The Jurassic Botanical Park

Giant mushrooms looming all over the lands, elephant legs with eerie pink flowers growing on top sticking their stems out from rocks, sky-scraping ogres almost bald-headed with creepy hair standing tall in the forest - you would ask, is this a fantasy dream alive in the mind of Guillermo del Toro ?

But no, this is not a fantasy, let alone a dream. It's a real place on Earth, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Horn of Africa. It is a small archipelago of four islands and islets in the Indian Ocean, some 350km south of the Arabian peninsula, belonging to the Republic of Yemen. - Wikipedia: Socotra.

The main island of Socotra, spanning over 30 to 35km north to south and 130km east to west, is one of the most isolated landforms on Earth of continental origin. The archipelago was believed to have started its long detachment from main continents since the Miocene, some six or seven million years ago.

This harsh and dry land, which derives its name from Sanscrit word meaning "the island of bliss", is considered as the "jewel" of biodiversity in the Arabian Sea. And people name it that way for a good reason. - Dark Roasted Blend, Wikipedia: Socotra.

For millions of years the island has been isolated, providing a suitable environment to preserve a bizarre botanical paradise, since the time of Gondwana, the massive supercontinent once existed on Earth 180 to 200 millions years ago. The long geological isolation of the Socotra archipelago explains the teeming plants varieties on the island - with 700 extremely rare species of flora and fauna, more than a third of the 800 or so plant species are found no where else. Some varieties have even been preserved for 20 million years, i.e. haven't changed their forms or ways of living for those million of years!

As we have a grip on what and how Socotra island is, we shall look back at our otherwordly landscape we just thought came out from Pan's Labyrinth nightmare.

Looking closer, the giant mushrooms looming all over the lands are not mushrooms after all. They are trees, with such great name - the dragon's blood tree, or dracaena cinnabari. The tree has branches spring upwards forming an umbrella-shaped tree top, and when seen from afar, looks just like a giant mushroom. In spite of its uncanny appearance, its red sap was highly sought after as a medicine and a dye.

Next are the disputable elephant legs sticking out of rocks with odd flower branches, except that they are not elephant legs (obviously), but stems of another rare botanical species, the desert rose, or adenium obesium. Weirdly enough that these rather ugly-looking plants which reminded me of literal meanings of frump, are called as the delicate, fragile and graceful rose of the desert (I would say it doesn't live up to half of its name), they actually have more stoical bearing than roses. They grow their roots without soil and straight through the hard rocks.

Leave the harsh roses aside, and we shall look at the ogre with eerie hair like Medusa's. Of course it is not an ogre, instead it looks more like a papaya tree's stem, except that it is taller, more taller, and fatter. It's the cucumber tree, or dendrosicyos socotranum. It doesn't resemble any forms of cucumbers to me, but maybe those bare leaves dangling over its top like some monster's hair do dangle in a cucumber dangling style.

In addition to the botanical's version of Jurassic park on the island, it also has a fairly rich bird fauna, including a few types of endemic birds, such as the Socotra Starling Onychognathus frater, the Socotra Sunbird Nectarinia balfouri, Socotra Sparrow Passer insularis and Socotra Grosbeak Rhynchostruthus socotranus. - Wikipedia: Socotra.

Socotra was recognised as a world natural heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in July last year. The island has around 40,000 populations, but it has only has it first roads in 2006. It is geared towards sustainable eco-tourism and thus, it seems that you would have to get a camel to walk the lands. - Dark Roasted Blend.

Botanists rank the flora of Socotra among the ten most endangered island flora in the world. The archipelago is a site of global importance for biodiversity conservation and a possible center for eco-tourism. - Wikipedia: Socotra.

If there is any places I would want to visit at least once in my life time, I would tick this island as one of them. It's great to be transported back in time to some ancient era in Earth history to have some otherworldly experience, except for the camel-riding part. But who knows, it might feel better than you thought!

Images and information sources: Dark Roasted Blend, Wikipedia: Socotra.

The Best of My 2008

It's the Dong Zhi today! A festive day for Chinese, signifying winter solstice and also the end of previous year. Two days later we'll be celebrating Christmas. It's time to say "Happy New Year" !


It's the time in a year to start making conclusions for the previous year, and make new year resolutions for next year. So far the year 2008 has been a year of widening circles, opening views, stretching horizons and growing up for me. I feel grateful as I draw my conclusions for my own 2008.

1. Joined a band

"I heard that you play bass?" asked Calvin when my roommate gave me his MSN. "Yeah," I replied. And that marked the beginning of me having a band - now with Calvin as one of the guitarists, I as bassist, Pei as drummer and Khai as guitarist also. And I wouldn't forget to mention this time - and Teko as band manager (and vocalist sometimes) ! :P


2. Valuable memories on Terengganu islands

In mid May and June I went to two islands in Terengganu - the happening Redang and the breath-takingly beautiful Lang Tengah. It was the first time I ever see such crystal clear seawater when I reached Redang. Saw colourful corals, fishes and got to feel a live sea cucumber. Got myself a photo of snorkelling under the sea. Danced and drunk in Redang too!



