Escapy - 2017 - The Beats 2 - Digital Issue

Escapy
Escape Into A World Of Travel And Adventure
Beats & History
Selangor & Malacca
Kuda Kepang
Dancing With Spirits
Sky Mirror
A Place Of Wonder
Bull Power
A Traditional Vehicle
The Village Games
Spending Time At A Village
Butterflies & More
Malacca Buttefly & Reptile
Sanctuary
z
The Kabin
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Lots More Inside
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From The Chief’s Table
Dear friends,
Welcome to another issue of Escapy, your travel pocket magazine or “Pockezine”;
your magazine that is designed to be read on mobile devices.
Hitting the road (sea, or skies too) is a fantastic way to open up one’s mind as
one sees and experience different countries and cultures within these countries.
Doing so allows one to appreciate one’s life as well as others better. We
get to see how people from other countries live, the traditions they hold on to,
their beliefs, etc.
Traveling with an open mind without prejudice allows the people we visit in
different countries to welcome us with open arms. Take for example visiting a
village in Malacca (one of the articles featured in this issue) allows one to feel
the warmth and hospitality of the people that call the village home. With that
one get to experience the village better and make new friends in the process.
Travel and travel somemore. Don’t stop traveling. After all, the world is our
oyster.
Happy reading and I hope you enjoy this issue. I wish you safe travels.
Cheers,
Phil Foo
Editor In Chief

5
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Stone-Mashe Sdn. Bhd.
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No. 2, Jalan 1/127,
Off Jalan Kuchai Lama,
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Contact: 016 202 2635
Email: ann@stone-mashe.com

Contents Click To Go Directly To Article
Beats Of Selangor
Part 2
Page: 8
Kuala Selangor
& Bird Photography
For Beginners
Page:58
Malacca Butterfly
and Reptile
Sanctuary
Page: 110
Dancing With
Spirits;
Kuda Kepang
Page: 150
Sembunyi Spa
@ Cyberview
Resort And Spa
Page: 198
Coleman Instant
Shelter
Page: 220
Merrell Men’s All
Out Blaze Sieve
In Case You Didn’t
Know Melaka
March 2017
Page: 36
A Collection Of
Cool Cars
Page:70
Carting Around On
Bull Power
Page: 124
The Kabin
Escape Completely
Page: 168
Coleman®
DuraRest Airbeds
Page: 204
Coleman
WeatherTec
System
Page: 222
Abu Garcia
LAYERED HOODIE
A Magical Place
In The Middle Of
Nowhere
Page: 46
Experience Village
Life
Page: 94
Travel New
Zealand; Stay In
the Deep South
Page: 134
The Verandah
Restaurant
Page: 180
The Asia Urban
Youth Assembly
(AUYA) 2017
Page: 214
Oakley® Flak
2.0 XL Polarized
Sunglasses
Page: 224
Abu Garcia
SUN GUARD
Page: 225
Page: 228
Page: 230
To return to this page from the articles, click on this tab
Contents Page located at end page of all articles.
7

Travel Digest
Escapy
Beats Of
Selangor
A Journey
Through Cultures
Via Music And
Dances
Fact:
Music & dances
provides an
insight into
cultures.
#RentakSelangor
Part II

9
^ Kompang Kadaro showing us some beats.
Every culture have things that defines them such as
arts, architecture, music, etc. giving them a voice or an
identity that makes them unique in some ways and in
some ways show closeness or resemblance to other
cultures; perhaps of where roots begin or meet. It is by
understanding cultures that we can get a better understanding
and appreciation of each other.

^ A kuda kepang dance demonstration.
Recently on a program called The Beats Of Selangor
2 (Rentak Selangor 2) organized by Gaya Travel,
Selangor State Economic Development Planning Department
(UPEN), & Tourism Selangor, we had the
opportunity to explore the diversity of cultures of some
of the various ethnic groups that call Selangor home
through music and dances.

11
^ Bonang, one of the instruments in the gamelan ensemble.
First we went to Kuala Selangor to a place called
The Kabin where we stayed and enjoyed traditional
cultural performances with roots heading all
the way back to Indonesia. They are gamelan and
wayang kulit performances by Seni Budaya Warisan
Gamelan & Wayang Kulit from Pasir Panjang
in Sekinchan, Selangor. Another performance is
the kompang performance by kompang percussion
group called Kompang Kadaro from Pasir Panjang
too.

Gamelan
^ A gamelan ensemble
Gamelan hails from Java and Bali in Indonesia brought
over by migrants long ago when they migrated to Malaysia.
This traditional form of music is made up mostly
of percussive instruments such as gong, khendang
or gendang, bonang, xylophones, flutes, etc.

13
^ Gamelan musicians in action.
The gamelan is said to be created by Sang Hyang
Guru back in 167 (c. AD 230). He ruled as king of
all Java from a palace on the Maendra mountain in
Medang Kamulan (now Mount Lawu). He invented
the gamelan ensemble to summon the gods and to
send messages to the gods.

^ Musicians playing the xylaphones.

15
^ Musician playing the khendang.
These days the gamelan ensemble is played to accompany
dances as well as certain performances
such as Wayang Kulit or shadow play; giving it the
percussive background music as the performer tells
a story using flat puppets.

Wayang Kulit
^ Some of the wayang kulit characters.
Wayang kulit is a form of shadow puppetry where a
puppet master (called Tuk or Tok Dalang, in Malaysia)
performs various scenes using flat puppets creating
stories from behind a white cloth using a light
source to create shadows on the screen. These traditional
performance is found deep in Javanese and
Balinese cultures in Indonesia.

^ Wayang kulit characters.
17

^ More flat puppets for wayang kulit.
Wayang kulit was first called wayang where these
puppets would perform on stage very much like
a puppet show. It was adopted by the Hindus to
spread their religion, mostly telling stories from the
Mahabharata or the Ramayana.

19
Later when Islam begin spreading in Indonesia, the
puppets depicting gods in human form was prohibited.
However, an allowance was made to allow the
play of puppets to be done in shadow and thus the
term “wayang kulit” started being used.
Wayang kulit was brought over to Malaysia mainly
by Javanese migrants that migrated over from Java
many years ago. These days wayang kulit is performed
during special occasions and events.

Kompang Java Or Kompang Tiga
^ A kompang Java or kompang tiga group called Kompang
Kadaro.
Another form of music brought over by the Javanese
community into Malaysia is the Kompang Java or Kompang
Tiga of which translates to “Three Kompangs.”
Kompangs are single-sided handheld framed drums
that were brought over to Java in Indonesia, and to
Malaysia by Arab merchants and Indian Muslim traders.

21
^ Kompangs.
Kompangs are made using a round circular wooden
frame made of hard wood from jackfruit trees. The
head of the kompang is made of female goat hide,
buffalo hide, or cow hide; secured to the wooden
frame with metal tacks.

^ Kompang with built-in cymbals.

23
^ Kompang Kadaro in action.
Kompang groups are usually made of three musicians
each playing a rhythmic part of different tones
amongst the three forming a rhythmic beat. Kompang
Java or Kompang Tiga uses three sets of the
said three musicians to form three different rhythmic
parts, creating a more complex rhythm.

Off To Sungai Besar
^ Paddy fields offer a nice landscape.
For the next performance we headed to the paddy
fields of Sungai Besar, at a place called Homestay
Kampung Hj Dorani. This traditional kampung
style (village style) homestay is surrounded
by paddy fields that makes for a beautiful relaxing
landscape. Here we got to experience a spine
chilling cultural performance called Kuda Kepang.

