NOTHING GREAT WAS EVER ACHIEVED WITHOUT ENTHUSIASM

Jeram Penitih

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:13:00 +0000

As I have been travelling quite regularly to the East Coast, I decided to make quick stop at Jeram Penitih which was first explored by our Godfather Of Waterfalls, Mr Jan Stuivenberg.
Using Jan's info as a guide, I also obtained info from www.kemamanguide.com and called up the number to ask for general directions since it's a kampung road. Iinitially just wanted to meet up with the guide and have him point out to me the direction but he vehemently insisted that if I went on my own, I would not find the falls. Sigh, little did he know, he was talking to Malaysia's No.3 ranking waterfall hunter. When I asked for payment, he said I could give him any amount I liked but usually he charges RM180 per person. Sigh, again, little did he know, I have a waterfall named after me.

We went in 2 cars as he has his plantation and fish farm inside. At the beginning of the road going into the plantation, I suddenly braked because the road ahead was filled with huge potholes. To those who has driven into Lata Kijang, the road leading into Jeram Penitih is 10 times worst and I've driven a couple of times into Lata Kijang with my Proton Boneshaker. So , go figure.

Like Jan's picture depicts, you can see the border between palm oil plantation and pure virgin jungle. The fine line between safety and lawlessness. Halfway in the jungle, the guide stopped his car and got out to show me tapir footprints. I'm not an expert in tapirs so I just accepted what he said and truth be told, I got a little excited.

We stopped and crossed the stream. Super duper clear. Like Ayer Hitam kind of clarity.

Along the way, he pointed out to numerous herbs and even memorized their scientific names. Very impressed. My initial token of payment went from RM30 to RM50 now. He also showed me that if someone is lost, they should use the back of a parang and knock on the giant tree root and when he did so, the sound resonated throughout the whole jungle. He said this is the way to be found. RM70 now. Right before we reached the first fall, he asked me to find my bearings - North, South, etc. I couldn't tell because the sun was covered by the canopy above. He said all I have to do is ask the trees. Just ask the trees. So we went closer to one tree and he gestured me to come to the other side. I could see moss growing only on one side and the other side had no moss whatsoever. He explained that the side that had no moss is the side where the sun shines, therefore, that is your East. Wow...increased to RM120.
First Fall
The first fall was not tall nor impressive but the the water was magnificently clear. The pool could fit at least 4 people and it was deep too. From the starting point to the first fall took half an hour. First Fall
If the guide did not stop every 5 minutes to inform me that a labisa pumila could enhance the penile function, we would have made it in 10 minutes.Kacip fatima?
OUr journey continued to the 2nd level which was a cascade and reached the 3rd level in 5 minutes. The 3rd level was more impressive. Slightly higher falls but no pool.

According to the guide, there are probably 30 more falls above but level 5 was the limit. I wanted to continue but he said it may take some time and looking at my schedule, I agreed and we turned back. On the way, he showed me his fish farm and how he would like to turn it into a homestay complete with fishing, waterfall and jungle trekking. Currently, his fish ponds and shack are extremely basic but he has already hired 3 security guards Security
to protect his property. I gave him a few advice like to add in night walk services, etc and wished him luck. He sent me back to my car and I bid him adieu. All in all, it was a very informative trek seeing that I always trek alone and he went out of his way to accomodate me. At the end, I gave him RM100 for his effort.

Petra

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:56:00 +0000

If you are in the Jordan, do one thing and one thing only and that is to visit the enchanting and imposing facades of Petra. I’m not talking about the Malaysian company , the Petra Perdana Group of Companies which was sued by Bruce Willis. I’m talking about Petra – one of the recently nominated 7 new wonders of the world which was famously shown during the final scene of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. Petra can stir up some raw emotions I tell you.

Skip Amman, the capital city of Jordan if you have to. Every foreigner tells you so at the bus station and they were right. Cairo and Damascus trumps Amman any given day. Imagine Amman as Seremban. Exactly, nobody goes to Seremban.

It takes 5 hours by bus from Amman to Wadi Musa, the village surrounding Petra. Riding on a somewhat shabby bus, it is hard to ignore the merciless sun searing through the thin black curtains hung by the window. It is also hard to overlook the sight of countless discarded mineral water bottles strewn along the highway throughout the journey. PLUS Highway, we are not worthy. Not only that, the endless desert landscape was too much to bear. There was sand everywhere. Not a single blade of grass. You see, I've been in the Middle East at that time for 3 weeks already and I’ve ooo-ed and aaaah-ed at the dramatic desert landscapes, jagged mountains and endless spaces in Syria and Lebanon.
Desert, desert, desert
So yes, I was a bit sick of the scenery. Just like visiting the temples in Thailand. Gung ho and filled with zeal while at the first two temples but by the third temple, one will heave a sigh so loud that it can be heard all the way to Sungai Golok.

I arrived at Wadi Musa and as with all backpackers, headed to Valentine’s Inn.
Valentine's InnThe worst part about Valentine’s Inn is that the proprietor replays the above said Indiana Jones movie on an everyday basis just to emphasize the obvious. But the pleasant part of Valentine’s Inn is that you get this sunset view everyday.
Glorious Sunset

If you like me and this blog and you’re going to Petra, trust me with this advice: be at the gates of the Petra ticketing office by 6am. The ticket for a one day entrance is JD50 which converts to RM215.00(It is expensive but worth it). Locals pay JD1. So, be there at 6am and try to be first person to walk into Petra.
Practice Makes Perfect
I did so. I was alone and traversing through the winding sandstones of Siq gap. The whole gorge was quiet and peaceful and it helped in building up the thrill and excitement as I walked along this impressive rose colored chasm. The walls tower up to 200m overhead and narrows to about 5m at some parts. I let my hands feel the walls as I stared upwards and sideways marvelling at the Nabatean engineering and artistry of the Siq.
Entering the chasm
Towering Gorge
Traversing through the Siq
There was a sudden rush of anticipation and zeal in me and I wondered why. Gazing ahead with my beady eyes, I caught a glimpse of the Treasury. What an introduction!!!
Be warned again. A one on one standoff with the magnificent and imposing Treasury at dawn can strip your soul back to basics
Heed my advice because by 8am, this is what the surroundings of the Treasury will look like :
1,000,006
Packed!!

Medang Falls

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 04:42:00 +0000

It's been so hot these days during the afternoons that one shouldn't waste the glorious sunshine at home. I made the effort to explore a recently discovered waterfall nearby Selangor. Besides the enigmatic Chilling Waterfalls in Kuala Kubu Bahru, there were no other dramatic waterfalls left in the Selangor region. So, finding this waterfall was necessary for a salubrious mind.
Cascades along the way
Green pools
Practising my macro photography skills
The journey was fairly easy I might say except for a section where the ascend lasted for a good 30 minutes. Once I surmounted that labourous task, I was greeted by a charming mini waterfall with a mini pool surrounded by crsytal clear mountain water.
Gorgeous...both
After a 30 minute break, it was short trek via the river and you will be presented with one of the most dramatic waterfalls 3 hours from Kuala Lumpur. Shock and awe is what I would best describe this waterfall.
Medang
Marvel at the height
Lower part of Medang
Firstly, this splendid art of nature is one of the most tallest waterfall I've seen with an intense volume of powerful water gushing down.
Pounded
Behind The Curtain
Secondly, there is a wide enough space behind the waterfall curtain that I was able to squeeze into and relive the waterfall scene from the movie "Last Of The Mohicans". YOU STAY ALIVE NO MATTER WHAT OCCURS I WILL FIND YOU.

Watch videos of me :

1. Entering The Waterfall Curtain And Being Clobbered By Crashing Volumes Of Water Scene

2. Behind The Waterfall Curtain Scene

3. Exiting the Waterfall Curtain And Being Clobbered By Crashing Volumes Of Water Scene

SO WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?

Perhentian's Tokong Laut Dive Site

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:53:00 +0000

Tokong Laut is a dive site in Perhentian Island whereby you can see a sizable sea mount on the surface of the water. Beneath the water is the rock structure that leads all the way to the sandy bottom. Encircling this silo are varieties of marine life. Think of it as an apartment block or better yet, think of Tokong Laut as the Petronas Twin Towers with just one tower and marine life galore around the tower.

