Scorched Earth

A graveyard or what? What the heck is it?

Exploring the neighborhood with my son. Yep, been living for several years at the place already, but until now I still yet to fully explore the area near home. There were many roads which were difficult to access by car due to steep terrain (greater then 25% slope gradient), and many more were mere off-road trails which can only be explored using trucks or scramblers. Using my road motorbike, I tried some of of those off-road paths where I deemed my tires would not get stuck. And then I found this.

What is this place?

Curious, I parked my motorbike in middle of the trail, and continued further by foot. It was a an area roughly the size of 3 football fields. A hot barren wasteland. From a rusty old signpost, it read that the area was a project to build a mosque which seemed to have been abandoned for several years. Building a mosque for the community is a good thing. But building a mosque with an area of 3 football fields on top of a hill in the forest? Bad oversight perhaps? I simply cannot comprehend the logic behind it. Though I'm no nature advocate, I do know that such half-cooked projects only destroys the environment and the natural landscape. And could be dangerous for the kids too if they explored such places by bicycle or foot.

*Sigh*

Hashtags: #cyborg #bad #badplan #badplanning #destroyed #earthdestroyed #halfcookedprojects #naturedestroyed #saibog #scorchedearth

Lis Na Ree, All Budget Beach Stay At Kuantan

The reception and dining area.

At last, at 2am we finally reached the Lis Na Ree Resort. The 3 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan was surprisingly not sleepy. Thanks to my sons making a racket in car more than halfway of the journey. And the trifle traffic at such late hours made a smooth constant 110kmh drive nearly all the way. This was not the first time we went to Lis Na Ree, and finding it's somewhat hidden pathway was a breeze.

The beach from the resort.

3 years have passed since we last visited the place, and since then, nothing has changed. The air-conditioned room and amenities were the same, the bed slightly dusty but stainless nonetheless, the bathroom was basic but clean, and the swimming pool slightly murky due to the monsoon rain. Even the breakfast menu was similar, with the same mediocre tasting fried rice and unpalatable fried noodles. Fortunately, there are stalls serving delectable nasi lemak and other savouries nearby at the main roadside. But the monotony did come with a silver lining. The lodging price remained the same, still at MYR $120 per room per night despite the crazy fuel price hikes over the years. And the beach remained secluded, pristine as ever :)

The rooms. We chose the ones facing the road
and not the swimming pools for better privacy.

The swimming pool. There is also a kiddies pool.

The budget breakfast. That is all there is.

Eating the fried noodles reminded me of it's awful
taste. The fried rice however, was fortunately OK.

The unkempt swings.

The lone beach soccer yard.

The secluded beach.

Not a soul in sight :)

Getting my feet wet.

Sunrise.

Majestic morning clouds with adequately big sea waves for a bit of fun :)

Hashtags: #beach #holiday #kuantan #lisnaree #pahang

The Gift To Pierce The Darkness

The Fenix HL-30 headlamp.

A wonderful gift of light by him it was. In the wee hours before midnight, he suddenly phoned, asking if he and his family could come over to our house deep in the woods since he was bored. Well, why the heck not. After all, he is my only sibling brother. On his arrival, he gave me a small trinket. His hobby as a collector convinced him a replacement for it, and his old one needed a new owner. We had about an hour's chat before he left.

Currently all the headlamps I ever owned. The 2
headlamps from the right cost just MYR $20 each.
However, both have now deteriorated to the point
of being unreliable after serving me for many
years, even in sub-zero temperatures on top of
Mount Kinabalu, one of the highest peaks in South
East Asia. The 2nd from the left is my MYR $10
headlamp, earliest used in a recent expedition at
Bukit Kutu. And the leftmost is the newest member
of the group, the Fenix HL-30.

The trinket that he gave me was a small marvel, a slightly battered but fully working Fenix HL-30. A high quality 100-200 lumens headlamp costing MYR $130, compared to mine MYR $10. From the photos below, the difference between a budget headlamp and a professional one is just staggering. Plus the fact that a friend had previously mentioned my budget headlamp shone brighter then most of my friends' headlamps (from my previous hike at Bukit Kutu here), simply left me dumbfounded.

I needed 2 headlamps (from the 2, 1 is for backup) for cycling and hiking, and his gift fulfilled my requirement perfectly. Thank you, Bro!

The light from my MYR $10 headlamp.

The light from the Fenix HL-30 headlamp. Whoa!

Hashtags: #cyborg #fenix #fenixhl30 #headlamp #headlight #saibog

Sharing The Gem At Lanai Seni MATIC

Rehersal on the night
before the big day.