25
Kuda Kepang
^ A kuda kepang dance demonstration.
The Javanese people from Java in Indonesia has
for a long time migrated over to Malaysia bringing
along with them their cultures and one of them is
the Kuda Kepang performance; a ritualistic dance
involving spirits of deities possessing its performers
who dance around with flat bamboo weaved wooden
horses, to traditional beats. This performance is
usually performed on special occasions.

^ The Malaysian version of a Beetle’s Album cover.
Guess which one...
Kuda Kepang is a performance that draws the attention
of viewers into a mysterious realm where
performers do things that are humanly impossible
with the help of spirits such as eating fire burning
coal, glass, etc., and not having issues with being
hit on the head with a coconut (that exploded
upon impact) that was thrown to a height of some
two to three stories high.

27
^ Some of my friends with the mask of animals and deities
used during the kuda kepang performance.
The Kuda Kepang performance begins with a shaman
doing some form of ritual together with the dancers,
burning incense and “bathing” in the smoke as
the shaman recites some verses. The performance
then continues with a dance where the dancers and
their wooden horses gallop about in a circle. A man
with a whip controls the dance by cracking the whip
to change the moves.

^ A kuda kepang performer that uses a whip to control
the performance.
As the dance progresses these dancers go into a
trance with spirits of deities and animals taking
control of them. They then start to mimic the animals
and deities that have possessed them. The
performance continues until the shaman removes
all spirits and send them back to their realm before
closing the door between our world and theirs.
The performance can go on for hours.

29
^ Kuda kepang demonstration.
This demonstration was done during the day and
all appeared normal. But at night, the real performance
in the middle of paddy fields is something
paranormal and downright bone chilling.
Checkout full article in this issue...

Lion Dance
^ A lion head used during lion dance performances.
The final performance that we got to experience
on this program is a lion dance performance that
comes from China, brought over by the Chinese
that migrated to Malaysia a long time ago. We visited
the world famous lion dance master, Master
Siow who has 47 troupes around the world including
Indonesia, Africa, etc.

31
^ The eye of a black lion.
Lion dance in Malaysia uses the performing styles
from the South of China, also called the Southern
lion. The performance tells various stories from funny
stories to stories dating back to the many dynasties
in China.

^ Master Siow demonstrates drumming.

33
^ A lion going airborne defying gravty.
Lion dance performances uses various lions of various
colours that perform stunts, funny antics, etc.
to the accompaniment of drums and cymbals. They
dance according to the rhythm played by the musicians.
They dance on the ground, run on poles,
take flight from pole to pole, and sometimes “eat”
cabbage or oranges; bringing good luck to all.

^ Kuda kepang riders riding into the sunset.
All in all the Beats of Selangor 2 program was an
entraining and educational program that highlights
some of the cultures that have for many years
settled down in Selangor, Malaysia. It is good that
these cultures and traditions are kept alive for all,
especially the future generations of Malaysians. Kudos
to Gaya Travel, Selangor State Economic Development
Planning Department (UPEN), & Tourism
Selangor for organizing this event.

Contents Page
35

Travel Digest
Escapy
#ICYDK
Melaka
In Case You
Didn’t Know
Melaka March
2017
Fact:
Malacca city is a
UNESCO World
Heritage site.

37
^ Historical Christ Church at the Red Square.
In Case You Didn’t Know Melaka (#ICYDKMelaka)
March 2017 is a program organized by Gaya Travel,
Tourism Melaka, and the Malacca state government to
highlight the various attractions in the historical city of
Malacca; a UNESCO world heritage city.

Village Life
^ A tour of Kampung Balik Bukit (Balik Bukit Village).
The attractions in Malacca are plenty and in this
program we spent some time in a village called
Kampung Balik Bukit, the birth place of the bullock
cart in Malacca. Here we visited the bullock
cart workshop, watched “village games,” indulged
in local delicacies such as “asam pedas” dishes
(spicy tamarind and chilli dishes), etc.
More in this issue...

39
Hang Tuah Centre
^ A mock traditional Malay wedding.
We visited the Hang Tuah Centre where we experienced
local traditional customs such as a local Malay
wedding (mock wedding), participated in traditional
games, visited a traditional Malacca house,
and the Hang Tuah well.
Note: Hang Tuah is a legendary warrior whom together
with four friends protected the Malacca royal
family back in the day.

Melaka River Cruise
^ A night scene of the Casa Del Mar Resort in Malacca.
One “must do” activity is to go on the Melaka River
Cruise. This time round we cruised the river at
night seeing a different atmosphere of the sites
of which consisted of various historical sites, villages,
riverside buildings, etc.

http://www.theasianpublisher.com/magazine/escapy/issues/2016/11-nov/mobile/index.html#8
41
^ The Venice of the east; Malacca.
A cruise during the day will allow for better photography
and it is recommended as ample light is available.
For a more unique scene I recommend going
for the sunset cruise where warmer lights make for
lovely sunset photos.
To read more about the Malacca River Cruise click
here to go to a previous issue.
To Article

Malacca Butterfly & Reptile
Sanctuary
^ A beautiful butterfly at rest.
The Malacca Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary is a
good place to visit. There are butterflies, reptiles,
insects, and birds that call the sanctuary home.
The Malacca Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary is managed
by experts that look into the conservation,
especially of butterflies.
Checkout article in this issue...

43
A Walk In The Historical
City
^ The A Famosa, Portuguese fort at night.
Malacca, being a UNESCO heritage city; it is a
must for visitors to visit the historical sites such as
St. Pauls hill, St. Paul’s Church, A Famosa fort, the
Stadthuys or Red Square, the various museums
such as the maritime museum (replica of the Flor
do Mar Portuguese carrack ship), etc.

^ An old train head / engine on display at the foot of St.
Paul’s Hill

http://www.theasianpublisher.com/magazine/escapy/issues/2016/11-nov/mobile/index.html
^ Hatten Hotel Melaka; our home during our trip. Lovely
suites.
Malacca has lots of history to share and attractions
to offer. More attraction are available in an earlier
issue of Escapy from an earlier “In Case You Didn’t
Know Melaka (#ICYDKMelaka)” program that was
done back in 2016. Click below to go to issue.
To Issue
Contents Page
45

Travel Guide
Escapy
Sky
Mirror
A Magical
Place In The
Middle Of
Nowhere
Interesting:
Take A Photo of
nothingness all
around.

47
^ The island is there. See if you can spot it.
The sea hides all sorts of things from sunken treasures,
wrecked whips, to old sunken civilizations.
One other thing that the sea hides out of sight are
islands. Some islands are always visible while some
appear only during low tides. This place called Sky
Mirror is one of such islands.

Sasaran
^ This boat took us to Sky Mirror.
To get to Sky Mirror we had to first get to a jetty
in Sasaran. This jetty is by a river called Sungai
Buluh River, a fantastic place to see and photograph
birds. From here we took a speed boat on a
journey that took us some 40 minutes to a place
unseen while on the boat.

49
^ Group photo at Sky Mirror.
In the middle of nowhere whilst still floating on the
sea our boat stopped and we were told that we have
arrived. in about a minute the boatman parked the
boat and we jumped out on a piece of land made
up of very fine sand. To other folks arriving we must
look like people walking on water.

Habitat Of Sea Creatures
^ There is the big one, and there is a little one - sea snails.
This piece of land in the middle of the sea is a habitat
to a few sea creatures especially sea snails.
Not just any sea snails but jumping sea snails.
These little sea snails look like colourful pearls
reflecting sunlight. They have the ability to jump
in order to escape predators.

51
^ A big blue swimmer crab resting in the sand.
Other sea creatures include crabs. I saw a big blue
swimmer sand crab and lots of sand bubbler crabs
that call this place home. Other denizens of the sea
found here include various types of hermit crabs,
squid, and cuttlefish (saw lots of cuttlefish eggs).