I love Tokong Laut

That's a lot of Tweety birds behind me

I wished they'd sell this in Ikea.Looks nice on the coffee table

An Open Letter :
Dear Blue Spotted Ray, can you call your Manta cousins to hang around in Malaysian waters so we don't have to go all the way to Indonesia?Don't just make friends in low places

Scorpion fish in disguise

I just love moray eels. I wished they have a T shirt that says : I Heart Moray Eels

Harassed Moray Eel Part Une

Harassed Moray Eel Part Deux

Harassed Moray Eel With Nowhere To Go
Video of twin moray eels

Really tiring when you're abusing marine life for almost an hour

A Waterfall To Call My Own

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Sun, 30 May 2010 05:02:00 +0000

I took advantage of the long weekend to fulfill an innate and inborn affection of mine which is to discover an unfound waterfall and name the natural wonder after my name. Once in a while, the need to be self absorb is inevitable. Waterfalls are my kind of obsessions/fixation - second only to satellites. That's right -satellites. Other men like browsing through car magazines, I get a high when I am browsing through satellite magazines. Wow - ILS Proton Successfully Launches SES-1 For SES.
Sea Launch Satellite Launching.Passion No.1
As I peered into the map and calculated the distance, I realized that it would take me at least 6 hours to arrive at my purported destination.Furthermore, the map I was using was possibly 7 years old. All that did not matter to me because I was glad to be outdoors after 2 weeks of being bombarded by Blackberry emails. Imagine replying emails through the wretched device while watching the movie "Avatar" in a cinema.
No Blackberry emails here
Dawn is the ultimate best time to start any journey. In front of me laid a long beautiful stretch of mountain river with rocks on both banks. The awesome part about these rocks is that if you're agile and your hand eye coordination is excellent, you can actually move swiftly by hopping and stepping on the rocks as you go along. Of course, you must have shoes that has a grip like an eagle's talons in order not to slip.
On the move at dawn
For the guys at Action Asia magazine
Fished a little to mix it up
The sun was already high in the sky and so was I. The great part about river trekking is, whenever the sun becomes unbearable, a jump into the cold river water would just do the trick.
Refreshing Dip
Tranquilodge
Salvatore Dali was here
Long walk ahead
Crossing The Arch
Thank God I'm a good swimmer because at two points, I had to swim across to the other bank as there were no path further ahead. Trying to swim against the river current with a heavy backpack actually took me 40 exhausting minutes.
Fast forward to the arrival of the waterfall after 6 gruelling hours.
Here are the pictures and videos.
Discovery of Aun Falls
Finally made it
Scrambling to the top
10 metre tall waterfall
Tiny speck at the top of the waterfall
BY THE GRACE OF GOD AND IN THE NAME OF THEIR GRACIOUS MAJESTIES OF THE KING AND QUEEN OF MALAYSIA AND BY THE WATERFALL COUNCIL OF MALAYSIA AND BY ALL THE POWERS VESTED IN ME, I CLAIM THIS WATERFALL AND NAME IT AUN FALLS
Brutally handsome
Check me out at the top

On the way back, I stumbled upon a double whirlpool. Very interesting.
Double Whirlpool Video
My temporary campsite. I did not like the canopy hovering above me
I camped overnight and the skies open up heavily by 9pm. My campsite was on a sandy island surrounded by boulders. Fears of a flash flood made me constantly check on a measuring pole but I've experienced camping by the river and heavy rain before so I wasn't too worried. Because of that, I slept like a baby until 430am when I was awakened by the luminosity of the pale moonlight. I love a pale moonlight.
My second camping site. Taken at 5am with the pale moonlight
My camp's backyard
Cooking breakfast in a relaxed girlish manner
Time to head out. One last dramatic David Caruso in CSI Miami(without the shades) glance
First ray of light bathing the rocks
Goodbye Tranquilodge
What an adventure!!!

No Wildlife Falls

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:45:00 +0000

I only reconnect my ASTRO when the satellite TV company is showing new seasons of Man Vs Wild. That was what I did last week because Mr Bear Grylls has a new season coming soon as promoted by The Discovery Channel. When I watch an episode of Man Vs Wild, I am sure to be outdoors during the weekend. This bloke just knows how to stir the core of my heart.

After a quick and detailed research on Google Earth, I set off to find an elusive waterfall in the wilderness. Nothing thrills me more than to discover a waterfall that is only known to the local Orang Aslis.
Mini waterfall
Scrambled to the top

This time, I brought along a pair of binoculars . Spurred on by my wildlife abundant trips to Danum and Sukau, there were hopes of me catching a glimpse of wildlife or two in this Peninsula Malaysia secondary forest. It was a sunny and perfect day. No indication of rain nor storm approaching so in within 2 hours, I had passed through a couple of mini waterfalls.
Another mini waterfall
Nothing beats river trekking, the gush of rushing water through brooks, the clickety clack sounds of rocks when stepped on and the occasional gibbon calls. I love pools
Far more better than looking for a car park in Sunway Pyramid on a weekend no?Cruising for a bruising
Finally, she revealed herself from a distance away - the waterfall that was featured blurrily on my Google Earth screen.
Arrived at the waterfall
To add to my satisfaction was a deep pool that was perfect for wading and swimming. In my opinion, a waterfall is not a waterfall if there's no pool to swim in.
No Wildlife Falls video

I cooked my lunch there and climbed up the waterfall to reach another mini waterfall. I suspect a mega waterfall after this one
Seeing that it was quite tough to clamber over the slippery rocks, turning back and heading home became a preferred choice. Furthermore, my Timex watch indicated that noon was looming. There is most definately another waterfall beyond and from Google Earth, it is a mega one. Plans are underway to reach the mega waterfall with Malaysia's Ranking No.1 Waterfall Expert, Mr Lim Siang Hui [Check out his website] . Not to mention the Godfather Of Waterfalls, Mr Jan Stuivenberg [Check out his website], Malaysia's Version Of Ray Mears, Mr Keong Lye Choon [Check out his website] and the Godmother of Waterfalls [Check out her website]

For now, I will name this waterfall, the No Wildlife Falls for the obvious title

After Sukau

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Wed, 12 May 2010 09:02:00 +0000

Believe or not, Langkawi is not the only place to have the mystical Seven Wells. A small town in Sabah by the name of Kunak has a similiar one. I went there very early in the morning because all the hotels in Kunak and Semporna were full due to the Regatta Lepa Lepa festival. Let me tell you this, sleeping in a Perodua Viva was not pleasant. I was sweaty and needed a bath so my destination to Kunak's Seven Wells in the early morning was very timely.
Calm and serene
The natural wells are located inside a palm oil plantation and there are no signboards leading to the place. You just have to ask whoever that's awake at that time.

The pools were positioned on a slight incline of a hill so when you get in one of the pools, you pretty much have your own infinity pool that overlooks a part jungle part plantation scenery.
I wished that my camera's timer had a 30 second option as opposed to 10 second otherwise you wont see the ripples.
After the refreshing dip, I went to the town of Tawau for some seafood breakfast. Only in Tawau you eat seafood for breakfast. My intention was not just consuming seafood for breakfast but also to enquire about Teck Guan Falls. Teck Guan Berhad is a cocoa plantation conglomerate and apparently, a 15 metre waterfall is located inside their cocoa plantation. When I arrived at their office, I was told I had to pay a sum of RM100 to enter their property because it was part of a tour to visit their cocoa museum and cocoa factory. Who in god's name wants to see a cocoa museum??
Despite my pleas to just view the waterfall, they ignored my request. Dissatisfied and irritated, i drove to their cocoa plantation and negotiated with the guard who manned the huge fortress like wooden gate.I tricked the guard into allowing me in by telling him that the tour manager couldn't join me as she was in Sunday church that time and had asked me to go on my own. I used God's name for my selfish benefits all for a waterfall.

