To Sarawak Culture Village @ 9th July 2006, Sunday

I’ve went to the Sarawak Culture Village with my cousin brother Kenny to enjoy the Rainforest World Music Festival 2006. It’s from 7th to 9th July, but we just went for the 9th July Sunday show, and it was awsom.

I went to Sarawak Culture Village for movie last December 2005, and the photos is here.

For my dear reader who can't go the to Music Festival, photos and write-up in my next post :)

The Art of Nature

This is a very strange phenomena made by Mother Nature. I shoot this around 5.00pm at a Sunday evening; the clouds are like rice bowl while the Sun is in the rice bowl. I was really glad that I bring my camera with me; and I snap a lot of shoot that time. So now my dear reader I present to you The Art of Nature.

Dawn

I wake up early today to capture the beauty of the morning sky. Hm~~this is the first time I ever capture at dawn, and I think there is no different between dawn and dusk. But on second tough, when I look at the dawn scene, I can feel that a new hope is just beginning today. But when it is dusk, it will give me a feeling on everything is almost over.

Sarawak River, Kuching Waterfront, and my camera

While I bring my cousin across the Sarawak River, is shaky in the boat. It was dusk, and not must nature lights. But taking photos with original/nature light ca give the best result. I had done some experiment myself on shooting some low light photography. I change to a higher sensitivities level to get a higher shutter speed. A higher speed enables me to take pictures in poor lighting conditions, but with a very high noise level.

The results are not bad. I like my last photo the most, but one thing is the horizontal line is not balance. Why is this happen, because that day there is this fat dude sitting opposite me, causing the boat to become imbalance. And how much do you need to pay to cross over the river? RM0.30 day time, and RM1.00 night time.


The old historical shop lots opposite Kuching Waterfront


Almost dusk


Along


though it was just a few minutes boat ride, but it somehow make me feel uncomfortable. Shit!!! I’m getting sea sick.

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Happy Weasak Day 2006 everyone :)

Climbing Mountain Singai

“Wilson, this Labor Day we go conquer Mt Singai, you want to join or not?” My friend called and asked me this. “No problem. Yes I like Mt Singai...er...but where is Mt Singai” I replied.

Mt Singai is located at Bau, and this mountain is belong to the Catholic Memorial and Pilgrimage Center (CMPCM)so everyone is welcome. We are in a group of fifteen people, we start our journey at around 9.00am, there is a church at the middle of the mountain, to go there need to walk the staircases all the way up to the church. I was quite impressed and curious on how the people actually bring all the building materials up to the mount and build the church??!! On our way up, there are 12 small check points, and each check point imprint a short story of Jesus. I shoot a lot of photos along the way, and the view is nice when we reach higher.

50 minutes later we reached the Catholic church. Some of my friend went for praying, and while my friend is busy praying I was busy shooting photos. The people who live here had plant a lot of beautiful flowers, and they had did a good job on keeping the place clean. I start to get worried after the sky turns to dark. Hope that we all can reach the top, and come down before it rains. After 20 minutes, we all start our mountain climbing.

At first I tough climbing this mountain will like walk in the park for me, but who know its quite challenging, some part of the mountain are so slanting that require rope to climb up. The mountain is cover with dense forest; some of the trees are very BIG and TALL. I was very tired, and actually plan to give up halfway. Suddenly I saw a small kid going down the mountain with his parent! How can I loose to a kid, so this made me go go go. After one hour and ten minutes, I had successfully reached the summit. My clothes are wet due to sweating, and I was exhausted.

At the summit, the air is fresh, the weather is cold, but very unfortunate the scene were covered by fog. I can hear bird singing, insect crying, and feel the refreshing breeze blowing. This is just simply the best way to relax your mind and soul. We all chat, we joke, and we laugh, after 40 minutes, is downhill time. This is the part that I like, cause is not as hard as going up I just need concentration, and focus on the way down. I start to race with my friends on going down, but for the girls they like to do it slow and steady. Going up it require one hours and ten minutes, believe it or not going down it only takes 30 minutes (and I also stop for photos).

When reach downhill, we stop at the pavilion to wait for the others. And lucky for us (the faster one), it start to rain. The few of us just sit there and standby to laugh at the slower one. The rain is pouring heavily, and we are all very hungry, wet, cold, and tired. We can’t wait anymore longer for the rain to stop, so we all rush down the hill to our car. This is a very fun and unforgettable experience. I have underestimate and look down on this mountain, next time before any of this mountain climbing, I will go for training to build up my stamina first.


Meet the gang. At first I still dono how tough it is to clim this mountain, but I just assume that it would probably like a walk in the park.


There are bridge and stairs way for visitor to walk all the way up the church


This is like a small check point, there is a cross like statue. It has a picture on the middle of the cross, and some description to describe the picture. Is about the story of Jesus.


A signboard that display layout on the church area


This is a open amphitheatre, I like the design


A very big pavilion


Star our journey. Destination Mt Singai summit.


One hour and ten minutes later, I reach the summit. On top of the hill, there is this platform


View from top of Mt Singai. It will be very beautiful if the fog is not around covering most of the scene


thirty minutes later, reach down to the starting point again. While I’m standing in the amphitheatre, two butterflies keep on flying around me. No mater how I chase them away, they still flying around me. What sign this is? I think I will strike lottery soon.