^ A cluster of squid eggs.

^ A cluster of cuttlefish eggs.
53

^ Lots of sand bubbler crabs.

^ A hermit crab hiding in its shell.
55

Photography
^ Magical photography.
Sky Mirror got its name because it allows for some
really special photography effects; as if one is flying
in the sky, and that I think is how this place
got the name Sky Mirror. This is due to the reflections
on the water as well as the nothingness in
the background except for the sky. Sky mirror is
the Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) of Malaysia.

More Information
^ Some friends taking off. Photo by: Sky Mirror Tour & Travel.
Sky Mirror Tour & Travel Sdb Bhd
15, Jalan Yu 1, 45800 Pekan Sasaran,
Kuala Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel: +6019 266 6665 (YM Lim)
Email: skymirrortour@gmail.com
Website: https://www.facebook.com/skymirrortour/
Contents Page
57

Travel Guide
Philemon Foo
Shooting
Birds
Kuala Selangor
& Bird
Photography
For Beginners
Interesting:
One don’t need
high-end equipment
to shoot
birds here.

Photographers will have a field day in Kuala Selangor
no matter what type of photography you
enjoy. One type of photography to do here without
spending a bomb on high powered lenses is
bird photography. Kuala Selangor is a good place
to shoot birds for both professional bird photographers
as well as those who are starting out.
59

^ A seabird hanging out on the transom of a boat.
While professional bird photographers will have a
field day here, beginners will find this place a good
place to start. One just needs to make one’s way
to the Sungai Buluh River in Sasaran, Kuala Selangor.

61
Shooting From Land
^ The jetty by the Sungai Buloh River.
Here at the jetty in Sungai Buloh River one can start
photographing birds from the shell laden banks of
the river. There are wooden jetties where one can
shoot from but be extra careful should you decide
to shoot there as these jetties are rickety wooden
jetties, and can get slippery.

^ A heron standing on an upside down bucket.
Lots of birds fly about the river passing along its
banks. Birds such as herons, egrets, eagles, kingfishers,
and various other seabirds fly about here.
They even perch on tree stumps, trees, and walk
along the banks. There is a community of herons
that live on a few trees slightly further in.

63
Shooting From A Boat
^ A seabird following our boat.
My preferred choice is to shoot from a boat. There
are boat trips that take visitors to a place called Sky
Mirror (very interesting place) and as one journeys
there, one gets lots of bird photo shooting opportunities
from herons that walk about the banks to sea
birds that sometimes follow the boats.

^ A great blue heron looking for fish at the river mouth.
Of course shooting on a boat can get tricky especially
with the waves hit against the boat causing
the boat to rock. Steady hands and good “sea legs”
will come in handy. Using huge L lenses here will
be difficult and lighter more manageable telephoto
lenses is recommended.

65
Equipment
^ Checkout this punk of a bird.
Well, a good telephoto zoom lens is recommended.
Of course the higher the zoom and faster the lens
the better. Here one can start with a 70-250mm lens
(low budget lens) but choose to shoot with good
lighting; perhaps nearing noon onwards. Yes, harsh
lighting can be an issue but one can play with one’s
camera settings to get the best possible shot; also
manage one’s shooting angle.

My Tools
I took all my bird shots using my trusty workhorse;
Canon 700D accompanied with a Tamron 70-
300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD lens which did a decent
job on this trip of mine. I shot on land as well as on
a rocking boat.

67
Things To Note
^ Splashes of seawater & cameras do not go together
well.
Should one decide to shoot from a boat one must
be extra careful since water can and will splash into
the boat getting your equipment and you wet. Seawater
and electronics do not go well together. Keep
your camera in a waterproof bag when the boat is
on the go (cruising speed).

^ Ever saw a similar shot in a National Geographic
magazine? Shot taken at the Sungai Buloh River
mouth.
Another thing to note is that when water gets into
the boat, the deck becomes slippery and I have
seen many a person slip and fall during many fishing
trips. These photographing trips are no different.
One thing I always tell people is to leave their
Crocs sandals at home and wear rubber shoes on
boat trips. Crocs get really slippery, especially the
fake ones.

More Information
Address:
Jetty Kebun Kerang Sungai Buluh, Sungai Buluh
Jeram, 45600 Jeram, Selangor, Malaysia.
Google Maps Coordinates: 3.255925, 101.302882
Google Maps
Contents Page
69

Travel Guide
Philemon Foo
National
Automobile
Museum
Sepang
A Collection
Of Cool Cars
Fact:
Malaysia does
indeed make
cool cars.
Buforis are
made in...

71
^ Checkout the air intake of this car. This is made in
Malaysia.
For car lovers, the National Automobile Museum
at the Sepang International Circuit is worth a visit.
The National Automobile Museum may not be a
large automobile museum but it showcases some
worthy collections. It also traces back the history of
the Malaysian automobile efforts being Proton and
Perodua.

An Interesting Collection
I love cars but I have not heard of the Brush Mobile.
Have you? The Brush Mobile is not a vehicle created
for cleaning streets or sweeping floors. It is an actual
car made by the Brush Electrical Engineering Company
in Loughborough, Leicestershire in England.
This is one of the interesting cars here.

^ The front of the Brush Mobile.
73

^ A karosene headlight of the Brush Mobile.

^ The front grill of the Brush Mobile.
75

^ The cabin of the Brush Mobile.

^ The horn of the Brush Mobile.
77

^ Checkout the wheels on the Brush Mobile.

Alvis
^ A beautiful Alvis Firefly Tourer.
Another interesting collection is an Alvis Firefly
Tourer that was made in Coventry, England (don’t
tell me you’ve not heard of this too, come on) by
the Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd. back
in 1932 to 1935 with sales numbers said to be 871
sold.
Note: The explanation board at the museum says 1934
but our research shows 1932 (H&H United Kingdom).
79

^ Side profile of the Alvis Firefly Tourer.
The Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd was later
bought by Rover, that got bought over by British Leyland,
and after sailing through quite a few troubled
seas and name changes; is now owned by SAIC Motor
Corporation Limited of China.

^ The Alvis Firefly Tourer as seen from the front.
81

Jaguar D-Type
^ The beautiful Jaguar D-Type
Of course a car that makes a car collection worth
checking out is the Jaguar D-Type, a revolutionary
car during its time (1954) that was built to race. It had
aerodynamic superiority over many of its rivals beating
the Ferrari’s maximum speed of 160.1 mph on the
Mulsanne Straight during the 1954 24 hours Le Mans
race, with a maximum speed of 172.8mph. Still, Ferrari
won that year as the D-Type had fuel starvation
issues.

83
^ The D-Type and its sexy curves.
The Jaguar D-Type returned in 1955 with a longer
nose and modification to its engines, this time running
with larger valves. To cut a long story short,
the Jaguar D-Types won that year and continued to
win in the 1956 and 1957 Le Mans races. The D-
Type won other races too.

^ The front of the D-Type.

85
Other Cars
^ A lovely looking MG TD.
Other cars at the National Automobile Museum in
Sepang are an Austin Healey, an old Ford Speedster
that was built on the Ford Model T chassis (pronounced
cha see and not cha sees), a MG TD, a
MG TC, various Buforis (proudly Malaysian made),
a few Proton and Perodua cars, Jaguh bikes, etc.

^ The very cool Ford Speedster.

^ Side shot of the Ford Speedster.
87

^ Simple basic cockpit.

^ A beautiful Bufori - built in Malaysia.
89

^ Another beautiful Bufori

91
Worth A Visit
^ A lovely Bufori TD2000.
Should you visit the Sepang International Circuit or
should you land at the Sepang International Airport,
do pay the National Automobile Museum in Sepang
a visit especially if you love cars. Admission is free.
All the more reason to visit.