Once in, I drove through the maze of cocoa plantation to reach Teck guan falls. Thankfully, there were signs leading to the waterfall.
Signs
Like all sabah waterfalls, Teck Guan Falls was just simply astounding. With foliage on both sides of the waterfall opening gap and suspended high in the air, Teck Guan Falls has just written herself in my top ten waterfall list. Teck Guan Falls
Video of Teck Guan Falls
Because it was in a private property, there were no less than 5 people there that day and they all were the guard's marauding youth friends.
Always with my Moleskine

Wild Orang Utan encounters, wildlife in Sukau, Seven Wells infinity pool, seafood breakfast, swimming in Teck Guan falls - Just priceless.

Sukau

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Wed, 12 May 2010 01:22:00 +0000

I was in Sukau way before Sukau became a global tourist hit.
Circa 2002
April 2010

My accomodation was in Greeview Resort along the mighty Kinabatangan River.This resort was by far the cheapest among the other resorts. Their room was RM45 a day and the river cruise was Rm35.00. The rest of the resorts wanted to emulate Mt Kinabalu type charges which was the equivalent of Kryptonite to Superman. The river cruise started right after I checked in and within 8 minutes of the cruise, somebody spotted a crocodile. Everybody went "Where, where" , "Wo, wo[German]" "Ou, ou[French]", "Dove dove[Italian]""Mano gak nate tu [Kelantanese]"

There it was, with it's head on the same level of the water but when we came close, it submerged. We gasped in total amazement. We continued our river cruise and stopped by to see macaques or in Malay language, beruk.
Macaque
Back in metropolitan Subang Jaya where I live, I can see macaques from my window and also in Putra Heights 5 minutes away. Macaques to us Malaysians are somewhat a pest. They steal your Raybans, snatch your bag, bite a toddler's leg and ransack your room. So, to be sitting in a boat for half an hour watching macaques was utterly unbearable to me. I understand that the US and European continent do not have the monkey/simian species but to stop at 4 different macaque locations was like being forced to watch Basic Instint 2 or Dean Cain hosting Ripley's Believe It Or Not.

Bro, I was bored looking at you too
Macaques eating grass
Macaques at third stop...let's go!!!

However, it's different with the endemic Proboscis monkeys Unlike macaques, Proboscis monkeys are way much cooler than their theiving cousins in terms of looks and the way they hang out.
Awesome view of Proboscis monkeys
Chillaxing
Ex gymnast proboscis monkey

I had a Sir David Attenborough moment when one of my videos caught this proboscis monkey leaping from one branch to another

Hornbills of different species were flying constantly too. Watching them glide through the air was just breathtaking.
Hornbill perched on treetop

On the way back, we stopped by the river bank because we saw another boat with the engine turned off. They have just spotted wild orang utans in the canopy. Everyone was excited when they saw movement behind the canopy but I was totally composed because I had already spotted 2 wild orang utans in Danum Valley the day before. Yes, wildlife snobbery and superciliousness do exist.

I saw eagles, snakes and many more
Reticulated python which I tried to dislodge from the tree but was stopped by the guide
Yellow banded krait snake.No dislodging attempts
Orang utan
White belly eagle
After the boat ride, I checked out and headed to the Gomantong Caves 10km away for my purported biblical shaft picture.
As I was driving in, I saw :
What are you blokes looking at?

and they were looking at
Baby and mother orang utan

That meant that I HAD SPOTTED WILD ORANG UTANS IN 3 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS!! It was absolutely phenomenal but phenomenal as it may be, I had no one to share that moment with. Ladies, my number is 0132044720.

The most memorable one from Sukau would be :
Sukau sunset
Sukau sunset taken from a speeding boat.Nerves of steel

Danum Valley, Sabah

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Fri, 07 May 2010 10:46:00 +0000

If you've travelled to Sabah before and visited the typical itinerary of Mt Kinabalu, Poring Hot Spring, Sabah Marine Parks, Monsopiad Cultural Village and Pulau Sipadan, this time you may want to return back to the Land Below The Wind to explore the unique and premier wildlife centre of Sabah - Danum Valley.

Danum Valley is located in a vast lowland forest with over 400 square foot km of untouched natural rainforest. To get there, the nearest airport would be in the town of Lahad Datu(Mas Wings). One could also fly to Tawau and take a 2 hour drive from there.

To gain access to the Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC), you must first register with the Yayasan Sabah Foundation office in Lahad Datu. The Yayasan Sabah Foundation manages the conservation and environmental segment of Danum Valley. From there, you can either choose to use the organization's van transport (RM30 each way and availableonly on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) or self drive to Danum Valley in which I chose the latter. A 4 Wheel Drive (4WD) vehicle is recommended as 90% of the journey is via 2 hour bumpy gravel road.

Once you've entered the junction road into Danum Valley, you begin to realize that you've driven yourself deeper and deeper into the wilderness. Electrical poles, zinc roof houses, organized farming and any signs of civilization made way for colossal trees, thick foliage, wild raging rivers and the vocal displays of the gibbons kilometre by kilometre. The entire drive inwards looked as though I crossed into a Jurassic period and time stood still without a single soul in sight. However, adequate signboards are positioned to guide you to your destination.

It was already twilight when I arrived at DVFC. The lone receptionist was waiting for me and after a brief information on the rooms, guides and restaurant, I finally checked into a suprisingly clean male dormitory. Dinner will be prepared at the restaurant which was located 15 minutes away from the dormitory. I have been driving for the past 4 hours and decided to walk. It is advisable to bring a powerful torchlight to Danum Valley because you may spot wild animals along the way. The Danum Valley forest are known to give refuge to some of the richest concentrations of animals in Borneo.

After 5 minutes of walking, I heard what sounded like the breathing of a living being nearby. With a rush of adrenalin through my body, I shone my torchlight at the direction and lo and behold, a herd of sambar deers were foraging for food. Like the idiom "A deer caught in the headlights", the herd just stared at the light and did not move a muscle. Only after I attempted to get near, did the herd walk away and back into the forest. With that first encounter with a wild animal, I couldn't wait until the next morning.

After breakfast, I opted for a 2 hour hike to the Tembeling Waterfall with hopes of another wild encounter like the previous night. In Danum Valley, it is compulsory to hire a guide (Rm20 an hour) when going on jungle hikes because many visitors have gotten lost despite the clear and wide trails. As an experienced outdoors person, I opted not use a guide and relied on a GPS. For the inexperienced, it is highly recommended to hire a guide because again, you're in Danum Valley and not Bukit Tabur, Selangor.

Along the trail, there is a tree top platform which measures about 30 metres in height with ladders firmly attached to enable visitors to reach the canopy. It takes about a good 5 minutes to climb yourself way to the top and that effort will be greatly rewarded by a 360 degree view of the surrounding pristine canopy top.

I stood there in awe of nature and a sense of appreciation that our country, Malaysia have such abundance in natural beauty. So, throw the London bound ticket away and embark on more local trips. I was absorbing the entire scenery when suddenly I heard the ruffles of leaves on a nearby tree. I peered closely for about 15 seconds and [sharp intake of breath], I hit the motherload of Sabah wildlife. Two wild orang utans were perched on a nearby tree , snapping of branches full of leaves to begin their nest building activity. Apparently, orang utans sleep on tree tops and only spend 5% of their time on the forest floor.

I stood there with my eyes fixated on the wild duo. The sun shone bright above revealing the distinctive reddish brown shaggy hair covering their entire body. I must say that watching a wild animal in their natural habitat at close range is invigorating. I spent the next 3 hours watching the duo construct their sleeping nest moving from branch to branch in a slow but agile manner. It was indeed a wonderful feeling that I decided to forgo my waterfall
excursion.

Later that night, I went on a night drive cruise with my rented vehicle. Visitors can organize a night drive with the guides for RM120. The night drive is an anticipated activity for most visitors who come to Danum Valley because this is the time when all nocturnal creatures come out to hunt.

Endangered animals like the clouded leopard (extremely rare), leopard cat, civet cats, owls, sun bears, Borneon pygmy elephants, Borneon Yellow barking deers, porcupine and more would hopefully be crisscrossing the 10km road leading to the entrance of DVFC.