Many martial arts constantly evolve to better their effectiveness by absorbing techniques from other martial arts. But what if a martial art is proven time and time again to be so effective, that it does not need to use such tact, and hence is left preserved, untainted in it's original pristine form for hundreds of years? A martial art which is easy enough to be practiced even by those who are literally blind; effortless enough that it could be applied even by the handicapped; effective enough that it could counter multiple armed assailants at once; and above all that, simple enough to be learnt and mastered without prior knowledge in self defense, all within 6 months, 2-4 hours of training a week. Such is the martial art from the Malay ethnic called silat, specifically Silat Cekak currently headed by the rightful heir, grandmaster Tuan Guru Syeikh Md Radzi Haji Hanafi, under the society named PSSCPUHM (Persekutuan Seni Silat Cekak Pusaka Ustaz Hanafi Malaysia).

Originally practiced exclusively by some of the supreme commanders of the old Malay empire (the supreme commanders are called panglima and are themselves the best masters in Malay martial arts in order to attain such rank), this gem tradition was only relatively recently been exposed to the modern masses. Within just under 50 years of its exposure, it has garnered about 250,000 practitioners from various walks of life and has also shattered multiple local Malaysian records to back such claim such as The Largest Martial Arts Performance in 2010, attended by 7,356 active practitioners. On 19 November 2014, in a move to promote the martial art to both the local and international tourism arena, PSSCPUHM had shared it’s traditions to the public at Lanai Seni MATIC (Malaysian Tourism Centre, also known in Malay as Pusat Pelancongan Malaysia). And I was lucky to be part of the organising committee for such a grand occasion.

Do enjoy some of the photos of the event :)

Participants for the silat demonstrations line up. In the background looms
the Petronas Twin Towers, one of the tallest buildings in the world. 

A bunting of the grand event.

The event, surrounded by tall buildings.

View from another angle.

The VIPs in the huge Malay traditional-like shelter.

The live band for Malay traditional music. 

Some of the traditional Malay clothings on display.

A display for the Parang Lading, one of the two
official weapons of Silat Cekak.

An unfinished Parang Lading. The handle, made from
a female buffalo horn, will be shaped later for show.

A display of traditional Malay dance. Silat Cekak which
is purely for self defense, does not have dances.

Silat Cekak practitioners with the modern city skyline.

The Silat Cekak demonstration.

The Silat Cekak demonstration from another angle.

A Silat Cekak practitioner fending off
multiple assailants at the same time.

The VIPs signing the occasion's guest book.

The lively ambience at the event.

Another view of the festive atmosphere at the occasion.

The grandmaster called Guru Utama, Tuan Guru Syeikh Md Radzi in a mock initiation
ceremony called Majlis Ijazah. Only the grandmaster alone could run the ceremony.
Within the true practice of Silat Cekak, there can only be one grandmaster at one time.

The grandmaster explaining the Majlis Ijazah initiation ceremony.

The grandmaster giving some tips on certain
exercises within Silat Cekak.

Practitioners of silat usually bathe in hot boiling oil as a sign of bravery
(actually, the oil's boiling temperature has been drastically lowered by
adding vinegar to the oil). It is different in Silat Cekak where the
practitioner has to bathe in normal water scented with kaffir lime (also
known as makrut lime, with the scientific name Citrus Hystrix, in
Malay it is called limau purut) as a sign of self purification. It can
distantly be compared to wuduk (ablution) within the practice of Islam.

The grandmaster Tuan Guru Syeikh Md Radzi Haji Hanafi explaining
the specifics of Parang Lading. Mainly for self defense, it is the only
known non-firearms weapon capable of countering the so-called "king
of weapons", the tekpi (also known as sai in the martial arts world).
However, it is extremely rare for a Silat Cekak practitioner to be
endowed with a Parang Lading. 

The grandmaster showing the technique to unsheathe the Wali Jantan,
another official weapon of Silat Cekak. Different from Parang Lading
which is used for defense, the Wali Jantan is used primarily for
offense. Parang Lading is rare amongst Silat Cekak practitioners, and
the Wali Jantan is even rarer still.

Showing how Parang Lading is made by the mastersmith, Zul Golok.

Another view of making the Parang Lading.

Some of my Silat Cekak friends manning the booths.

Hashtags: #cekak #cekakpusakahanafi #cyborg #saibog #jomsilat #mysilat #mysilat2015 #pusakahanafi #silat #silatcekak #silatcekakpusakahanafi

The Jejak Sisiran 1 - Taman Wawasan Lakeside Loop

At the starting point at Putra
Square (which is actually
circular shaped), next to
the Putra Mosque (shown).