^ The cockpit of the Bufori TD2000.

^ Front shot of the Bufori TD2000
Address:
National Automobile Museum, Litar Antarabangsa
Sepang, Jalan Pekeliling, 64000 Sepang, Selangor,
64000, Malaysia.
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/t8VTsxNJ3uL2
Phone: +60 3-8787 4759
Hours: 9am to 6pm
Open daily
Contents Page
93

Travel Guide
Escapy
Experience Village Life
With homestays mushrooming, travellers will be able
to experience what it is like living in a village. Of course
these homestays are managed by independent owners,
many of whom have no training in hospitality; so they do
their best to treat you well and thus they treat you like
family.

I recently had an opportunity to spend time at a village
in Malacca together with a group of friends who
are from the media too during a program called In Case
You Didn’t Know Melaka (#ICYDKMelaka). This village
is called Kampung Balik Bukit or Balik Bukit Village. Our
visit coincided with a program that was going on here
done between a university and the village folks; some
form of village games or sports. So, What’s there to do?
95

Bullock Cart Rides
One thing to do here is to go on a bullock cart ride
around the village taking in the sights and sounds.
Kampung Balik Bukit is after all the birth place of the
bullock cart in Malacca. A bullock cart ride certainly
is one unique experience and I am lucky to ride in
an authentic one.
Do read the article on bullock cart rides in this issue
for more information.

97
Visit The Bullock Cart
Bullock carts used to be built here in good numbers during
its heyday but orders have since dropped. These
days the workshops does mainly repair and maintenance
work on bullock carts. We visited this workshop
and got a better understanding of how they are built, the
parts that are used (main parts), and also got to meet
some of the bulls.

Horse Riding
^ Riding horses is lots of fun and can be done here.
Apart from riding in a bullock cart, there are horses
here too. I love horses and having owned one before
I was drawn to them like magnet to metal. Horse riding
and horse cart riding are available here by Batrisya
Stable & Riding Centre. They offer horse riding
lessons too.

99
Contact
Batrisya Stable & Riding Centre
Encik (Mr) Samsudin
Contact: 019-7563341 / 012-7653341

Buffalo Rides
^ One of the buffalos at the village waiting to be rode.
During the “kampung games” or village games I was
offered to ride a buffalo. I declined as I had my photography
equipment with me and we had an event
to cover right after this visit at the village and didn’t
want to look like Buffalo Bill or the Sundance Kid.
Also, not a good time to be staying in a hospital
should the buffalo decide to go crazy.

101
^ A buffalo rider in action.
Anyway, I got to see the local village folks climb
onto buffalos and ride around in the mud. Yes, the
rides were in the mud. There was also this one guy
who tried getting onto one of the buffalos but it kept
running away. When the buffalo ran he fell into the
mud. Still, he managed to get on after about 5 minutes
of trying and countless time falling. It was funny
to watch.

Village Games
^ Kds playing in mud... normal in the village.
When we arrived the games had already started.
Muddied participant were all over the place. There
was a mud race (sprint) in a pool of mud going on.
Folks were running in mud to see who would reach
the finish line first.

103
^ Ready for the ”palm leave race.”
Then came the “palm leave race,” a race where
adults tow children who are sitting on palm leaves
to the finish line; running on mud. One adult pulling
one child on a bunch of coconut leaves sprinting
across a muddy pool the size of maybe half a football
field. From the looks of the faces of the participants
they were having lots of fun.

^ Champion duck catcher from a local university.
Another funny game that got me clicking away on
my camera was the duck catching race. Three ducks
were released at one end of the muddy pool. Participants
gathered at the opposite end and at the blow
of the whistle, these participants ran after the ducks.
The team with the most ducks caught won. The university
team did very well here catching most of the
ducks.

105
^ Fun in the mud... Tug of war.
Other games included a tug of war where the village
folks proved too hard to beat. There was also
a football match in the muddy pool, a funny match
to watch as the football does not roll far in muddy
waters.

^ Football action.
Participants were really having lots of fun in the
mud and at the end of the games, the village team
emerged victorious over the university team. The
prizes were given out by the Chief Minister of Malacca,
Datuk Seri Ir. Idris Haron.

107
Savouring Local Delicacies
^ Asam pedas fish, a very delicious dish.
No village experience in complete without savouring
some of the local delights. Here we got to indulge
our taste buds, filling our tummies with tasty
curry dishes, fried chicken, etc. But personally I enjoyed
the dessert most. We were served with chilli
fried popiah (spring rolls) that were delicious.

^ Village games announcers and referees.
One way you to could experience village life is to
stay at one of the villages that offers homestays in
Malacca. Most homestays will offer activities such
as traditional games, a visit to certain attractions
or places within the village such as fruit orchards,
farms, etc. In this case one gets to ride horses and
bullock carts.
*In Case You Didn’t Know Melaka (#ICYDKMelaka)
was organized by Gaya Travel & Tourism Melaka.

Contents Page 109
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Travel Guide
Philemon Foo
Malacca Butterfly and
Reptile Sanctuary
For those who love butterflies and reptiles, the Malacca
Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary is a place not to be
missed. The Malacca Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary
first opened its doors to the public on the 1st of February
1991 covering some 11 acres of jungle land.

111
^ This here is one mean looking grasshopper.
When they first started, they only showcased butterflies.
They have since become a sanctuary for reptiles such
as snakes and crocodiles, birds, and insects like the rhinoceros
beetles, various species of grasshoppers and
stick insects.

Reptile Walk
^ Always smiling, always happy... I hope.
At the reptile walk one will see snakes, frogs, iguanas,
etc. One reptile that is uniquely cute is the smiling
frog. Yes, this frog has a face that is always smiling.
These frogs are tree frogs. They look fat and
can grow to about 5 inches in length.

113
^ A big crocodile relaxing.
But amongst all the reptiles, one that has always
gotten my attention are the crocodiles (and alligators
too). These close relatives of the dinosaurs are
fearsome predators and I like watching them. The
Malacca Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary allows visitors
to observe them from a safe area.

Birds
^ The southern crowned pigeon.
I like birds and I love photographing them. There
are lots of birds here from a white peacock to various
types of parrots or macaws to pigeons. One of
the birds that caught my attention was this “crazy
haired” pigeon known as the southern crowned pigoen
(Goura Scheepmakeri). It has this trojan like
crown on its head.

115
^ Me learning what a pirate captain feels like... haha.
During my visit I had the opportunity to befriend a
blue and yellow macaw, and got to feel what it is
like being a pirate with a bird sitting on one’s shoulder.
This friendly and very trained macaw leaned its
head on mine and posed for the camera. I was telepathically
sending it one very important message;
“don’t poop now big birdie.”

Insects And Beetles
^ Huge mural of whales on the wall.
The insects section here is not big but the insects
are big and healthy. There are large stick insects,
a few cool gangster looking grasshoppers, and of
course butterflies and moths. Amongst them the
coolest looking ones are the big rhinoceros beetles;
well, to me at least. The look menacing and tough.

117
Home Of Butterflies
^ A butterfly posing for the camera.
This title may very well be true in the not so far
away future. One thing I learnt during my visit here
is that butterflies are a stickler to certain flowers.
This means that a certain species of butterfly will
only feed from one type of flower. They will not feed
on other types of flowers.

^ A great eggfly butterfly sitting on a leaf.
Having such feeding habits poses one problem.
When we remove certain plants and flowers, the butterflies
lose their food source at that particular area.
When that happens they have to fly further in search
of their one and only type of flower before they die.