I set the car headlights to beam mode and slowly started the drive with 3 other excited foreigners I made friends with. In within 15 minutes, a yellow barking deer burst through the bushes a few metres away from the car, ran across the road and dissapeared to the other side. The sight of our first nocturnal wildlife kept everybody in an excited and energized mood. Then out of the corner, someone spotted a pair of eyes shining by the road. I shone my
torchlight towards the pair of eyes and with the light, we were able to see the black spotted markings of a leopard cat. This nocturnal creature stood still for a good 10 seconds and cooly walked back into the jungle. That 10 second glimpse of a wild leopard cat got all of us into a heightened frenzied rush. On that 2hour night drive, we saw another leopard cat, a marbled cat, a porcupine, a flying lemur(cogulo) and a borneon ground cuckoo.

The next morning, I drove out by myself to the observatory tower located 7km from DVFC to catch the sunrise. It was dawn and together with the whopping piercing calls of the gibbons, it was truly a sight to behold as I set my eyes on a neatly arranged spread of mist forming evenly in the valley ahead. Only the tallest trees stand proud above the white thick fog. As soon as the first ray of light breaks through the clouds, the entire valley was doused with orange lighted sunbeams. Add to that magnificent visual wonder was a pair of hornbills flying above it. To be honest, at that moment, I was feeling very emotional because this could probably be the most beautiful view I've ever seen in my life.

Tuan Guru Nik Aziz's Supreme Powers

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:18:00 +0000

My Dear Leader
Nuff said

Why Did I Join Ironman Langkawi 2010?

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:22:00 +0000

Why did I join Ironman Langkawi 2010?
I have to say this. I recently broke up with my girlfriend and wanted to exorcise her demons away through an Ironman induced absolution.In order to purify and cleanse my wounded soul, I needed a suffering experience that would make me drive out the shattered pieces of hurt that still laid inside of me. I was a hurt locker.

Ironman Langkawi 2010 covers a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42km run -a total of 17 gruelling hours to complete and cut off time for each discipline to boot.
Registering the bike
Here's what happened. A friend of mine had already registered and paid(RM500) for Ironman Langkawi 2010. However, she had just started a new job and was not able to obtain leave for this February Ironman event. Rather than letting it go, she asked me if I wanted to replace her. I looked at my schedule and agreed. This all happened in December 2009 which meant I had 3 months to train for my first ever Ironman.

I trained as much as I could within the 3 months. With preplanned trips already made before my Ironman decision, I had to sometimes forgo my training. I was missing a lot of training days. As the days grew closer, I became more and more nervous. I trained in and around Putra Heights, going through the loops for about 2 hours and swam in my 20metre long apartment pool every night. Rainy sessions and work related trips also threw a monkey wrench in my training programme. The guilt of not being able to train was overbearing especially when the competition was only 20 days away. Most of the time, a bit of me whispered the word "quit". I was halfway in and just trained and trained as much as I could until 27/2/2010.
On the morning of 27/2/2010, all 500 of us lined up at the jetty to start our swim disicpline.
Getting ready for the swim
Body Marking
Break of dawn
We started our swim at 745am and by the time I reached the halfway point, I was beginning to feel hungry.
I swam free style and have no vision of the jetty. Every 25 strokes, I would stop and try to find my line of sight(LOS) with the jetty. Tick tock tick tock my friends. However, I had help from a fellow swimmer. There was a participant who swam breast stroke beside me and I used him as my directional beacon to the jetty. He always had line of sight with the jetty. There was no 5 second pause for me to find my directions any longer. I locked on to him like a heat seeking missile and swam my heart out and completed the 3.8km in 1 hour 57 minutes. Not bad for a guy who just swam one hour per day in an apartment pool and for that, I pat my own back.
Just came out from the swim discipline. Semangat
Showering the salt water away
I took 6 minutes in the swim/bike transition area and is now at the heat of the Ironman moment.
Swim/Bike Transition
Wearing tennis shoes to bike..sigh
Swim/Bike Video
I was ready to charge the 180km road and hills that came before me.
On the bike course
I made the first Durian Perangin- Ulu Melaka loop and arrived at Bukit Hantu. With my inexperienced handling of the bike, I dismounted from the road bike and pushed.
Other participants were riding pass me uphill and seriously, I felt horrible and but not ashamed to be pushing up the bike.
There's no shame in pushing the bike
The worst moment for me was passing by Hotel Helang en route to the station aid. The road was in between the airport runaway and the sea. The heat literally yanked my soul away. The heat around Langkawi was totally unbearable. 180km is the distance between KL and Ipoh and I was riding since 10am.
Biking in the hot sun
By the 4th round, as I was approaching the hills at the Naval Base and with almost 7 hours already on the road, I broke down and cried while riding. The catalyst for breaking down was seeing a bunch of kids playing amongst themselves looking really happy with no care in the world. One word - innocence. Somehow that moment of Khalil Gibran clarity towards a child's ionnocence coupled with my fragile
emotional state produced a bucket load of tears. I am a sensitive bugger .......sprinkled with MCP toppings.

I looked at my watch : 545pm and that's when the marshall came and asked me to discontinue. I had another 40km or so to go.

And that's it - I DNF - Did Not Finish. DNF or not, I had an awesome experience and I can't wait to come back next year for some justified vengeance. It will be 200 degrees and they will call me Mr Farenheit - burning through Langkawi Island.

Sipadan-Kunak-Tawau Weekend Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:41:00 +0000

Any Malaysians who are divers should at least dive in Sipadan once in their lifetime. Sipadan is after all in the top 3 dive sites on the planet. I had a chance to dive in Sipadan last week and here's what I can say -Everyone has their own version of paradise, mine would be Sipadan.
Ready for diving
Sipadan shore
I had purchased a return ticket to Tawau six months ago for the price of RM108.00 and applied for the permit way back in September 2009. Permits to Sipadan is like having Kobe beef in a Somali prison - hard to obtain and expensive.
Here's my experience :
I floated downward through shoals of colorful fishes, darting in and out, following the current as they go along. Sipadan is all about wall diving and one can see unusual coral gardens hanging on all sides, the perplexity of shapes and sizes of all the marine life. A few metres away from me a white tip shark swims alongside and a moray eel below darting in and out from a tiny gap between the corals. Schools of baracudda and jackfish swerve to a certain
direction like they all knew their oceanic passageway. A hawksbill turtle came out of nowehere and white tip sharks laid at the sandy bottom getting all too familiar with Sipadan divers. The highlight for me was entering a cave called Turtle's Tomb. Apparently, turtles swim into the cave, gets disorientated, suffocate and die. Until today, nobody knows why the turtles swim there. I touched a couple of turtle bones and I wanted to leave immediately.
Colorful fishes
Shark at sandy bottom
harassing a moray eel
Wall Diving
Turtle's Tomb
Hawksbill Turtle
Harassed a resting shark
Harassed a resting shark part deux
Lone Shark
My permit only allowed me to dive 3 times in Sipadan and by the time, we were finished , it was already 4pm. Back on mainland, with no time to spare, I hopped on to the resort's river cruise. The river cruise featured probocis monkeys, giant fruit bats, mangrove beauty and a heavenly view.
Isn't this amazing?
Such colors!!
River cruise
The next day, with my flight at 9pm, I decided to rent a car to do the following :
Madai Falls (Kunak)
Madai Caves (Kunak)
Eat wild deer meat (Kunak)
Tawau Hills Falls (Tawau)
Bukit Gelas Falls (Tawau)
Eat glorious seafood (Tawau)

The moment I started the engine of the rented Kancil, I floored it. Tick tock tick tock mind you. Driving 120km in a Kancil made the front portion and dash board shake, rattle and roll. After driving like Evel Knievel for almost an hour, I reached my first destination- - Madai Falls. Nothing can prepare you for the waterfall's aura because the moment I laid my eyes on the waterfall, I was enchanted. With the height of a 5 storey building and green moss growing behind it, you can't help but fall in love with this easily accessible waterfall.
Madai Falls
5 Storey high
Grand !!
Later on, I drove to nearby Madai Caves. My main aim to Madai Caves was to take a picture of my biblical shaft. Unfortunately, I came at the wrong time but nevertheless, I enjoyed the enormous
archeological cave.
Madai Cave
After Madai Caves, I drove for another hour and reached Tawau Hills Park. Unfortunately, the Tawau Hills fall was fenced up. Too many people were killed there because beside the fall is a tall cliff and they use the cliff for their jumping stunts. If I make my way back there one day, I will definately trespass and swim in the pool.
Fenced up Tawau Hill Falls
Huge
I love emerald pools
A dip in the emerald pool
The Bukit Gelas Waterfall was a 4km hike deep into the forest reserve. I enjoyed the hike because throughout the trail, a beautiful and wide brook was always present . Finally, after 40 minutes, I reached the Bukit Gelas Falls, also another awesome waterfall inside the well maintained Tawau Hills Park.
Bukit Gelas Waterfall video
By the time, I left the park for my glorious seafood in Tawau, it had gotten dark. I ordered fried soft shell crabs,salad prawns and scallops with the bill coming up to only RM50.00. With my final break neck speed driving, I arrived at the airport just in time for my 9pm flight.

