It wasn’t the rooms, the service and not even the food that impressed me. Rather it is the amount of wildlife I saw during [...]]]> I have stayed in many resorts but this is probably the only Langkawi resort with jungle animals that I have ever stayed in! This resort is really something.

It wasn’t the rooms, the service and not even the food that impressed me. Rather it is the amount of wildlife I saw during my stay in the resort. The animals weren’t in cages. They were roaming around free going about with their usual activities without much care about the people around them.

For a 5 star resort, I would imagine that this place would be sanitized of any animals, let alone wild animals. The first day there, I was out walking and I saw this monitor lizard crossing the road. It didn’t dash off upon seeing me. Instead, it actually allowed me to get just within a few feet to photograph her. The lizard really reminds me of Tioman island where it is also teaming with monitor lizards. For a resort that transports its guests around on minibuses, I am surprised that there is not a single road kill around, especially a monitor lizard

Nothing special I suppose. Out of no where I heard some noises coming from the roof of one of them chalets. I looked up and I was surprised to see a group of Duskie Leaf Monkeys (Trachypithecus obscurus). Also known as the Spectacle leaf Monkey (obviously!), they are more commonly known by the locals as Lotong. They are cute! And best of all, they just got on with whatever they were doing even with me sending bolts of lights at them to take pics.

There are many Duskie Leaf Monkeys on this resort

I later found out that the resort have rather strict rules when it comes to dealing with the jungle animals that makes their property part of their home. There can be no trapping or killing strictly. No wonder the jungle animals of Langkawi flourishes here.

Oh…that’s not all, besides the common and destructive Macaque, I also manage to spot many squirrels and lizards. This resort is like a wildlife sanctuary!
Having seen the Macaques, Langgors, squirrels, lizards and a monitor lizard, I never imagined that this resort would have anything else to offer. Until I saw this perculiar thing clinging to a tree. It was motionless but it just doesn’t seem to be part of the tree.

A closer look and it turns out to be a Flying Lemur (Cynocephalus Variegatus). I was astounded. I have trekked some jungles and here I am face to face with a Flying Lemur in a 5 star resort in Langkawi! And mind you, the resort was operating on almost full capacity most of the time. I stood there staring at it in amazement.

My friend had to pull me away for lunch. During lunch, I spoke to one of the waiters and he said that the resort has not one but a few resident Flying Lemur. What??!! Not one but a few. I thought this guy was just pulling my leg until the final there, just before check out hour, I saw these on two separate coconut trees.

Two Flying Lemur on one coconut tree! A couple perhaps?

In total, I saw 4 different Flying Lemur individuals. 4 individuals on a 5 star resort’s property! What resort is this? Naaa…I am not telling. Suffice to say that it is an expensive 5 star Langkawi hotel and I am not doing free advertisement for them.

I recently had a (really) close encounter with one of Malaysian snakes that is super-poisonous it seems. The irony of it all was that I (nor anyone from the group I was with) realize how potent this snake is. After innocently posting a picture of the snake on this blog, my [...]]]>

The Indonesian Pit Viper

I recently had a (really) close encounter with one of Malaysian snakes that is super-poisonous it seems. The irony of it all was that I (nor anyone from the group I was with) realize how potent this snake is. After innocently posting a picture of the snake on this blog, my good bush friend Pak Abu manages to identify it as a Pit Viper. Now Pit Viper s doesn’t sound friendly at all do they?

Below is the snake I saw during a trek up to Perlus Waterfall with a group of walkers. It was lying all curled up on small tiny branches just about ankle height off the ground in the middle of the walking path. I was the last person walking in the group when I suddenly saw a few walkers stopping in the middle of the trail, squatting and snapping pictures. There were giggles and laughter…that made me really curious.

This snake was inches away from me on the way to Perlus

Turns out to be a small green snake. Unknowingly, yours sincerely too took the opportunity to take some photos. There were some leaves covering it, so I moved them leaves with a stick I found nearby (this is probably the smartest thing I did that day). I manage to get closer, a couple of inches away to take the picture. As I am writing this, scenes of Austin Stevens (of Animal Planet, NOT the wrestling dude) fooling with poisonous snakes flash through my mind. I am just glad I wasn’t dumb enough to follow his ‘actions’ that day.

I am assuming that this is Trimeresurus hageni

Photos I took and to the waterfall I continued on. I have been to some jungle but never really come across a snake like this. During my childhood when I was growing up in the small town of Baling, Kedah, my dad always shared scary stories about a particular snake called Ular Kapak. He told me that some of the locals call it Ular Kapak Bodoh (Ular-Snake, Kapak- Axe, Bodoh- Stupid). They call it so because it choose to curl up in the middle of walkways, paved roads even and will remain there no matter what. Even if someone or something comes along and it decides to puncture the ‘visitor’ with venom filled fangs, it will still stand its ground and continue curled up at the same spot…as if nothing had happened.