119
^ A paper kite butterfly.
As more and more forests are being cleared to make
way for development, certain species of butterflies
will go extinct (some already have) without a food
source to support them. One species in particular
is the Paper Kite Butterfly (Ideo leuconoe) of which
are now really low in numbers out in the wild.

^ A paper kite butterfly feeding on artificial nectar.
Before one starts shooting down the idea of artificially
feeding these beautiful butterflies perhaps one
should know that some of these butterflies will not
make it out in the wild due to a lack of food sources
and their only chance of survival is here at the Malacca
Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary.

121
^ The Rajah Brooke; Malaysia’s national butterfly.
The Malacca Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary is
home to 20 different species of butterflies, including
the Black and White Helen (Papilio nephelus), Malayan
Birdwing (Troides), and the Rajah Brooke’s
Birdwing of which is the Malaysian National Butterfly.

Most Memorable
^ One of my butterflies.
To me the most memorable part of the trip was to
bring home or adopt two butterfly pupas. I took my
two little ones home and secured them to one of
my plants. After about 4 days they hatched and out
came 2 butterflies known as the great eggfly (Hypolimnas
bolina); a male and a female. Now I can say
that I have helped put more butterflies in my garden
and surrounding gardens.

Additional Information
Address:
Malacca Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary
(Taman Rama-rama & Reptilia Melaka)
Education Department
Lebuh Ayer Keroh,
75450 Melaka, Malaysia.
GPS location is at N2.299988,E102.312412
Contact: +606 232 0033
Email: antenna@butterflyreptile.com
Open Daily
Operating hours: 8.30am to 5.30pm
Entrance fees: Adult RM22.00* per person
Child (3 - 12 years old) RM16.00*
per person
Contents Page
123

Travel Guide
Philemon Foo
Carting Around On Bull
Power
I wished this article is about a tour of a place in a Lamborghini,
the exotic sports car with a bull emblem but
unfortunately it is not. It is in fact better in many ways
except for speed. We are talking real bull power (not
horse power).

125
^ Heavily decorated trishaws on the streets of Malacca.
While touring a place is usually done on motorized
vehicles likes cars, busses, trams, bikes, and bicycles
(still in the group); this time I had the opportunity
to go on a bull powered cart also known as a
bullock cart.

Going Obsolete
^ A bullock cart being prepared for the ride.
One of the dying attractions in Malacca is the bullock
cart ride. They are being overtaken by other
rides such as the trishaws with their fancy lighting
and decor. However, there are still bullock cart rides
available and we rode on one at a village called
Kampung Balik Bukit (Balik Bukit Village), known as
the birth place of the bullock cart in Malacca.

127
Bullock Cart Builder
^ A part of the bullock cart.
It is in this village that bullock carts were once built
back in its heyday. Encik (or Mr) Samsudin the owner
of the bullock cart factory has since saw a stop
in people wanting to build bullock carts. Now his
factory does mainly repair works on current bullock
carts.

Slow & Steady
^ A traditional bullock cart.
When it comes to bullock cart rides; speed does
not come to mind. A slow and steady pace makes
this ride enjoyable. We were taken for a scenic ride
around the village taking in the village scene on a
tranquil evening. When we rode passed houses with
children playing outside, they (children) ran after the
cart and one even jumped on and followed us on our
ride.

129
Choose Wisely
^ The bullock cart that I chose.
There are two types of bullock carts that offers
rides. One is the more beautiful looking traditional
cart of which is smaller in size but has a “Minangkabau”
styled roof that looks lovely, and has traditional
wooden wheels with a steel band holding it in
place.

^ A more open bullock cart.
The other type is a simple wooden cart that looks
slightly bigger but without a roof, and uses a modern
rubber tyre (lorry tyre). It may not look as nice as the
earlier one but give it some thought. Now, amongst
the two carts, which would you choose to ride on?

131
^ Walking along the trail at Granite Island.
I chose to go on the nicer looking traditional one,
the one with the nice roof and traditional wheels.
With close to zero absorption (no absorbers) my
bones were loosen after the very bumpy ride on the
village’s granite road. The ride was better on tarred
road. Perhaps the one with the rubber tyres would
have been a more comfortable choice. So, Which
did you choose?

^ A bullock cart with rubber wheels.

Additional Information
Should you want to ride in a bullock cart in Malacca,
give Encik Samsudin a call at:
Batrisya Stable & Riding Centre
Contact: 019-7563341 / 012-7653341
Note: En. Samsudin also offers horse riding and
horse riding lessons.
Contents Page
133

Travel Guide
Sue Farley
Stay In the Deep South
^ Lake Moeraki Lodge - penguins.
In keeping with the gigantic peaks of the Southern Alps,
the dense green softness of the South Westland rainforest,
the flashing white surf breaking on a rocky coastal
shore and the edgy blueness of the southern lakes on a
sunny day, the lodges and resorts of the deep south of
New Zealand cover all the options.

135
^ Lake Moeraki Lodge.
Within a week I visited four very different places- from
an eco-friendly wilderness lodge just north of Haast, to a
hotel perched high above the Shotover River, a central
city hotel in Christchurch, and a golf resort near Queenstown
that has hosted many big names.

Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge
^ Lake Moeraki Lodge - more penguins.
It had started raining further north at Franz Josef
and carried on relentlessly as we drove down
through the thick wet rainforest this World Heritage
Area is acclaimed for. Arriving at the lodge, with its
huge open fire roaring in the main lounge and the
gentle flicker of low wattage lights in the rooms,
gave me a chance to relax and catch up with the
surroundings.

137
Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge is spread along the
northern bank of the Moeraki River just a short way
from where it leaves the lake of the same name.
Surrounded by 1,000 year old kahikatea and rimu
trees, and straddling geologically significant layers
of prehistoric sedimentary rocks, the local environment
is world-class. A short 45 minute walk out to
the coast at Monro Beach highlights this to perfection.
With 28 guest rooms numbers are usually such
that a stay at the lodge is an intimate experience.
Guests eat together in the Riverside Restaurant
and the cuisine is all fresh, mainly local produce
from the West Coast and Otago. The wine list reflects
Frank’s love of wine with a 90% New Zealand
showing. A special touch is the small hydro scheme
on the river out front that provides all the power
used at the lodge.

^ Lake Moeraki Lodge - accommodation.
Moving south the next morning, the drive through
Haast and over the Haast Pass to Wanaka is one of
the best - a primeval area of high peaks divided by
deep valleys filled with plunging waterfalls and dark
green beech forest.
Link:
http://wildernessnewzealand.com/lake-moeraki-wilderness-lodge-main/

139
Nugget Point Hotel
Just out of Queenstown, the setting at Nugget Point
is commanding, at the very least. The hotel sits high
above the Shotover River, tourist jet boats just a
mere wake of weaving white water far below, as the
eye is carried high above to the soaring crags of the
surrounding ranges. It is also close to a huge range
of extreme and mountain sports with the bungy
bridges, jet boat rivers, ski fields and parapenting
bluffs nearby.
Describing themselves as ‘mid-range’ on the luxury
hotel scale, Nugget Point’s guests come from
around the world. With a spectacular setting and
stunning views, it will get you close to all the action
in the Queenstown area and within a day trip of Milford
Sound – one of New Zealand’s great natural
treasures.

Millbrook Resort
^ Millbrook Golf Spa & Resort, Queenstown.
Built in an imposing style of part resort, part ownyour-own
condo retreat, Millbrook is an excellent
place to base your self while in the Queenstown
area. It’s far enough from town that you’re away
from the tourists and parking hassles, but close
enough that you can jump in the car and drive there
for dinner.