Trekking With Sarawak's Adventurer, Michael Lo

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:21:00 +0000

Last weekend, I took a flight to Sarawak on a Saturday morning from KL and return the next day at night.
In 36 hours, I experienced
Limestone Trekking
Mighty Jangkar Falls

and it was bloody worth it. I thought I'd be roaming aimlessly on the streets of Kuching but a couple of days before, I made contact with Sarawak's version of myself. Michael Lo is truly Sarawak's adventurer and a foremost expert on flora and fauna. His
Michael Lo's Blog and Michael Lo's Photos will verify his reputation. Even my Godfather of Waterfalls Jan's Blog & pics has visited Micheal Lo. Michael Lo is different from the people I've trekked with because Mike Lo knows the surrounding flora and fauna's scientific name.That is what was impressive about Mike. While trekking, he would stop and say "Teoh, look at this erochilus caladenia. it's rare and can only be found in this region" or "Teoh, look at this scaphiostreptus parilis, a milipede that only curls itself into a round shell if disturbed" FloraBy the 4th identification, I took off my National Geographic cap and put it in my knapsack.
Anyway, he picked me up from the airport and straight away, We went to a limestone hill nearby the Padawan region and explored a section of the hill which Mike has not been to. Here are some pictures courtesy of Michael Lo :
Roots are good for balancing
I love the limestone shapes
The view from the middle of the limestone hill
Our destination
The next day, Mike picked me up at 6am to visit Jangkar Falls. I've only seen pictures of Jangkar Falls and it looked mighty powerful. We drove for about two hours to the Indonesian border and arrived at a river. From there, we river trekked (my fav) River trekkingand it was just pure joy to be in a Sarawakian virgin jungle. Nothing gets more virgin than a Sarawakian jungle unless the competition is a Japanese porn star.

In the distant horizon, I saw a white line high up on the mountain. Squinting my eyes for a clearer look, it was without a doubt the Jangkar Falls. I quicky took out my Moleskine notebook and jotted down information and drew a sketch of Jangkar. Jotting down thoughts in my Moleskine
I tried to follow the footsteps of Charles Darwin on his Galapagos trip or Sir Walter Raleigh but then I realized I had an invention called a camera - a digital one nonetheless. However, it was still good to be bringing along a Moleskin notebook you know , just for the heck of it.
I was beginning to feel excited and went ahead of my host eventhough I didn't know the way. Sorry Mike if I was too eager. You understand my enthusiasm right? A few clambering and mounting later, I stood in front of Jangkar Falls! MAGNIFICENT!
Powerful
From the side
Video Of Jangkar Falls
Check out the rainbow
I was still far away from the fall and yet, I could feel the water spraying all over my face. That's how powerful this waterfall is.

We spent at least an hour mucking around the base of Jangkar Falls and yes, the water was extremely cold. On Mike's cue, we decided to trek higher which is the top of Jangkar Falls and an astonishing view was waiting for us. Mike has seen this view countless times but for me, it was just superb. The second Jangkar Fall laid in
front of my eyes :
Second Jangkar Fall
and a 180 degree turn, the view was :
Crazy view
Moleskine lagi
Infinity Pool

Apparently, there are 5 more huge waterfalls that laid in front of us. I persuaded Mike to name one of the waterfall - Michael Lo Falls but he's not that type. Sadly, I am one and I am still searching for a Teoh Yew Aun Falls and I reckon it should be this year.

We've been here for almost 5 hours and enjoying myself so much so that Mike had to remind me of my flight back to KL in 3 hours time. Reluctantly, I left Jangkar falls and headed back to Kuching.

What can I say?
1)Air Asia tickets = RM60.00
2)Tune Hotel = RM50.00
3)Petrol = RM20.00
4)Trekking With Sarawak's
Adventurer, Micheal Lo &
Jangkar Falls = Priceless

I will return again to Sarawak to carry on my journeys with MIchael Lo because it truly is an honour and privilege to team up with this outstanding man.

How I Spent The First Day Of 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:56:00 +0000

How I Spent My First Day Of 2010
Due to the monsoon season, I was kept indoors for most of the time. It is actually still monsoon season but staying indoors and watching reruns of Sex & The City was driving me bonkers. Bonkers or not, Sex & The City presents some amazing scripts don't you think?
I couldn't help but wonder if the monsoon season was still brewing at my destination. Taking a risky chance, I headed off on the eve of new year and camped overnight at the enormous and mysterious age old Temenggor Lake.
Camp on a helipad. 630am
I arrived at the start of my trek and noticed that the roaring sound of the river was loud and deafening.
How do I cross?
That meant monsoon season was still ongoing. Coupled with a heavy current, the menacing rocks did not help either. Anyway, I made my way through eventually
Not an easy job
and finally arrived at a more serene and calmer surroundings. I guess that was nature's way of thwarting unwanted visitors.

After clearing the challenging obstacles, I reckon I stumbled onto an amazing discovery - a pool twice the size I found 2 months ago. The colour of the pool was completely jade green. Who can resist falling in love with this spot?
Not a soul
Look how green the water is
Posing
Saw 4 hornbills flying across from this view
Check out the video
I went up to further explore upstream and since it was quite high in the mountains, cloud vapours forming around the mountains in the far end of the horizon was a sight to behold.
Loved the view on the horizon
Now, a word from my sponsor. If you noticed, I did not bring any water container and the picture below shows that I am drinking straight from the stream via a portable filter called LifeStraw. Lifestraw, a Swiss product that can filter a minimum of 700 litres, providing safe drinking water.Seriously, this device provides me with a lot of flexibility when it comes to moving around.Lifestraw is constantly on my neck and you can't never go wrong with Swiss made products for example Nestle. These guys brought us Maggi for crying out loud. You can now obtain your Lifestraw products in Malaysia from Nadir of Outdoor Dynamics (www.outdoordynamics.com.my)
LifeStraw in action
One last interesting bit from this adventure was coming across a section of the stream where it looked like a private shower room with two shower passages as seen in the video at the beginning of this blog. I love that it has like an opening path to the shower space with enclosing walls on either sides. Awesome isn't it? One thing though, you can't control the water volume and there is no such thing as a HOT shower here.
Two showers
Nice pic
Look at the pecs

What a great way to spend the first day of 2010!

Diving In Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:14:00 +0000

I have been diving pretty much these days and one of my recent destinations was to Tunku Abdul Rahman Park or fondly known as TARP in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. I tell you, we are lucky to be in Malaysia because we’re surrounded by awesome dive sites. If you are a Singaporean, the only place you could dive is probably at MacRitchie Reservoir.
It was a punishing hot day and the moment I got out of my transport, off with my shirt.

