巴东色海和双溪大年这两个地方的美食都是那么好吃

Snakes & tigers alive! - Ulu Muda Forest Reserve

Snakes and tigers alive!

Hello folkssss:A glisteninggreen snakespotted bytrekkers.

The Ulu Muda Forest Reserve in Kedah is a treasure trove of natural wonders and wildlife.

OUR women don’t go rowing boats into the jungle or paddle down rapids,” grinned the guide, as I balanced myself on the little wooden boat and jumped into the river to push the boat.

Well, I had to help the guide push the flimsy boat laden with rucksacks, equipment, tents and food.

What made me want to spend four days in the jungle and brave bloodthirsty leeches, mosquitoes, wild boar ticks and risk my limbs being punctured by sharp thorns?

Well, imagine sitting in a boat at night, listening to the music of crickets and cicadas, gazing into the night sky dotted with stars and enjoying the light show by the fireflies in the trees.

No! This did not happen on a river cruise on the outskirts of a town, but in the middle of a jungle in the wilderness of the Ulu Muda forests in Kedah. The forests in the very north of West Malaysia continues into southern Thailand.

The Penang Nature Society members I was with drove up to Baling, heading towards Lake Muda.

The Ulu Muda Forest Reserve was gazetted as a permanent Forest Reserve in 1932 to protect the Muda river water catchment area which covers some 980sqkm and forms part of the Muda Irrigation Project.

This project is designed to channel water to the padi fields that spread across almost 100,000ha of the fertile Kedah and Perlis coastal plains. Sadly, logging in Baling has destroyed much of the flora and fauna in this forest. Two years ago, the water level was higher and the little boats could move easily in Muda River. As a result of logging, a huge amount of sand has been deposited into the river.

From the jetty, we took a seven-hour boat ride to our campsite where the water was clearer. All the way there , we were greeted by eagles, egrets and bee-eaters which soared in the hot sky.

Watch out! A crocodile swimming in the lake? Luckily it was just a huge monitor lizard cooling itself in the muddy water of the lake. And look, a wild boar drinking water at the sandbank.

Almost everywhere on the river bank, we saw elephant tracks. The sides of the bank were eroded, revealing patches of red earth trampled by wild animals.

There was a bustle of activity on the river bank: an egret flying down to catch a big, reddish dragonfly; crabs crawling hurriedly in the mud; geckos darting around the hot sand; hundreds of butterflies in myriad hues flapping their wings while sucking in water from the sand.

“Stop!” grunted the boat man as he jumped into the shallow water to push his boat which had become stuck.

We got down to help him push the boat. I was fortunate to have two able-bodied men in my boat and thus did not have to help push the boat that much. At times, her gender gives a woman an advantage, for men do readily offer help in precarious situations!

After seven hours under the fiery sun, we reached our destination and set up our tents. I jumped into the cool water but the strong current pushed me over the rocks.

Ouch! My knees were knocked blue-black! The river is definitely not a place for the beauty-conscious and fair lady type. I thanked my lucky stars when the men offered gallantly to cook for me.

After a hearty meal of steamed rice and canned fish, I was looking forward to a slumber when a loud shriek rang in the air. A snake! It had slithered under Alastair’s ground sheet. Look out! There was another one following behind.

That was it! The ladies ran all around the tents in panic, and I found I had goose-pimples.

“Can we camp somewhere else?” I shivered.

“In pitch darkness? No way” replied Alastair.

He trailed the snake and found a nest in a hole. Somehow he caught it and relocated it across the river the next morning. We identified it as a krait – a lovely black snake with white bands across its slim body. The book we brought along described it as a fast snake which can be very aggressive if threatened.

Gibbons and growls

The next day, we were greeted by the calls of the gibbons and saw a serpent eagle seizing a snake in its beak. More excitement was in store as we trekked to discover more natural wonders.

In fact, the sides of the river were akin to mini-cities of bustling life. Huge ants scurried around with scraps in their jaws, and big dragonflies were everywhere. The growing interest in dragonflies is not purely about aesthetics but because of their applications – one of which is as “bio-control” agents.

As dragonfly larvae feed on mosquito larvae, they help keep the pesky insect at bay.

Insect life appeared to be quite abundant as our body sweat attracted many insects. Countless multicoloured butterflies settled on our wet shirts as we attempted to take photographs of these beauties. We took footprints of elephants, tapirs, otters and boars in plaster of Paris as souvenirs. The tapir had four toes in front and three toes behind.

Then, suddenly, the group in front stopped in their tracks. “Sshh!”

A loud growl was heard and my hair stood on end. It was a tiger in the bushes meters away in the forest as we stood quietly together. The loud roar of the boat’s engine rang as it headed for our direction and that must have scared the animal away.

My worries dissolved at the thought of seeing more wild animals. Money could not buy such rare sights in the city, and life can be lived to the fullest by being adventurous. No wonder our guides carried a long parang for defence and to cut the thorny plants that blocked our way.

Often we followed the elephants’ trails which were clearly a soggy path to a salt lick or river. We climbed up a hide, several meters high over a salt lick to watch otters. Scattered areas of intrusive granite rocks are the source of several hot mineral springs and a salt lick, including Sira Hangat.

We smelled the hot sulphur as we sat by the mineral spring. We popped eggs into the hot spring and had a feast later. When we were hot, we peeled off our shirts and jumped into the cool and refreshing water amidst the chirping of birds.