141
^ Millbrook villa accommodation.
Villas can be rented singly, or joined together for
a more substantial party, and the on-site restaurant
and café, the golf course, swimming pool, spa
and gym provide all the entertainment for an active
break away.

^ Millbrook Golf course.
Millbrook has a 27 hole championship golf course,
and hosted the NZ Open this year. It also has an
excellent gym, a very pampering day spa, long lap
pool and a stunning view out to the surrounding
mountains and ski areas.
Link:
http://wildernessnewzealand.com/mill-brook-golf-spa-resort-main/

^ Millbrook Golf course with the villas.
143

The George
^ The George, Christchurch.
A central city hotel may seem an odd place to add
to a round-up of unique southern accommodations,
but as I travelled around I invariably found that people
I met in the various places had stayed there.
The George provides the ideal place to stopover in
Christchurch before or after a long flight, or before
heading off to the mountains or the lakes or a trip on
the TranzAlpine train.

145
^ The George, lobby.
Two of the reasons for The George’s popularity sit
right under the roof - the Pescatore Restaurant and
the 50 On the Park Café. Both regularly win awards
for their cuisine and presentation.

^ The George, accomodation.
Some rooms have a view over the Avon River,
which ambles gently by out the window. Suites are
nice enough to live in forever.Soft shades of vanilla,
beige and lime create a light airy atmosphere and
the golden lilies on the glass tables top it off nicely.

147
^ The George, lounge area.
Staff at The George go to great lengths to make
their hotel something far removed from the bigger
city hotels designed to take coaches full of package
travellers. If you’ve got to stay in the city, this place
is pretty good.
Link:
http://wildernessnewzealand.com/the-george-main/
© Sue Farley 2017
Photos belong to property owners.

Explore New Zealand in
Style and Comfort
with
Wilderness New Zealand
HIKING - FISHING - CRUISES - SPA RETREATS -
GOLF TOURS - FARM STAYS – LUXURY LODGES
WE’LL ARRANGE YOUR ENTIRE TRIP OR
JUST A SINGLE LODGE STAY
www.newzealandfishinglodges.co.nz
email sue@nztravelbrokers.co.nz

Contents Page 149
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What An Experience
Philemon Foo
Dancing With Spirits
Kuda Kepang
It was a dark and quiet night. We were seated in a
large circle on cemented ground somewhere in the paddy
fields of Sungai Besar in Selangor, Malaysia. In front
of us lay flat wooden horses awaiting their dance partners
to pick them up and get the show going.

151
^ The beats from these khendangs can be quite hypnotic.
It wasn’t long before the sounds of “dings” and “dongs”
started filling the warm air of this tropical Malaysian
night; sounds created by the musicians or rather percussionists
hitting on their musical instruments, marking
the start of the performance that we have been patiently
waiting for.

^ Bathing in the smoke of incense.
Shortly after, out came the leader of the troupe, a
shaman who started doing some rituals to open the
doors between our world and that of the spirits. Suddenly
the warm air turned cool with temperatures
slowly dropping and the dancers picked up the flat
wooden horses starting off the show.

153
^ Horses and dancers dancing to the beats
Holding their flat wooden horses against their bodies
they danced in circles following the lead of a
princess that rides on a white flat wooden horse.
Along with these dancers are three friends from our
group who volunteered to take part in the dance not
knowing what was to come.

^ A dancer with the mask of a princess.
As the dance progressed a few dancers wearing
scary looking mask depicting various animals, a
princess, a clown, and two persons in a tiger suit
took to the floor and started following the circling
dancers to the beat of the percussionists. In my
head I was combining the rhythm of the gongs and
khendangs (traditional musical percussion instruments)
to Guns And Roses’ Sweet Child Of Mine
and having quite a laugh doing so.

155
^ When the masks used during the dance looks like this
you know things are about to get weird.
Suddenly a few of the dancers gave out loud
screams, dropped their flat wooden horses and
masks on the ground. The air went from cool to
cold in matter of milliseconds and it was now that
the performance took a nightmarish turn. Dancers
started acting out the roles of their mask and horses
having taken on the personalities of their dancing
tools.

It is all just a performance right? A show put on for
us, the media folks who so wanted to learn about
the Javanese culture and traditional dances brought
over by Javanese folks decades ago; right? I will let
you think so for now as I go on.
Things got really weird as some of the possessed
dancers started doing things that humans usually
do not do. One of the boy dancers started biting
the husk off an unopened coconut the way a monkey
does. Another dancer started slithering on the
ground like a snake. Those who took on the personalities
of the horses continued galloping in circles;
strangely all of them in perfect rhythm.

157
Not long later things took to a slightly violent turn.
Someone then reassured us that as long as we
do not go into the circle we will be okay. The shaman
had created an unseen fence in front of us
surrounding the dancers and the spirits ensuring
that the spirits will not be able to cross over it. Feeling
reassured we continue watching the show while
some of us went around shooting photos.
If you are thinking that nothing worse could possibly
happen, well, wrong. Suddenly the shaman
who was trying to contain the spirits by removing
them from some of the possessed who have gone
a little too weird, gave out a scream too. Just what
we needed. The one who is supposedly in control
is now himself possessed and in a trance.
Now, dancers in their animalistic personalities started
breaking out of the circle and they started “running”
up trees. Two of them actually; one a tiger and
the other; a bird (the shaman). There goes the assurance
of the unseen safety fence. I quickly shot
as many photos as I could from below taking precaution
just in case they started throwing coconuts
at us.

^ The shaman on top of a coconut tree.
Without any unforeseen incidents the shaman came
down from the tree and still had the ability to contain
the spirits although in a trance like state. He
managed to remove a few spirits before being possessed
by another spirit, this time an elephant.
Makes “perfect” sense. Here’s why. He tried removing
the spirit of a tiger from one of the dancers and
failed. A stronger animal that would have a chance
against the tiger would be an elephant.

159
Even in his elephant state he failed to remove the spirit of
the tiger despite trying a few times. At this stage most of
the possessed dancers have had the animal spirit in them
removed by the shaman and returned to their seats. But
as the show continued a few more dancers who were not
performing tonight got possessed too and started going
all weird.
It has been well over two and a half hours now since
the show started. This also means that our three media
friends who volunteered to take part in the dance must
be tired. Either that or they were too afraid to stop. They
too could be possessed. Lucky for them someone went
up to them (yes, after two and a half hours) to ask if they
would like to stop. The first two happily said yes and returned
to their places outside the magical circle.
If you think this cannot get anymore weird, again you are
wrong. Our other friend who was dancing looked different
in a scary way. As the person went up to him to ask him
if he wanted to stop, he replied nothing. He was quieter
than a mouse. He just went on dancing in the same circle
he has been doing for the past two and a half hours. The
person then tried to take the flat wooden horse from him
but he scarily looked at the person and pulled the horse
back and continued on his way. The person gave up and
returned to what he was earlier doing. Still think that this
is just a show? I, myself don’t think so anymore.

^ The shaman being possessed.
Anyway, the shaman went round in his elephant
state eating plants and digging holes as if searching
for something. He then walked to a bridge, dug
out some rocks and found a hole. He marked it
with chalk and when back into the circle. There he
started screaming some more before picking up hot
burning coals and eating them. He then went back
to the tiger possessed man to try to remove the tiger
spirit. Yet again he failed.

161
This time the tiger possessed man picked up a coconut
and started to bite the husk off while walking
in a circle. He then threw it up in the air some
two to three storeys high and continued his walk. I
watched the coconut being affected by gravity, fall
back down and hit him (tiger possessed man) right
on the head and burst into pieces. No, not his head
but the coconut. He then picked up a piece of the
coconut and started eating it.
Oh yes, what I forgot to include in this article is the
use of a whip to control the dance and the dancers.
The whip was used to change the dance movement
of the dancers during the dance and to contained
the possessed as the shaman did his thing to remove
the spirits.
The person who tried to stop our media friend from
dancing earlier returned with this same whip and hit
him lightly (I hope) on the arm twice and suddenly
the expression on his (media friend) face changed.
He dropped the flat wooden horse and with a blank
face slowly walked out of the circle and sat under
the coconut tree. Phew! Safe at last.