Il fait choud
H20 is a must
Kota Kinabalu is probably just inches away from the ocean and although it was brutally hot, a city located just next to the sea will always have their charm, for example Alexandria, New York and Kota Bharu.
I signed myself up with Sabah Divers and the entire 3 dive package at TARP was only RM200.00. Everything was included – gears, boat and lunch. That is like a crazy 80% warehouse sale in diving lingo.
My divemaster, Jason is probably 50 plus years old. He was a dive master in Sipadan for 2 years. Did I also mention he is quite grumpy at times? I guess staying in Sipadan for 2 years is akin to staying in Alcatraz. Doing the same thing day in and day out, regardless of where you are can be repetitively mind blowing. A balance is so needed for my divemaster.
We took a boat ride to Pulau Sapi and Pulau Gaya, two islands filled with lifejacket-wearing-ankle –deep-in-water tourists.
I saw my first black fan tail ray and several lion fishes.
I love compressed air
Backroll
Feeling pukey
During lunch, while chillaxing(I just learnt this word. It combines the words- chill and relax), two wild albino boars came out from the woods and mingled with the crowd. The pair were the most tamed wild boars I’ve seen and did I mention albino? They should be in the Proboscis monkey, orang utan, pygmy elephant group – endemic only to Sabah.
Albino wild boar
My 3rd dive ended about 5pm and what a glorious sunset to view. Ohhh how I love Sabah.
Blackberrying on the boat

Signal hill behind
I have 3 trips to Sabah in 2010. A Sipadan dive, a solo camping trip along the Liwagu river hopefully with Mt Kinabalu in the background and a sideways illegal entry into Maliau Basin(because I’m too frugal to pay RM3000)

American Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:16:00 +0000

I was sent to the United States Of America (USA) recently for work and extended my stay in Washington and Los Angeles.Los Angeles was my first destination, particularly Hollywood for some work and once I finished, I took some time off to do some sightseeing.
Satellite related matters
Huge crowds in Universal Studios. I reckon it would be the same for Singapore's version
Marilyn up to no good
Hung out on a beach in California
Pacing the streets of Hollywood at night

I also dropped by the San Diego Zoo, recognized as the world's best zoo after the Kuala Krai Zoo.
Entrance of San Diego Zoo
and I saw a mountain gorilla and a panda for the first time. I did not take a picture of the mountain gorilla but the moment I set my eyes on one, I froze and was in awe. Somehow, these magnificent creatures cast a spell on you. Now I know how Dian Fossey felt and why she fought for the mountain gorillas. Who has panda eyes?
I took this picture and was pleased with the outcome. Awesome shot isn't it?
Priscilla, Stephen, Amy and Jeff, I've registered your names as requested. You will be receiving a confirmation mail from the centre soon
I dropped by Washington for a bit and visited the most powerful house in the world- The White House.

White house
Ironically, there is also a White House in Kota Bharu, Kelantan and I think better and wiser decisions were made in this nasi berlauk coffee shop.
Kota Bharu's White House
National Geographic's headquarters was around the corner and I swear I thought I saw Dr Bob Ballard(He found the Titanic).
Nat Geog's HQ

I also hung around the Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Hill and the Washington Monument. If you watch movies like National Treasure or any government agency related themes, you'll see these monuments all the time.
Lincoln Memorial
Washington Monument
Blue blue sky
To those who know me well, you all know what my basic human rights are
What a grouch!!Sesame Street's 40th Anniversary

What can I say about America? I guess America is an alright place to visit but if you like cultural surroundings, America's not the destination. What I'm trying to say here is that we have buildings in Malaysia that have existed even before America was founded, hence America does not really have an enriching culture to absorb.

Radiation Exposure

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:20:00 +0000

You've heard of housing areas complaining about telecommunication towers being erected nearby their humble abodes. They're afraid of electromagnetic radiation spillovers that may cause bodily harm. Think Chernobyl?
As I work in the telecommunications industry, I am pretty much exposed to radiation everyday but the dosages are not harmful according to the International Telecommunications Union(ITU).
Satellite Earth Station
Recently, I had to climb into a very large satellite antenna dish for some technical intervention and the electromagnetic waves for one of these babies is ten times higher than the telecommunications towers you see by the roadside.
Climbing
The moment I stepped inside,
<I grew another pair of hands
ITU, you need to relook into your rules and regulations about electromagnetic radiation! It's not that I'm unhappy that I grew another pair of hands, but I wished that something else grew if you know what I mean.

My Stand Up Comedy Performance

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:02:00 +0000

Maybe I'm going through a mid life crisis but when TimeOut KL magazine announced that they were having stand up comedy performances, I jumped at the opportunity. So, ladies and gentleman, let me tell you this. I've gone camping alone, got lost in the jungle when I lost the GPS, hung around in tiger infested areas, explored the depths of the Belum rainforest, had my BCD hose explode while I was 60metres deep and took a ride in a Nuri helicopter. All these episodes never shook me to the core of my bones but an hour before my stand up comedy was the scariest moment in my life. My palms were sweaty, I paced up and down and words cannot describe how petrified I was to try to make people laugh. So here goes :
My attempt in stand up comedy

Let me know your verdict.

Layang Layang Island Work Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:09:00 +0000

I arrived on Layang Layang Island not for diving activities but for work actually. I was tasked to set up a satellite communications network on the island for the military base there and the only way to arrive on the island was a chartered Antonov Russian built plane. Russian Antonov plane on the landing strip
As a frugal manager, I needed to watch the budget for this site. The cost to travel all the way there is high and no mistakes can be made because if one forgets to bring even an Allen key, no work can be done on the island, thus a costing disaster. I was tres tres careful during the preparations.
Usually it takes 4 people to install,test and commission a satellite communication network. Three men to carry out the civil works(cement, cabling, wiring,etc) and one person to commission the equipment(usually me).
In order to cut cost, I decided that I was up for the civil works portion and so, my colleague and I took the flight to Layang Layang Island(RM800 each). From Kota Kinabalu's airport, the flight took at least an hour to reach Layang Layang Island it was an awesome view to see atolls and charming islands along the way.
Abundance of atolls
The moment we landed, it was work work work like removing the equipment and raw materials out from the cargo of the plane.
Removing items from the belly of plane
Assistance from the
military

After identifying the site,
Obtaining the azimuth and elevation
I started constructing the base and that's where the ordeal started. We did not bring sand for the cement base as we were on an island and sand surrounded us the whole time. Also, I needed to pay for the extra load on the chartered plane. So, there I was, with a shovel and a wheelbarrow in tow, I headed towards the beach. Shovel after shovel, I poured the sand into the wheelbarrow. Once filled, I carried it back to the site and dumped it nearby and headed back to the sandy area. I took at least 30 trips to and fro. Oh how my skin got burnt by the sizzling sun.
Sand shoveling time
Not easy as it looks especially when you have a pair of eyes looking at you. It's bordering to irritation
By the fifth trip, my shoulders were aching
Very repetitive

I've gathered enough sand now to start mixing it with the cement that I brought. I learnt this trade through watching other people and so we went on mixing and mixing.
That's right. University graduate mixing cement
I now know how an Indonesian construction worker feels
The hot sun really came down on me
Pouring the cement into the base
Not too bad eh

After 3 hours of mixing cement and pouring the cement onto the base, we left it overnight for it to dry. We continued the next day with the installation of the antenna and finally the commissioning.
Installation of antenna
Commissioning
We were scheduled to fly back to KK in 2 hours time and I took some time off so that I can visit a nearby island to watch migratory birds from Siberia nesting. Also I managed to catch an unforgettable sunset here before I left.
Migratory bird nesting
Siberian birds everywhere
Sunset on Layang Layang island
Sunset on Layang Layang island 2
Although it was a back breaking and tiring task,
Fatigue
I'm glad I completed the job with satisfactory results and more importantly, a sense of accomplishment.
Satisfied smile and look

Pulau Payar, Pulau Perhentian & Pulau Mabul In One Month

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:11:00 +0000

Pulau Payar

Before you guys go "Who the hell dives in Pulau Payar?", I had purchased my Langkawi ticket even before I took up my Open Water. It was supposed to be a holiday with my girlfriend but unfortunately, she became an ex girlfriend when the time came, hence I went to Langkawi alone.
Transpo from hotel to jetty
Pulau Payar
Suiting up
Semangat Diving
Just a few more seconds and I'm in the water
Or so I thought