Luckily I went down fast, cause after I reach the church a few minutes later it star to rain


The rain keeps on pouring, we are all very hungry, cold, and tired. So we all run to our car despite the rain, but it was fun.

Kuching International Airport

Zhi Yung my friend, this post is specially for you.

(best view with Microsoft Internet Explorer)

Kuching International Airport is Sarawak's main international airport and is situated in Kuching city.

I had took a lot of photos of the airport, and I had choose some of the photos that I like to post it up. Zhi Yung, then your birthday no need buy present, I already dedicated this post for you (this is a present where money can’t buy buddy). And it also took me a few days to compile this post, hope you will have a clear view on how the airport looks like now.

Panorama view of the parking lot during daytime from the third floor (Departure)

Another view during night time

Side view of KIA

The ground floor, arrivals lounge

View on the outside of arrival lounge

This is at the third floor, the check-in counters, and the x-rax machine

The departure lounge is at the left side (walk until the end) of the building.

A new cafeteria

View from the departure lounge, they are uploading luggage into the Boeing 737

22nd Mile of Kuching-Serian Road

Some of the view that I’ve shoot when I visit to grandma house last Sunday.


This place is called Tapah Village, and is at 22nd mile of the Kuching-Serian road. Though this is not the place where I grew up, but each time when I visit grandma it give me a “home sweet home” feeling.


This photo is taken at the garden just in front of grandma house. That time I just finish my dinner, and I ate too much. Grandma just keep on telling me to EAT, EAT, EAT…

Volcano Eruption

When my friends are resting below the shade, I notice the clouds had form a shape that look just like lava erupting from the volcano.


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Very stress out by my work this lately. I love my work, but I hate them.

Clouds collection 2006

View my clouds collection 2005


When Mother Nature start creates her masterpiece, I’m there to capture it into my camera :)


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ar!!! I wish I can go travel soon...

Bako National Park, Sarawak - Final Part

2006 Bako National Park Exploration Trip
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Usually I will not sleep well at others bed beside my own, but yesterday night I had a very good night sleep, I was too tired. Woke up at 7:00AM, brush my teeth with the reddish water and it tasted bad. We all had our breakfast at the one and only Kerangas Café when we’re having our breakfast, the Vacumm Cleaner (Bearded Pig) had come again, sniffing here and there looking for food. The café was crowded with foreign visitor, and some of them are very pretty. Before we start our trek, we saw a ground of visitor pointing at the trees. It was the silver-leaf monkey; they are eating the fruits at the trees.

Actually there are also longer tails into the more remote parts like Telok Limau and Telok Kruin trails, but it requires to camp overnight, so we choose the short trails. On day two, our group leader and P.E choose the Pandan Trail, they choose this trail because it is easier to view this rare and unusual primate – The Proboscis Monkey. We walk from mixed dipterocarp forest to peat mangrove swamp forest yet still no sign of the proboscis monkey. Compare with the three trails that I’ve hiked yesterday, this trails require a lot of climbing up, walking through tree-covered cliff, and down hills.

Just when we walk through the mangrove swamp, P.E suddenly stop us, he told us he smell the proboscis monkey!!! He asked us to focus the forest in front of us. I keep on looking but yet still no sign of the monkey. Then one of our team member start to “Oh there it is”, then follow by the second one, the third. Yes I saw it; the monkey is just behind the branch. OMG!!! What a beautiful animal, they have big nose, a big tummy and a silver white long tail. This is the first time I saw the proboscis monkey with my own eyes. Kenny then starts to make the proboscis monkey sound “oooowak, oooowak”, but the monkey look away *hahaha* they said that the monkey knows that this is the sound of an ugly female proboscis, so he is not interested.

On our way back to the HQ, P.E had discover a snake, he just walk to the snake and crab on it’s freaking tail. Oh man, this guide is cool or what! He let us hold the snake, I was afraid, but I wanted to try and it was fun. The trail ends with a happy and exciting ending. After the snake, we all went to our boat. It was noon, and is very hot. When I walk to the boat, I look back at Bako National Park. This trip was fun, exiting, tired, hot, itchy (mosquito bites), hungry, and scary. It also helped me gain a lot of knowledge as well. So thanks to my dear cousin brother Kenny and the gang that let me join in the fun, and thanks to P.E for the unforgettable experience.

----------The End of Bako National Park Trip----------



My breakfast, two roti canai with no curry, and two sausage


My Milo energy drink


Good morning Bako National Park


aw~~~a mother monkey carrying her child while looking for food, but we are advice not to give any food to the monkey


This is the vacuum cleaner, the Breaded Pig


The silver-leaf monkey, there are a few of them eating fruits on top of the trees


Rattan which can be use to make chairs, tables, and other furniture.


The mangroves trees


Try our best to spot the proboscis monkey, yet still no sign of them


Wild flower


We had a few minutes break at one of the beach, before we continue with our journey


Into the peat swamp


At last, the proboscis monkey. It’s very shy, it just stay on the tree branch while waging its silver long tail


Try to leap from one tree to another


Sea Hibiscus


P.E catching the snake!!! He’s the man!!!


For the first time me holding a snake, while taking photo. Snakes are cool blooded reptile, so they asked can I feel the snake body temperature. I was so afraid and happy that I had forgot all about it


Farewell Bako National Park, I’ve end my journey with a happy and fun ending


Our boat to take us back to Bako Village


One for the album
L-R: Mr Lok, Azaha, Joe, Kenny, Justee, and Wilson Chin (me)