^ Like an elephant the shaman gets ready to capture the
head of the dancer possessed by the spirit of a tiger.
Back to the Shaman and the tiger possessed man...
things have gone on way too long and the fight between
the Shaman and the spirit of the tiger that
has possessed the dancer got more intense. For the
many years that he has been messing with these
spirits perhaps they have gotten bored of him and
decided not to leave. But at long last the shaman
succeeded and the dancer collapsed to the floor motionless,
tired from the ordeal.

163
^ The shaman doing some form pf prayer or...
But who would remove the spirit from the shaman?
How will this end? Questions and more questions.
Just when we thought that the only issue now is
with the shaman, he (shaman) gave out another
scream pointing in the direction of the coconut tree.
Unfinished business perhaps. He then gestured in
a hostile manner for someone (or something) to
come to him as if asking for a fight. Puzzled, the
crowd looked towards the coconut tree and slowly
without any expression on his face, our earlier possessed
media friend walked towards the shaman.

^ The shaman sending spirirts back to their world.
The shaman gave out another scream and then
grabbed the head of our media friend with one hand
while pointing to the sky with the other. He gave out
one more scream and our media friend collapsed to
the ground. At last the spirit has left him leaving him
exhausted and without energy.

165
^ The shaman lying on the ground hugging the drum.
The shaman then walked towards a drum and stood
on it. He yet again gave one very loud scream pointing
to the sky before collapsing to the ground hugging
the drum like a bolster. Another person and
his daughter then went to him, picked him up, and
helped him stand before walking him back to a chair
where he sat and recuperated.

Information On Kuda Kepang
^ The shaman and his assistant fighting a possessed dancer.
Kuda Kepang is a Javanese traditional ritual type
dance that used to be performed during the paddy
harvesting season. Spirits of various deities are
called in to possess the dancers or performers.
This dance is performed during certain events and
functions these days. Dancers and performers are
known to not only eat hot burning coal but broken
glass too. There have also been instances where
performers climb onto the roof top of houses and ran
on them.

^ Sending one more spirit back to its world.
The kuda kepang dance will only end when all the
spirits that were summoned to possess the dancers
have returned to their realm and door between their
world and ours closed. Sometimes these performance
go on for many hours when more and more
spirit possessions happen to either other dancers
from the troupe or visiting troupes. Nevertheless, it
is a performance worth watching.
Contents Page
167

Rooms
Philemon Foo
The Kabin
Escape
Completely
Interesting:
A secluded artsy
and nicely styled
abode

169
^Welcome to The Kabin.
Ever wanted to stay in a hotel or a resort that
is completely out of the norm? Brick and mortar
buildings, as well as wood; have been the norm for
hotels and resorts for many years. Not long ago
we started seeing hotels and resorts being made
of other things such as cargo containers used normally
for shipping. The Kabin in Kuala Selangor is
one such place.

Out Of The Norm
^ Looks pretty cool.
Although using containers as rooms for people to
sleep in is nothing new, it is not often that hotels, resorts,
or even inns use them. The first one stayed in
was at a place in Perak where I used to go fishing at.
But when it comes to making container hotels look
good and stylish; The Kabin has certainly succeeded.

171
Good Sense
^ A mural at our Kabin that enhances the looks of the place.
Building hotels and resorts is not a cheap endeavour,
but using refurbished shipping containers certainly
brings the cost down. There is more. It make
sense too. Think about the environment. What happens
to old shipping containers? They get discarded,
left to rot somewhere not seen by many. What
a waste.

^ The containers do have windows. Round windows like
those on ships.
Refurbishing and repurposing them is one way that
is both good for business and for the environment.
The Kabin has done just so creating a lovely, artsy,
looking abode for travellers who want to experience
a different type of accommodation.

173
Looks Good
The Kabin does look good. While shipping containers
may not look all that big on the outside, I was
surprised to see that our container or “Kabin” actually
fitted four persons quite comfortably. Yes, the
walking spaces may be a little small but overall it
is comfortable. We had four single beds, shelves,
drawers, etc. Oh yes, there is also a built-in toilet.

^ Our container sleeps four.

175
A Swimming Mixture Pool
Antique furnitures.
The Kabin does have a swimming pool. Wait, two
pools of which are lovely places to relax especially
when the sun is hot. There is a wading pool for kids
and a large pool for adults. It may not be an Olympic
size pool but is certainly is big enough to do a
few good laps.

Cafe
Worried about what to eat? worry not. The Kabin does
have its own cafe where one can have sandwiches,
ice cream, cold drinks, coffee and tea, etc. They can
also do barbeque with advanced notice. There are
places to eat nearby should one not feel like dining at
the resort.
Other Facilities
For those who like to sing The Kabin does have a karaoke
room that will allow singers & “singers” to exercise
their vocal “muscles.” There are also meeting and
function rooms, bicycles for rent, games room, and
stand up paddling boards and kayaks.

177
Book A Stay?
Should you be fishing off Kuala Selangor or visiting the
attractions around the area such as Malawati Hill (historical
fort), fire fly watching, eagle watching, photography,
a visit to Sky Mirror, etc. The Kabin certainly is a
place to consider staying at. Oh, for anglers, there is a
beach that is walking distance from The Kabin.
One thing to note though is that the container rooms
(being made of metal) get really hot in the afternoon.
They take a long time to cool down even with the airconditioning
running full blast.

Information
Address:
The Kabin, Lot 2984 Jalan Jati, Pantai Remis, 45800
Jeram, Kuala Selangor, Malaysia.
Contact: +60176783825 / +603-3264 0578
Email: info@thekabin.com.my
Website: http://thekabin.com.my/
GPS COORDINATE : 3.195990, 101.307795

Contents Page 179
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Foodies
Philemon Foo
The
Verandah
Restaurant
@Cyberview
Resort &
Spa
Interesting:
An adventure of
the taste buds.

181
^ The Verandah Restaurant
Human beings are creatures of habit. We tend
to eat at the few places that we like eating at and
before you know it, you’re there almost every day.
I have a few eating places that I go to on a rotation
basis but then again it is habitual for me to do so.
Sometimes it is good to break out of that loop and
go dine somewhere else. We decided to go to the
Cyberview Resort And Spa.

A Preview Of What’s
To Come
At the Cyberview Resort And Spa we attended a dinner,
not just any dinner but a preview dinner of what would
be served during the month of Ramadan for iftar. As we
made our way towards the restaurant I could smell satay
and meat being barbequed. That kicked started my
digestive system and it wasn’t long before a gear shift
took place seeing me speeding towards the buffet.

183
A Dizzying Array
^ Lots of stalls here with more inside the restaurant.
Seeing the array of food being offered, I immediately
noticed one issue. There are lots of food but I only have
one stomach with limited capacity. You see, Chef Imran
and his team prepared 222 food items for the dinner (of
which will also be offered during the month of Ramadan).
That is a lot of food to savour.

Food Adventure
I started my food journey with sushi before making my
way to the various curries, and then took a break right
after satay. The food was delicious. I wanted to go for a
second round of gulai kawah but decided to hold back
(it took a lot of will power) as there are more to savour.

