due to the festival season.

Don't worry, my friend, since youll be around for a long long time. But next time I want to try some Indian food, hehe!

Zen

Going down hill was another adventure itself.

At first you'll hear the sound of water flowing, and down the trails you're actually trek side by side with the river! Amit seems to be pleased by the sight of small waterfalls, with some granny practicing their Tai Chi beside the bamboo bushes. The water, clean and clear and cool as usual, is more like a present to us after the long treks.

Picnic, anyone?

Our adventures are close to an end, when we reach the picnic hotspots for visitors. Note that the wooden huts and bridge were newly constructed by some local movie producer. What you thought is beautiful scenery here can be much more stunning, actually.

So far we have trekked on one side of the mountain, it is said that some logging is on going on the other side of the mountain. Proof? Some years back you can't sit on that piece of sandy land without getting wet. It used to be full of water, we should be looking at a huge pond!

Cut the trees, take away the rain, gone the water. It's that simple.

Damn the Dam

Oh I remember doing this. But I guess I use bigger rocks. I thought I could trapped some fish or something. Back then I didn't know what is dam, damn! Real dam caught more than fish, some forest and orang asli village vanished with their presence...

I felt happy for this kid, though. Most parents thought that fooling around with some stones is not constructive at all. Go for piano class, guitar lesson, explore your full potentials!

So much that we can learn, in the cell.

Nature's call

It's coming.

The moody skies just outside the picnic area surely give out some warnings. Well, warnings to those homo sapiens who afraid they will lost some 20 gigabytes of portable MP3 players due to the coming down pour. Or some parents thought the rain will make their well-pampered son and daughter sick. The rest of the species are lining up for the feast.

Actually I would prefer to have a more environmental friendly car park here, as water should go straight down to soil instead of as surface runoff. But first let's parked our car in the proper space given, shall we?

India, Hindu Cave

For you information, the famous Batu Cave is just some 5 miles way from FRIM. So naturally I will be happy to show my friends at FRIM this tourist hotspot. Not guests, though. Last month, I came with an Italian friend. Now, someone from Bombay, a.k.a. Mumbai. The management should give me something since Im promoting their destination to international travelers, no?

Handsome Duo

I would think this shot is brilliant, even without two handsome guys, hehe!

What says you? :p

Dragon, Home

"I wanted to bring this dragon back home, to Bombay. But if I finally settle down here I will bring it back to my home in Malaysia." Amit sometime surprises me, I must say. That dragon, is actually an aluminum dragon handmade by a disabled handcraft seller.

Pleasant surprise for me, and our friend on the wheelchair!