THE "COW'S" ON THEIR THIRD ROAD TRIP

The "Cow's" refer to two characters who have been doing Malaysian road trips together since last year. You can see the background in my earlier post on 13 Apr 2019. Here, we are in Cameron Highlands, a popular hill resort known for its cool weather, abundance of fruits and veggies and escape from the city. Since my first visit here in 1964 and subsequently in 1983, this place has changed tremendously. Many people come on weekends from Malaysia to buy its produce, play golf, enjoy the weather or just chill out. So, it can get pretty crowded. Shown is Bala's Chalet which has been converted from a 150-year convent.

The lounge is reminiscent of an English restaurant with its wooden beams and ambience. Nice place to have scones and English tea.

Ye Olde Smokehouse is an iconic building. It is typically English and much sought after as accommodation and a restaurant.

This golf course has been converted from a "plantation course" into a well-manicured one and named Sultan Ahmad Shah Golf and Country Club, after the late Sultan of Pahang.

Hydrophonic cultivation of strawberries. Ground below is used for planting crops like Chinese Celery.

Hydrophonics is also employed for veggies like lettuce.

The management is quite serious about smoking in their premises.

The house which Zainal (standing right of pic) built. He and Lau Goo [COL (Ret'd) Nik Zainin] were squad mates when they attended the Royal Military College. The lady in blue is Jam, Nik's wife. Called "Z and Z Villa" (the other Z stands for Zainab,  Zainal's wife), this house was built over a number of years. It cost Zainal about 190k RM as much of the materials were collected from the jungle plus odds and ends salvaged from old buildings.

The interior of the house where we had scones and English tea. Neat and nice indeed. Before acquiring the land, Zainal worked as manager of the Boh Tea Plantation for 15 years.

View of the area including the tea plantation where Zainal worked. His house is the highest in this area.

Durian vendor in Brinchang doing brisk business. We had two kampong durians for 11RM. Brinchang is one of the towns in Cameron, the other two being Ringlet and Tanah Ratah. Brinchang is where veggies are grown. At night the whole place looks like a fairyland as veggy farmers switch LED lights on to hasten their growth.

Bukit Melawati in Kuala Selangor is a tourist attraction. This is the museum which holds the annals of the development and growth of Selangor in its early history. In addition to Bt Melawati, people go to Kuala Selangor for fresh seafood and to see fireflies.

The lighthouse which is still in use.

From the museum overlooking the Selangor River mouth and the sea. Cannons were in place to engage approaching enemy ships.

A display of some weapons and other artifacts of an earlier era. 

Silver Leaf Monkeys (also Silvered Langur Presbytis) like this one are endemic to Bukit Melawati. Many visitors buy fruits and veggies from vendors to feed them. They are not aggressive in that way?

Perigi Beracun (Poison Well) in the compound where people accused of being traitors were soaked overnight up to their necks in poison made from tiny bamboo strips and rubber sap. Then, they were left to die a slow death.

A mosque next to the jetty in Kampong Kuantan in Kuala Selangor where boats take visitors to see fireflies ("kelip kelip" in Malay) at night. Fireflies can be seen for long stretches of the Selangor River on mangrove trees. Hence, research is done to ensure the well being of such trees to ensure fireflies continue to propagate.

Nasi Kandar a la KL. Normally, locals eat the rice with just a piece of chicken or beef with a mix of curries (kuah campur).

This monument in Morib shows where the 46 Indian Beach Group landed on 9 Sept 1945 during WWII. It's relatively unknown that many Vietnamese were conscripted to serve in France during WWI.

THE "COW's" ON THEIR THIRD ROAD TRIP (Continued)

At the Army Museum in Port Dickson. During our trip to Cameron Highlands, Lau Goo's neighbour, a retired Chief of the Malaysian Army, a General, passed on. As he could not attend the funeral, he asked for permission to pay his respects at the Army Heroes' Cemetery in Port Dickson. Following that, we were invited to the museum. On display are some of the anti-aircraft guns and artillery used by the MAF. 

Under the belly of a Caribou aircraft used for troop transportation. In addition to the outdoor displays of military hardware such as aircraft, there are two blocks with exhibits and history of Malay warriors who struggled for the independence and freedom of the country during the pre-Colonial days, WW II and other operations during the Malayan Emergency and  Konfrontasi. Lt Adnan, from the Royal Malays, who became famous in Singapore (Bukit Chandu) is also acknowledged. It's worth a visit for the history of warfare in Malaysia.

The Brigade Commander (in beret) of the First Malaysian Infantry Brigade came by to touch base with Lau Goo at the museum. The General was a young Subaltern who was posted to the regiment which Lau Goo was setting up then. The bond of friendship and camaraderie is very strong in their officer corps. 

As the sun was setting over Port Dickson, an aircraft decided to give a fly-by.

The Camp HQ in Jeram Besu, as referred to by Lau Goo, for the place he runs courses and management training for student leaders and corporate staff. He started this outfit in the early 1990's after returning from the UK. In addition to Outdoor Corporate Wargames which he pioneered , he also did eco-tourism.. Now his focus is on corporate management training.

This structure is used for abseiling, a confidence booster for leadership training. On the other bank of the river is a "Flying Fox" which is also strongly encouraged for trainees to "fly" on.