I paid RM280 for 2 dives, boat transfer, hotel pick up, gears and lunch. I was the only one diving and had one Dive Master all to myself. I read in a dive forum that Payar has bad visibility and you know what....it's so true!! The vis was very very bad and it's not advisable for newbies like me because the bad vis experience will just put you off diving totally.
Apparently, the time that I dived was during the worst season in Payar. In fact, a Thai fishing boat had capsized recently and all the crews were missing. Plus, two tourists drowned by the beach a day before I arrived. The moment I descended, I knew I was in trouble. I couldn't see anything!! The current was strong because I could see the particles just coming directly at me. Another indication was the anemone flowing at only one direction, all bent on one side. I swam against the current and in 30 minutes, it was getting worst. My DM went near a rock to shield himself from the current and when I tried to do the same, I was swept up to the surface. As I was ascending, I tried deflating my BCD but I just kept going upwards. By that time,I had already lost sight of my DM. Panic did not sink in as I've gone through worst or similiar situations before. Imagine two jealous women I had to placate on Perhentian island..now that's a panic induced situation. Anyway,I surfaced and then I realized why it was a bad season. Huge swelling waves crashed onto me and what's scary was that I surfaced near jagged edge rocks. I then swam away from the rocks and looked for the boat. This is where I learnt a scuba diving lesson the hard way. I could see the boat but the boat could not see me due to the swell of the waves. If I had a whistle, I would have gotten the boatman's attention but without the whistle, there I was, floating on voilatile waves for about 15 minutes. At times, I swallowed sea water. So guys, bring a whistle at all times. The boatman spotted me and came over. By that time, my DM surfaced and he shook his head. We both knew why.
Dazed and confused
The second dive was no better but the only consolation was the sighting of giant groupers. These buggers were as huge as your car windscreen. Apparently, they're residential groupers there and it was a sight to behold. Other than that, it was bad viz.
I wouldn't recommend newbies to Payar as it would cloud their enthusiasm (no pun intended) for diving. Although, now I know the difference between bad viz and forever viz. Not to mention, how to stay calm when separated from your DM and last but not least- bring Mr Whistle during every dive.

Perhentian Island - Seahorse Dive Centre - Remaining Advance Open Water Course
My first underwater photo shot
I had 3 more adventure dives to obtain my AOWD. I chose Fish ID, Navigation and Night Dive. For my Fish ID adventure dive,I went to Tanjung Basi. At the boat, I was able to already view the corals from above. I descended and aw man...forever viz. What a relief after my nightmarish dive in Payar. I really needed this. Fishes were aplenty at Tanjung Basi and I was given a writing board and a pencil to identify the fishes. I place the board on my strap and 30 minutes later, I realized that the board was gone!!!! It must have slipped out while I was swimming along the rocks of Tanjung Basi. I signalled to my DM that I lost the board and he asked me where was my direction. He was accompanying an Open Water student. I just pointed to the opposite of where I swam and off we went to look for the board. I thought it was a lost cause but just ahead in the horizon, I saw a white object on top of a rock. By golly, it was the board!!! I swam towards and grabbed it with the thought that I've also executed the search and rescue adventure dive with this stunt. But this
shows that the current at Tanjung Basi was calm enough to not sweep my board away.

Next was Navigation Adventure Dive at Shark Point. I saw schools of bat fish, a baby turtle, sting ray and more. It was awesome. Anyway, navigation is super easy.

My last adventure dive was Night Dive. We did it in front of Seahorse Dive Centre and surfaced at the jetty of Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan Malaysia (LKIM) jetty. I saw groupers, rays swimming away, baby moray eel in one of the PVC tukun tiruans. I motioned to my DI to turn off his torch and I did the same. ABSOLUTE TOTAL DARKNESS. it was only for 5 seconds.
Graduation Ceremony at Sea Horse Dive Centre
With that, I obtained my AOWD but most importantly, my Perhentian dive regained my enthusiasm towards diving again with the excellent viz and amazing underwater life.

Mabul Island - Scuba Junkie, Semporna
I have a military project in Tawau and I went a day earlier to do day dives. Upon landing in Tawau, I rented a Kancil for RM100 and drove to Semporna the next morning from Tawau. If you take a cab from Tawau to Semporna, it's RM150 one way. Scuba Junkie charged 3 dives in Mabul for RM300.00 which includes boat, lunch and gears. I hooked up with Scuba Junkie and man oh man, the number of people diving off the Semporna islands were crazy.
There were at least 15 divers to Sibuan Island, 9 divers to Sipadan and 8 divers(my group) to Mabul. Semporna to Mabul took 40 minutes by boat.
My first dive was at Manta Point and I was excited because this was my first dive in the Celebes Sea. Back roll splash!!! Viz was good and something new I experienced, wall diving. There'd be corals corals corals and then, nothing else but the abyss. It was excellent. the marine life there was just superb.
Scuba Junkie office in Semporna
Boat full of divers

The moment we descended on the second dive, we saw a huge turtle resting. That was the biggest turtle I've seen and we continued on to see lion fishes, nudibranches and loads of trigger fishes. A giant moray eel was also there. It was just picture perfect. The sun's ray penetrated the water and red little fishes were just swarming over a colorful coral. Absolutely awesome.
Celebes Explorer Live On Board and Seaventures Oil Rig Turned Dive Centre Behind Me

The third dive was in front of Scuba Junkie's jetty. Guess how many turtles I saw in that stretch? Seven!!! Also, they were cuttlefishes, groupers and many more amazing underwater life. I saw a curving school of red snappers which made my jaw drop.

Celebes Sea = speechless. You don't have to spend like 4-5 days and taking leave to dive in Semporna. One can purchase Air Asia tickets to Tawau on a Friday night. Drive to Semporna the next morning. Do the 3 dives and fly back to KL on Sunday. It's doable enough to get a fix on your diving.
The island I went to for work
So there it is. My dives in 3 weekends and what do I think about it? I have to probably agree with Meatloaf that 2 dive locations out of 3 ain't bad. My last dive for the year will be at the end of September in Tioman. After that, no more dives until Febuary 2010.

Arguably The Most Dramatic Waterfall In Malaysia (Berkelah Waterfall)

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:24:00 +0000

Never have I seen such a beautiful, powerful and impressive waterfall in my life. I am talking about Berkelah Waterfalls. What's great about this waterfall is that it's only 2 hours from KL and a relatively easy trek. However, if it rains, I do not suggest any excursions there. That is because you need to trek on pencil thin ledges and you all know how to complete the sentence.

The beginning
Do start early because again, you all know how to complete the sentence. Don't go on weekends because it'll get crowded with hordes of people making peace signs when their pictures are taken. I'd rather listen to Andrew Ridgeley's(of Wham fame) solo album than to see that spectacle.

Anyway, the best part of the journey are the pools that you find along the way. Emerald pools like these below :
Emerald pool
Jump in
Be careful..it's deep
Perfect Pool
Arguably the best ass in Malaysia
Video Of Berkelah Fall

Reunited After 7 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:13:00 +0000

Back in 2002 when I was based in Borneo, my job was to set up a satellite communications network for more than 200 schools there. That meant travelling to god forsaken areas through any means of transportation as shown below :
Hours of walking in my special pants
Facial expressions says 5 more hours to go
Russian plane
Anyway, there was a picture taken while I was in the midst of work back then in 2002. In the picture below shows a young teacher looking in wonderment of the equipment I was handling. This project brought telephony and Internet access to their very very rural school, hence his excitement.
Cikgu in grey shirt,me in blue singlet circa 2002
Fast forward seven years later to 2009, I was asked to visit several of these schools involved in the project back in 2002 and in the list was the school now being mentioned. I brought along the picture and asked the headmaster if he could recognize the teacher. He said "Of course, that's Cikgu Albert!He is still with us" He summoned another teacher to call Cikgu Albert and for the first time in 7 years, we met. He did not recognize me until I showed him he picture. Since then, he has gotten married with 3 kids and still teaches at the school. Before I left, we took a picture together at the same spot for a Kodak moment.
2009
What can I say? Je suis tres tres dramatic.

