Beautiful Orang Asal homes in Perak

Hand woven attap made of palm fronds

There are some really beautiful and almost undiscovered Orang Asal homes in Perak. Good friend Jan invited me for an exploration trip to a region around near Ipoh to look for a waterfall. I skipped work and went with Jan. It was all worth it. Not only did Jan found his waterfall, but I too was equally amazed with the beauty of the people and the jungle there.

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Jungle vines & rattan for cordage; Lessons from a Sarawak

A coil of wild rattan put aside ready for use

A coil of wild rattan put aside ready for use

Natural jungle vines and rattan has long been used by people as cordage to tie and lash things together. And I got a first hand experience it’s application during a trip into the interior jungles of Sarawak. The ability to utilize these jungle produce demonstrate exceptional adaptability and confidence.

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Stripping terap tree bark for cordage

Terap tree fibers makes excellent jungle cordage

Terap tree fibers makes excellent jungle cordage

There are many types of natural jungle cordage available if one knows where to look. Besides the usual vines and rattan, another good source of cordage is from the Terap (Artocarpus) tree. The method of stripping the Terap tree bark for cordage is something I have heard of many times but never had the opportunity to witness in real life…that is until recently.

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