Ah! What more could one ask for! By now, my feet and shoes weighed a few kilograms for I had been treading through water for hours. I marvelled at the tough guide who walked barefoot for hours on the river bed stones. Despite the heavy rain, we plodded on, having no choice. The kampung Adidas rubber shoes were suitable for river walking but I had only my heavy, hill-climbing shoes.

Oh, look to the right! I whispered to the others. A group of wild boar were near the salt lick. What a fascinating sight! Look up! There were great hornbills in the air. We watched the local men climb tualang trees to the honey combs.

These memorable sights will remain in our hearts, always. For more information on camping in Ulu Muda, contact the writer at tpeggypeach@yahoo.com.

Location: About 420km north of Kuala Lumpur. Leave the North-South Expressway at the Gurun exit and travel about 100km north-east to Gubir, the entry point to Muda Lake.

Attractions: Remote unspoiled tropical rainforest wilderness, abundant fishing, rainforest treks, opportunity to sight large mammals, true untamed jungle experience.

Facilities and accommodation: Camping in reserve area and hostel. Nearby Pudu Lake Resort provides good chalet accommodation and associate d facilities. Food, drinks and petrol available at Gubir. Longboats and local guides for hire.

Activities: Fishing, trekking, swimming, camping, night walks, bird and butterfly watching.

~News courtesy of The Star~

巴东色海普庆寺 观音菩萨庇佑百余年

巴东色海普庆寺 观音菩萨庇佑百余年

■ 1. 普庆寺是巴东色海唯一的观世庙。2. 普庆寺供奉多尊观世音菩萨神像，前排为注生娘娘神像。3. 1935年重建后，该寺立碑感谢协助重建工作的善信。4. 该寺1970年扩建后，进行开幕仪式的照片。（小图）游光坤

众所周知，观世音菩萨是我国佛教信徒最崇奉的神明之一。信徒深信，观世音菩萨能够协助人们化解眼前困难，保佑信徒渡过难关，因此深受佛教信徒崇奉。

位于吉南巴东色海的普庆寺，是当地唯一供奉观世音菩萨的神庙，每逢初一十五，前往膜拜观音菩萨的善信多不胜数，以祈求合境平安，风调雨顺。

据悉，普庆寺没有成立理事会，加上该寺建立与历史背景毫无记载，无从追溯，因此只能从长辈口述中得知普庆寺的点滴。

游光坤：共重建3次 应有130余年历史

巴东色海居民游光坤（70岁）受访时表示，他从小就居住在该寺附近，土生土长的他或多或少都知道该寺历史。

他记得年轻时与长辈到普庆寺膜拜观世音菩萨时，聊起该寺历史，当时长辈告知，该寺已有80余年之久。那一年他才20岁，如此推算，该寺应该有130余年之久。

他续说，该寺前后共重建3次，虽然于1935年第2次及1970年第3次重建后，都留下碑文，证明该寺共进行多次重建，但第1次重建时，没留下任何记载，因此无法知道该寺真实年龄。

他告知，从长辈口中得知，该寺原本是当地一户家庭的住家，基于当年该户家庭一家计划移居外地，加上当地缺乏膜拜观世音菩萨的场合，因此该户家庭捐出有关住家，让当地居民作为膜拜观世音菩萨的神庙。

他也说，该寺与大部分神庙组织一样，皆由一间小小的庙宇慢慢发展成为现有的规模。起初，普庆寺只是间小小的洋灰庙，但经过数十年的风吹雨打，该寺也有些破旧，因此当地居民合力重修该寺，继续供奉观世音菩萨。

“1935年也是因庙宇残旧而重修，1970年则扩建普庆寺，以摆放更多神料用品。多年来，全靠善信的支持，130余年的普庆寺才可保留至今。普庆寺可说是巴东色海最老的神庙。”

他透露，原本该寺也计划兴建一座戏台，作为举办筹神戏的场合，但因空间不足的问题，使该项计划搁置了。

他无奈地说，虽说该寺已有130余年之久，但因土地问题而无法注册成为合法社团，让他感到遗憾。

农历二月十九日 筹神戏答谢观世音

庙祝张小玲表示，该寺除了膜拜主祭神明观世音菩萨，也供奉注生娘娘、大伯公、地藏王菩萨、一见发财、韦陀将军等。

她补充，虽然每年农历二月十九日、六月十九日及九月十九日皆是观世音菩萨千秋宝诞，但只在农历二月十九日才配合观世音菩萨千秋宝诞准备筹神戏，答谢观世音菩萨一年来的保佑。

曾发生过的奇异事件

游光坤透露，听长辈提起，世界二战前，普庆寺后面有一座小山，当时的一名洋人园丘经理在小山上兴建洋房，作为住家。

“自从该名经理搬进该洋房居住后，该洋房周围每晚都有一条大蟒蛇出没，打扰该名经理睡眠。该名经理曾多次入屋拿猎枪，欲消灭那条大蟒蛇。奇怪的是，每当经理拿猎枪出来后，该大蟒蛇就消失得无影无踪。”

他说，该项奇异事件传开后，居民纷纷认为那条大蟒蛇是观世音菩萨的化身，因有凡人住在观世音菩萨头上（小山高过普庆寺），不尊重神明，因此化身为大蟒蛇打扰该名园丘经理，欲将该名经理赶走。

他续说，该名经理得知有关谣传后，也认为大蟒蛇是观世音菩萨的化身，应尊重各民族神明。

随后，该名经理搬迁至另一座小山居住了。

～以上新闻转载自光华日报～