The rapids at Jeram Besu where whitewater rafting may be carried out. Nearby the camp is a recreation ground for people to do whitewater rafting, kayaking or picnicking.

In the course of the training, the participants are strongly encouraged to dive into the rapids and be sucked in to emerge somewhat flustered at the bottom.

This is the part of the river after the rapids where participants are taught "capsize" drill i.e. should the rubber raft or boat capsize, how it should be turned over so that no one gets trapped in it.

The hall where lectures and debriefs are conducted or team building exercises are planned Around it are open huts where trainees sleep on mattresses. City folks will have to forego most creature comforts they are used to when at Jeram Besu.

Benta is the nearest town to Jeram Besu.

Lau Goo in Benta with father and son who sell Roti Canai which we had for breakfast. When the camp is running, a kitchen will be activated and meals for participants will be provided.

Lau Goo with "Indiana Jones" Keung, owner of a durian farm in Sungei Ruan (short for Aruan). Keung has been in the durian plantation biz for some 30 years, so he's quite an expert in it. As he told me, Mau Shan Wang (MSW) actually originated in Thailand and was also grown in Tanah Merah, Kelantan. From there they were transported to Gua Musang by train for sale. It became famous and a group of lumberjacks (like Keung) brought it to Raub 30-40 years ago for cultivation. MSW then started to be very popular. Presently, after harvest, the durians will be transported to Bentong for distribution to wholesalers. Myths that it originated in Gua Musang and that it is grown in Bentong are put to rest.

The Master showing me where a MSW trunk had been grafted onto a D24 one. The tree bore fruit three years after grafting. Many farmers are switching from D24 to MSW for they are priced higher and in greater demand. In Tanah Merah, the durian is named "Raja Kunyit" with Raja meaning king and kunyit being a spice which is yellow in colour. There are similarities in the names as MSW in English is "Musang King". The word "wang" in Chinese stands for both yellow and king.

The bundle in black is a net which is opened to "catch" durians so they don't fall on the ground.

MSW durians clustered together. In addition to nets, you may notice blue strings tied to the durians to prevent them dropping on to the ground. Another significant feature of MSW is that the stems are formed in two segments.

Two of three MSW durians which the Master opened for us to try. One of the fruits is from a 3-year grafted tree and it tasted very nice. According to Keung, MSW is better value for money than say Black Thorn bec the flesh-to-weight ratio is 30-35% for MSW vs 20-25% for Black Thorn, which is very pricey these days. It may surprise you that in a year, the plantation may have 4-6 seasons bec of the care and attention given to the trees, like fertilisation and watering in dry periods. MSW are classified into Cats A, B and C, by size, weight and shape. Cat A durians are the big and well-shaped ones and these are usually exported. Cat B ones are mostly sold in Malaysia. Those classified C are the smaller and odd-shaped ones. The taste? What is your take?

THE "COW's" ON THEIR THIRD ROAD TRIP (Continued)

Chamang Waterfalls near Chamang town looks deceptively easy to climb. I was informed that some adventurers who attempted to climb it slipped and fell to their deaths for the slippery slopes. Recently, it was reported in a Malaysian daily that a 25-year old man drowned while swimming there with friends at 6.45 pm because of undercurrents sucking him under. His body was found the next day, 15 m from where he was sucked in.The pool at the bottom is a popular swimming spot.

The lower reaches of the waterfalls is a popular area for picnics and camping.

On a cruise in the lake of Putrajaya, the capital of the Federal Territories (FT). .

Many bridges span the lake and they have been designed to resemble famous bridges like the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Rose Mosque of Putrajaya. Its architecture bears Moorish and Middle Eastern influence.

The Prime Minister's Dept with a distinctive dome. Putrajaya was the brainchild of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohd, the current PM when he was PM earlier. Initially, many naysayers objected saying it was unwise to locate the state capital far from Kuala Lumpur. It now proves he is a visionary as land is getting scarce in FT.

The Palace of Justice aka High Courts of the State. Most Government Depts are located in Putrajaya which is housed in a large tract of land with its own housing for private owners. A green lung in which to live. The PM even incorporated a wetlands in it.

 

The Iron Mosque of Putrajaya. Also known as Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque, its structure is made of steel. German and Chinese architecture have influenced its design. It can sit 20,000 worshippers and is significant for lacking a minaret. Construction started in 2004 and was completed in 2009.

After the cruise, I was looking for food. Found a Nasi Kandar stall in the canteen but there was a queue of some 20-30 PRC visitors there. These lobsters costing 45RM each was their attraction.

The then PM also decided on a cyber corridor near to Putrajaya which he called Cyberjaya. Many offices and companies dealing with IT are now located there. These could be an office block with a residential one behind.

One of the companies in Cyberjaya.

The House of the Ancestor (Rumah Moyang) is a traditional structure of the Orang Asli (Aborigines). We went to the Mah Meri (an aboriginal tribe) Museum on Pulau Carey, an island near to Port Klang.

Weaving of palm leaves for adornment in buildings and houses is one of the activities of the Mah Meri. They are known to be excellent wood carvers. Fishing is also their forte living on an island.

The building on the left is the museum while the adjourning one serves as a restaurant.

A brief introduction to the Mah Meri of Pulau Carey.