My Personal War On Terror

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:44:00 +0000

Terrorism is still alive and kicking even after 8 years since 9/11 happened. What's worst is that it has spread to Malaysia's neighbouring countries like Indonesia(JI) and the Philippines(Abu Sayyaf).

I was recently given the opportunity to indirectly fight the war against terror through technology and it involved me travelling to the coastal cities of Borneo.
Hi tech equipment.That's me on the right without a shirt.Il fait chaud
On guard
Climbing the radar tower
Damn high tower
Training with a view
My task was to set up several high tech equipment for survelliance purposes on several key coastal locations. That meant taking 3 different kinds of transportation on a daily basis - car, boat and helicopter to reach the sites. It is scary at times when we still lifted off in a heli during bad weather. What did not help was also the sweltering heat of the sun but what is there to do when work beckons.
Transport No.1 = Van
Transport No.2 = Boat
Transport No.3 = Nuri Helicopter

Nevertheless, it never cease to amaze me that some of the places I go to are just absolutely gorgeous and dazzling.
This is nice
Blue blue blue ocean
All in all, I hope that my minor contribution played a key role in eradicating terrorism on Malaysian shores so that we can live without the threats of voilence but most importantly, so that we can dive peacefully in the Celebes Sea without the threats of terrorist basterds.
Khidmat Untuk Negara (Serving The Country)

Perhentian Island Challenge 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:26:00 +0000

Well, this was my third year participating in the annual Perhentian Island Challenge event. This time, I took the bus with a bunch of fellow participants and we were flagged off from KL to begin our 8 hour journey to Besut. Eventhough I had 2 seats to myself, sleeping was a major problem. I don't think a Cirque De Soleil contortionist can be comfortable in those seats either.

This year's race course only consists of one island - Perhentian Kecil which meant the organizers excluded the kayakking discipline. Oh how I love kayakking to and fro both islands at 2pm. That is when Perhentian really exudes her natural beauty. Anyway, the course had an 11km track which included trail running, 600m swim and a 500 step climb up to the twin wind turbines.

As usual, I was in my red speedos to the delight of everyone. I could hear the men saying "Alaaaa, speedo merah dia lagi tahun ni...." and the women "I wanna rip those speedos off with my mouth".

Red Speedo lagi

Pas de comment

We were flagged off at 1030am and as usual, we ran through trails that led us to Long Beach, Bubu Resort, Petani Chalet and the main village. I brought my camera along and captured some stunning shots of the Perhentian coastline.
4 minutes
Look at my semangat run

Nuff said
11am view of Perhentian Besar
Running by Petani Chalet
Undisclosed location of Perhentian
Fill up my CamelBak ladies!!
How many hours more to go??

While we were deep in the jungle and following the trails, sometimes we would encounter some participants running on the opposite direction and when I asked, they said they missed a checkpoint or two. Boy, will they suffer for their ignorance and lack of listening abilities during the race course briefing.

Another thing I noticed was that when I catch up with other participants in the jungle, I feel like I've made contact with The Others ala Lost.

By the time, I reached D Lagoon resort, it was 230pm. 4 hours have passed and with no training whatsoever before the race, cramps were apparent on my right leg. From D Lagoon, we were supposed to swim all the way to the shores at the bottom of the twin wind turbines. Halfway through the swim(awesome blue waters), my leg started to freeze up and aunt agony took over. Like a man, I took the pain....I took the pain for 2 minutes and after that, the cramps subsided for me to continue. I limped all the way through the 500 steps and occasionally, I'd look behind to absorb the most magnificent sight throughout the entire race. If you've been to Gunung Mat Chincang in Langkawi and was in awe with the view, you'll get exactly that when you're at the twin wind turbines.

How awesome is this?

500 Steps To The Twin Wind Turbines...Look at the view behind.The swim route was from the cove hidden from the photo

My facial expression : Shock and awe
I finally crossed the finishing line at 3pm with much funfare. We were shipped back to our tents and at around 6pm, a storm approached and unleashed hell. I felt like the campers in the Blair Witch Project with all the chaos going around outside of the tent. Most importantly, I got the best seats to watch the fireworks they usually have at the end of the ceremony.
I'm In Blood, Should I Wade No More, Returning Were As Tedious As To Go Over

Best seats to watch a 4 minute splendid fireworks
Join me at PIC 2010. This invitation only goes out to the ladies.

Successful Solo Expedition To A Remote Waterfall (After 2 Attempts!!)

noreply@blogger.com (Teoh Yew Aun) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:58:00 +0000

In my two previous blog posts http://yateoh.blogspot.com/2009/08/inpenetrable-boulders.html and http://yateoh.blogspot.com/2009/07/nature-escapes.html were testimonies of my unsuccessful attempts to reach a remote waterfall in this virtually unexplored region inside the Belum rainforest.

I am happy to report back to you guys that I have finally made it on my 3rd attempt and let me present you with this awesome picture before I describe the solo expedition.
Finally found what I've been looking for
Knowing what laid ahead after the boulders is the only reason I had to keep going. I had exhausted all 3 different routes to get over the boulders on my 1st and 2nd attempts and deduced that the only access across these gargantual boulders will be the right most route of the boulders. Hence, I name this route the Hornbill Route
Hornbill Route & Discovery Pool
because as I was climbing and hanging on precariously onto the boulders, wild hornbills were flying to a tree above me and it was simply spectacular. I had to use a rope to haul up my bags using this route so you can imagine how difficult it was.

The description in my map showed a huge pool nearby and here's a video of the discovery. I felt like Dr Bob Ballard when he discovered the Titanic or Hiram Bingham when he found Machu Picchu.
Video of Discovery Pool
Discovery Pool
My kind of pool

I took a break in this enormous deep pool to have lunch and also to have a look around. A huge tree provided me with some well needed shade as the sun was blazing. I thought my ordeal was over with the boulders but what I saw next made my heart skipped 3 beats. There lay in front of me on the sandy banks
TIGER PAW PRINTS

Alamak, not only tiger paw prints but fresh tiger paw prints!! Words cannot describe the fear that vibrated every bone in my body. However, as an adventurer and a solo adventurer I might add, I was prepared. I knew I was in a tiger infested zone and I came prepared. Although these were extra weights but precaution and safety is the most important part of my expedition. I brought along a toy gun that makes a RAT-TAT-TAT sound when you pull the trigger(RM5.00 from Toys R Us), a high pitched alarm device, firecracker(Pop Pop), parang and a flame thrower(a lighter and a can of spray). I wanted to wear a face mask at the back of my head but that only applies in the Sundarban, Bangladesh.
Taking pictures while having your back turned towards a tiger infested jungle is a no-no
Fresh tiger prints
They were here awhile ago I believe
Video showcasing fresh tiger paw prints

Tiger or no tiger, my objective was to reach the remote waterfall because simply it is there, quoting from Mr Mallory as to why he wanted to climb Everest. Anyway, my map showed that there was another enormous pool on the north east direction and straight on from there would be the remote waterfalls. Again, I had to climb over boulders but these were not as tough as the earlier ones. However, I have to be careful with boulders because some of these boulders are loose and may just crush me if I took a wrong step.
Heaving my backpack
True enough, I came to another awesome pool with a landscape to die for. Photography time and eventhough it was hot as hell with the sun rays bouncing off from the ridge's surface onto my body, the adrenalin rush just engulfed me. I love my adrenalin rushes.
What a view eh
Half an hour later and a constant lookout on my right hand side(A tiger may pounce out from the jungle fringes), I finally arrived my remote waterfall with a deep large pool as a bonus like what the map showed me.
Remote Falls
Deep pool
At the top
Full view of Remote Falls
I'm such a good swimmer
Speedos Summer Waterfall Collection
Free ads for Action Asia magazine
After 2 attempts with challenges such as 2 storey high and loose boulders, inpenetrable passages, crawling under rocks to get to the other side, hanging on a washed down log so that I don't get swept away by rapids and tiger threats, I am glad to say that .. I finally knocked the bastard off.
Contented