Lang Tengah was yet another great experience -I saw five sharks in one day of snorkelling. I even got to play a Nemo with my own hands! Jungle trekked and saw Green Tears (a kind of plankton that glows in the night, usually seen on beaches), baby turtles and shooting stars!! And I touched the Christmas Tree corals, too. :)



3. Went to different places

I never really went to many places myself, I'd not been overseas and I only been to Melaka, Johor, Pahang and once to Sarawak. But that was before September this year! My coursemates and I went for trip to Taiping, Perak and Penang Island after our finals ended for the May semester. Nigth-safari-ed the first time in Taiping, and tasted real local Penang food in Penang! Ah, those asam lasak, fried oyster, Muachi....Yummy!



Right after came back from Penang, I went to Ipoh to attend one of my best friend's birthday party at her grandmother's house. Treated myself to lots of tasty Indian food - that was when I knew there were sooo many different kinds of Indian curry! Visited the Kellie's Castle and Gua Tempurung and also tried a few famous local dishes such as the Ipoh Tauge Chicken.



4. Watch gigs and see musicians in action

Thanks to Calvin and Teko, I had chances to watch more gigs and see more musicians in action than ever this year. The first would have to be Moonshine Gig in Laundry Bar on 13 November. Calvin brought Pei and I to watch the gig, I finally got the chance to see Tempered Mental in action - not mentioning that I even got to talk with their drummer Jimmy and Ocean of Fire's drummer Jonathan Scull in person -although they just said one or two sentences to me. :P

5. Widen musician circle

Things really would run once you got it started. At least now I know a few more musicians than just those in my own university. And it's great to know more!

6. Joined a new gang of friends

This was truly unexpected - I knew this gang of new friends through Teko. I'm the ultimate night animal for years and couldn't change. And it's great to have gang of friends to hang out in the middle of the night! Yum cha and yum cha for nights! Hehe. It is also a whole new category of people I ever mingled with. And it's very fun to hang out with them. I certainly learnt more than I would have thought. :)

7. More horizons widen!

There are still lots and lots more of experiences I gained this year. Street Dance competition I went to report about, heart patient I interviewed for my assignment, short film shooting I helped for, and the new friendly roommates and housemates! :)



I guess I just love NANA (seven in Japanese), it has been the second post I listed up to seven things. And these are the conclusions I drew for year 2008 - I'd been surprised, growing up and grateful.

That was my 2008. And how was your 2008 so far? Do tell me about it!

Until then, Happy Dong Zhi and Merry Christmas!

A natural retreat

How long has it been since the last time you stop and smell a flower?

Once in a while, we all need a halt from the rat-race in the city. A one-day trip to Fraser's Hill serves just that purpose to escape.

Fraser's Hill is located near Raub, Pahang. It is a perfect location to feel in peace with nature.

So I went there with my family on a Sunday morning.


Before getting to Fraser's Hill's Gap, we stopped by for a while at the old Pasar at Kuala Khubu. The shops there were of historical designs, caught a glimpse of it while driving around.

Old China Town buildings

At 11 a.m. we reached the Gap, driving into a long and winding one-way road up the cap of Fraser's Hill. The air is cooling and refreshing, a natural air-conditioner. :P

After driving for about 8km, we reached the cap finally. Saw a large golf court and buildings covered with leaves and such.

So we drove uphills, and my Dad took out his binoculars and we started bird-watching. @.@. I saw quite a lot of birds, but they were so good with camouflage, that with my phone's camera, you don't see it even when it's right there.

This is a photo I took, where there's a brown-coloured bird resting on a branch.


Erm, nothing, right?! ? I myself couldn't see any bird until zoom-in for like, 8x?!..and still in 8X it's a blur brown spot that I am not even sure if it's really the bird. But I saw the bird with my own eyes outside the camera indeed!

For about half an hour we were bird-watching, until I felt really bored (ok, i'm not a nature lover...urm, not a bird-watching lover..lol). We drove more uphills, through another long, really winding road up to the Waterfall.


We still have to walk on foot for sometime before reaching the Waterfall. Though along the way you could see lot of greeneries, and a slow flowing peaceful stream under the bridge. It was a relief for the eyes as well I guess, with all these anti-stress-adants.


One of the photos that I like. Over there were father and daughter, the father leading his little daughter walking slowly along the bank. The father was accompanying his daughter running before that, it was so cute! :)

So we finally saw the Waterfall after walking up and down fleets of stairs (Ah, I hate stairs. ><). The waterfall view from far :
The water was running fast here, the sound of the water rushing down was loud. Some people were swimming, playing around near the Waterfall. But we didn't get down.

After chilling for a while we headed back again. Then I saw this amazing tree :


The tree was literally growing without soil. The roots were struggling to hook on the rocks at the bank. The water had been too fast at that spot I guess.

Even trees could hold on to the last minute, why couldn't we? A piece of mind.

So we drove back the way we came, I decided to take a photo at the square.


OK, that's a typical nerd tourist who took photo in front of a memorial clock tower. ><>

Yeah, that's a Post Office at Fraser's Hill. The design was really beautiful.

We went down the winding road again to the Gap and I took photo of an old historical Chinese tea shop. Believed to have been there for more than 20 years.


After all these long winding roads we took, finally we were hungry like...anything la. haha. So we had our lunch at Kuala Khubu, eating crabs.


You can see how big was the "Gong"! And I ate that, hehe XD....

Fraser's Hill trip was nice, cool, and refreshing. You can have greeneries, birds, butterflies, waterfall, jungle-trekking...... It's a perfect place certainly for nature-lovers.

But a city bug like me....probably prefer to stay in front of the computer blogging than walking up and down the fleets of stairs or going up and down the long, winding roads for birds and waterfall. ><

Anyway, it's still a natural retreat indeed! :)