It was a day with an overcast sky. I had doubts whether it would rain if I went for it. Risking a wet journey, I armed myself with a small foldable umbrella, packed in a small blue bag hung between the bicycle's handle bars, and then took my chances with nature.

The basis for this relatively 90% flat 11.2 km loop was obtained from a website here. Within the hour after knowing about it, I departed from a car park (my bike was stored in the car) near my MIL's (Mother-In-Law) place at 3:54pm. Fortunately, it only lightly drizzled for about 5 minutes before the rain subsided. And the weather stayed cloudy for the rest of the journey. A splendid setting for a pleasantly cool afternoon bicycle trip.

At first, I did not know the route encompasses a smaller trail named Jejak Sisiran 1. I only found out about the name when I stumbled upon a signboard with a map. A good thing since I now knew what to look for, especially for the bird sanctuary. Still, though to a lesser degree compared to Taman Wawasan (from my previous journey posted here), there were not many people at Jejak Sisiran 1. I would be riding completely alone for several hundreds of meters before encountering a single person. And that is around 5pm on a normal weekend without neighbouring public holidays. So again, for lady bikers, please do not cycle alone.

My entire 15.7 km journey inclusive of from my MIL's place. One can start the 11.2 km Jejak Sisiran 1 - Taman Wawasan lakeside loop from Putra Square, keeping the lake on the right hand-side.

The signboard found stating
the name Jejak Sisiran 1.

The loop can also sometimes be quite wet with shallow puddles scattered here and there. Not to the extent of having to use a mountain bike with good off-road wheels, but you can get your feet wet especially after a downpour . A slight drainage problem I guess. However, the views on the trail were spectacular and drowns all other shortcomings. The trail also is well shaded with trees, a must for those long hot evening bike rides, but in my case it was unnecessary since the weather at the time was perfectly fine.

I ended my journey about 3 hours later, reaching the car park near my MIL's place at 7:13pm. Yup, a bit late from my target 6:45pm, but I was having such a good time enjoying the scenes and snapping photos. Hmm. Maybe I should start off earlier, maybe slightly before 3pm :P

So for those who want to attempt the Jejak Sisiran 1 - Taman Wawasan lakeside loop, you can start from Putra Square, keeping the lake on your right hand-side. You can also start the other way round (the lake on the left hand-side), but then you will have to go through a fairly steep climb at Taman Wawasan if you do so. Anyway, good luck and enjoy the views! In the mean time, please enjoy my photos taken during the journey :)

On the way to the Jejak Sisiran 1 - Taman Wawasan lakeside loop.

The start of the loop, going down to the shoreline.

You can go down to the shoreline using these sloped paths.
But I rather just carry my bicycle down the stairs.

Very nice pathway following the shoreline.

A faraway view of the Putra Bride supporting the Persiaran Perdana road.

A nice quite time by the lakeside.

Jambatan Seri Bakti (translated as Seri Bakti Bridge) in the background.

Jambatan Seri Bakti, a bridge with an ambience of tranquility.

The water side.

An artificial dam to preserve the lake housing the bird
sanctuary. One can observe that the lake is quite deep.

A serene landscape.

A Zen kind of place.

Some of the unique buildings
encountered during the journey. 

Old mangrove trees at certain parts of the trail. 

Some of the islands as sanctuary for birds.

Further up the lake.

Some of the many trees shading the trail.

Alamanda shopping centre, the lakeside is void of people.

Beautiful overhead designs by the lake.

Ooh! I could not resist. Must give it a go. The last
time I was on this thing was several years ago.

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

Many more fully working exercise contraptions on the trail. Looks new too.

The nearest one can get by land to one of those bird island sanctuaries.

Mind your head. I barely missed the low signboard,
and I am not considered as a tall person.

Beautiful low hanging clouds.

View of Taman Wawasan across the lake, from Jambatan
Seri Bakti (translated as "Seri Bakti Bridge").

One of JPA's (Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam) (translated as
"Public Service Department") offices in the background.

Nearing the end of the Jejak Sisiran 1 - Taman Wawasan lakeside loop.

View from on top of Putra Bridge supporting Persiaran Perdana road.

At the rim of the Putra Square. In the background
is the Prime Minister's Office building.

View from Jambatan Seri Perdana (translated
as "Seri Perdana Bridge") on the way home.

Hashtags: #bicycle #bicycleroutes #bike #cyborg #cycling #cyclingroutes #jejaksisiran #jejaksisiran1 #foldablebike #foldie #foldingbicycle #foldingbike #putrajaya #routes #saibog #tamanwawasn #xds #xdsfa20