This is especially dangerous for local villagers, especially at nights. Riding bicycles or motorbikes, it is common back then to see riders (and pillions) to raise both their legs high up in the air whenever they see a pile of ‘something’ on the road ahead. Even if it turns out to be just a pile of cow dung. But if it is the Ular Kapak Bodoh, there is a probability that it will strike at you. With legs raised up high, passer by will be spared from the snake’s venomous bite. Thanks to it’s ‘bodoh-ness’ of not edging away, locals will then stop their vehicle, find a piece of long stick or bamboo and finish the snake off. End of another ‘road’ menace they say.

Oops…back to this snake. Thanks to Pak Abu, I think I have managed to track down exactly what it is. It is called the Indonesian Pit Viper or Trimeresurus hageni. Local Malaysians call it Ular Kapak Hijau. This (and any other pit vipers for the matter) is not a snake you want to mess around with. All Pit Vipers species in Malaysia it seems injects the hemotoxic venom that degenerates body tissues and destroys blood cells. They have this diamond shaped head and their venom is so potent that they can kill an adult human.

I wondered that day why this particular snake did not move away… not even an inch despite so many people walking by (it was still there when I started walking back from the waterfall). Probably because it is nocturnal. Perhaps it is the ‘way’ of the Trimeresurus hageni or perhaps it is deep in slumber from a good meal. Or perhaps like Pak Abu said… ‘it has nothing to fear coz it knows for a fact that it can bring you down with just one strike’. I rest my case.

This is a continuation to my recent Perlus waterfall trip. After my first trip to Perlus, I realize that I had to take extra gear with me. Leeches are aplenty along the trail to Perlus. They are everywhere. So…leech sock is a must this time. I make do without [...]]]>

My leech sock and my boots

This is a continuation to my recent Perlus waterfall trip. After my first trip to Perlus, I realize that I had to take extra gear with me. Leeches are aplenty along the trail to Perlus. They are everywhere. So…leech sock is a must this time. I make do without socks, tucked my pants in and had the leech socks up.

Yup…I have my jungle boots on. It’s the only pair of shoes that will actually give me the support and grip that I need on the trail. The trail is mostly wet, muddy and slippery. Other things I packed extra for this trip was my UHF radio and my GPS. I want to record the route as much as I can.

Cars were parked at local Orang Asal’s house. Sali was not around but his porcupine friend finally decides to show itself. It came out, though I doubt to greet the morning’s visitors, grabbed some fruits and quickly ran back to its hole in the cement walled ‘compound’.

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Say cheese Mr Porcupine

Camera shy Mr Porcupine decides to head back into it’s ‘hole’

A bit of briefing to the entire group and a few minutes later, we were already on our way to Perlus waterfall. John, being a nature guide had the whole group interested in plants and the surrounding when he stopped and shared about them.

Nature Guide John Chan sharing some of his knowledge on useful plants

The Senduduk or Melastoma malabathricum is known to be used for the treatment of piles, high blood pressure and diabetes

The Senduduk or Melastoma malabathricum is known to be used for the treatment of piles, high blood pressure and diabetes

This useful Senduduk plant also has purplish fruits that can be eaten. A good jungle plant to look for in case of a survival situation.

The fruit of Senduduk can be eaten

The initial part of the trail saw mostly small orchards planted with banana, durians and some local guava. Gradually the trail change it’s look and became more ‘wild’.

The initial part of the trail passes through some orchards

The trail soon became more ‘off road’ and the scenery that surrounds us began to change. The jungle became denser and shouts of ‘leeches!’ began ringing among the group. The terrain too gradually became steeper. All part of a good hike…(to be continued)

I [...]]]> Whenever I get to visit the Malaysian jungle, I always prepare myself to see and experience something different. It is a big part of any adventure. Seeing different flora and fauna of different shapes and sizes is all exciting but nothing quite prepared me when I first saw an actual elephant ‘burial’ site in Kelantan.

I would prefer to call in an event rather. I have seen it on TV in far off places like Africa but never thought I’d see it here in Malaysia! It was during a field trip in May 2008 with nature guides John Chan and Yen that I experienced this ‘event’.

None of us planned to see this elephant burial site. The trip was so impromptu that I wasn’t sure if there’s even a plan to begin with. All I know was we are going to some caves in Kelantan and then Taman Negara via the Merapoh entry.

We first arrived in Gua Musang. This is when John got in touch with a local fellow nature guide. After some chatter and over a plate of ‘roti canai’ we were off to Gua Pintu. It is here that we told about the elephant burial site.

This place gives me the goose bumps I lie you not. The sight of these huge bones and other remains is both scary and magnificent at the same time. According to the locals, this particular site has been the burial ground for at least 2 adult elephants.

Most of the remains have either rotted away or being stolen by other animals. The news of this burial ground traveled fast and soon, more and more people came to have a look. As a result, the place gets more ‘intruders’ and some of the elephant remains start to go missing. So, the good local villagers took it upon themselves to protect this special place. They got together, formed a local ‘care taker’ and invested some money in putting up a fence to keep animals (and humans) from disturbing whatever is left of the remains.

No one knows exactly how or why the elephants chose that particular place. Perhaps it is the cave. But locals belief that area has long been the chosen place. An ageing jumbo would come to the site when the time is right. It will then lean on one of them trees and slowly slump to its last breath. This was the tree purportedly ‘leaned’ down by the last elephant that lay to rest here.