^ Just look at all these delicious curry dishes...
185

^ Yummy grilled lamb.
After the short break I headed for the barbeque and filled
up on charcoal grilled lamb and prawns. Whilst eating
my delightful pieces of lamb a friend brought some icecream
over and pointed out that this is a “must try.” My
brains short circuited. Before finishing my main course,
I attacked the ice-cream counter. Who wouldn’t when
the ice-cream is rendang chicken flavoured.

187
Rendang Chicken Ice-Cream
^ Rendang chicken ice-cream on the right. See the bits of
chilli and chicken?
Yes, you read this right. At first I too thought that I heard
it wrong. I asked again what the flavour was and again
I was told “rendang chicken ice-cream.” This ice-cream
is a little spicy with tiny bits of chicken meat marinated
with rendang, in it. The first scoop was the “getting used
to” while the second scoop was where I enjoyed it.

More Main Courses
^ Indian cuisine.
I was already somewhat full by now but I just had to go
on one more round of food adventuring. I wanted to go
for more satay but then I saw fried kuay teow (a broader
flat type of rice noodles). I weighed my options since I
need room for dessert; and fried kuay teow won the bid.

189
^ The simple but very delicious fried kuay teow.
The fried kuay teow tasted really good. It was cooked
just nice. Not too salty but really tasty. A bit spicy but not
too much. what I love about fried kuay teow is the cockles.
Without them no fried kuay teow is worth eating. I
enjoyed every strand of it despite feeling full.

Using My Spare Tank
^ The very lovely tiramisu cake.
With so many delightful desserts tempting my sweet
tooth I had no choice but to go on. I enjoyed lovely durian
rolls (durian is my favourite fruit) which was really
good. I enjoyed various palm dates (I love dates) . I had
a few slices of cakes and tarts too. I love the strawberry
tarts, crème Brulee, but the one I liked best is the blueberry
cheese cake... or is it the tiramisu cake... both.

^ Very yummy blueberry cheese cake.
191

^ If you enjoy strawberries, you will love these tarts.

^ Five varieties of palm dates. Oooh... lovely.
193

^ My kiddo went gaga over these cupcakes.

^ Lollies for the kids.
195

So Much More
^ Ahhh.... chocolate fountain.
There are so much more food that I have not tried. Well,
every stomach has a limit. I had to stop or risk humiliation
being wheeled out in a wheelbarrow. It is impossible
to lose weight with such delicious meals on offer. I
am certain that I have gained a few kilos after this meal
but it was all worth it. When time comes I’ll hit the gym.

Information
All these sumptuous delights will be available again
during the month of Ramadan. So, do book yourself
a table now.
Prices (adult): RM138.00 (weekdays)
RM100.00 (weekends)
For enquiry call +603 8312 7091 or 7092
Address:
The Lodge, Persiaran Multimedia, Cyber 7
63000 Cyberjaya
Selangor, Malaysia
GPS Coordinate
Latitude: N 2 55.440
Longitude: E 101 40.020
Contents Page
197

Rejuvenate
Escapy

199
^ Ingredients used to balance the Ying and Yang.
Need a break from the hustle and bustle of city
living? Feel like you need to be pampered? Sembunyi
Spa at the Cyberview Resort & Spa in Cyberjaya
offers de-stressing massages, relaxing baths, and
rejuvenating treatments that takes you to a place
that is stress free; a different realm perhaps where
the stress and pressure of running the “rat race” or
managing businesses are all forgotten for a while.

^ A lap pool at the Sembunyi Spa.
Sembunyi Spa is a spa inspired by Indo-Malay and Sino
culture rich in heritage traditions of the region. Sembunyi
Spa is set within lush greenery and calming waters;
a hidden gem within Cyberjaya. The place is beautiful
with a relaxing and luxurious atmosphere.

201
^ A Jacuzzi at the Sembunyi Spa.
One can enjoy a lovely Jacuzzi; a lovely place to relax
at, a cold plunge pool, steam and sauna rooms to melt
the stress away, and a lap pool to swim in. There are
luxurious massage rooms for individual guests as well
as couples.

^ Why not come here for a massage?

Information
Sembunyi Spa is certainly a piece of heaven on earth.
The Lodge, Persiaran Multimedia, Cyber 7
63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel: (603) 8312 7000
Email: hotline@cyberviewresort.com
GPS Coordinate
Latitude: N 2 55.440
Longitude: E 101 40.020
Contents Page
203

Note: Products in this section may have not been tested by The Asian Angler magazine
Introducin’
Coleman Malaysia
Coleman®
DuraRest
Airbeds

L ooking for a comfortable outdoor mattress?
Discover a comfort revolution in the Coleman®
DuraRest Double High Airbed ~ in Twin size.
Each DuraRest bed sports a soft-touch, bonded
fabric surface that is stronger, lighter and
more comfortable. The fabric is extremely durable
and resists material stretching, which helps
maintain pressure though the night for better
support.
205

Simply inflate the bed with your Coleman® air
pump (sold separately), with the factory-tested
AirTight® system is leak-free. The ComfortStrong
coil system and Support Lock
reinforced construction work together to provide
lasting support that amps up blanket fort
sleepovers and can make out-of-town visitors
feel like red-carpet guests.

207
Features
Twin size bed for 1 person, fits standard twin size
sheets.
Supports up to 136 kg.
Ideal for use indoor as extra bed for visiting family or
friends, travel trip and or outdoor camping.

47% more puncture-resistant, 25% stronger and 45%
lighter than a standard Coleman® airbed of the same
size.
DuraRest bonded fabric surface is more durable
and soft to the touch.
Double-high (38 cm height) keeps you away from the
cold, hard ground.

209
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gNrIp8oRrs
Inflate/deflate easily with air pump (sold separately).
Wrap ‘N’ Roll built-in storage system – just fold,
roll and store in 3 simple steps.
ComfortStrong coil system - provides better support
for all-night comfort.
Support Lock - reinforced construction lets you enjoy
a more stable sleeping surface.

AirTight® SYSTEM - Factory tested to be leak free,
ensuring firmness all night long

DOUBLE LOCK VALVE - Locks air in two ways,
making inflation and deflation easy and simple
211

PUNCTURE RESISTANT - Heavy duty PVC provides
a pure elastic product that’s more resistant
to punctures

Contents Page
213
Specifications
1 person airbed
Weight support: Up to 136 kg/300 lbs
Dimension (Inflated): Approx. 190 (L) X 101 (W) X
38 (H) cm
Dimension (Packed): Approx. 36 (L) x 33 (W) × 15
(H) cm
Product Weight: Approximately 2.7 kg
Material : PVC
Made in China
1 year manufacturing warranty

Evets
Escapy
The Asia Urban Youth
Assembly (AUYA) 2017
Youths are the future of every country and their views
help shape the countries that they live in. That said, it
is good for the youths of the world to come together an
share their ideas and plans that can help make for a
better world. That brings us to the Asia Urban Youth Assembly
(AUYA) 2017 that was held recently in Malacca.

215
^ Mariko Sato, UN-Habitat Chief(Bangkok).
The Asia Urban Youth Assembly (AUYA) 2017 is an international
conference that brought together youth delegates
from 34 countries to discuss on significant issues
that are affecting the world; urban agenda of the United
Nation (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that
were agreed upon at the Habitat III Cities Conference in
Quito, Ecuador (October 2016).

This is the first time Malacca hosted AUYA in collaboration
the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Melaka Historic
City Council, UN Habitat, and UN Youth And World Assembly
Of Youth (WAY). The theme of this conference
here in Malacca is “Youth Roles Towards New Urban
Agenda – Taking Action For Innovative, Socially Minded,
Green Cities.”
Topics discussed by the participants include managing
of the problems that cities commonly faced, ethics about
doing what is right for and by all urban citizens, ethical
approach to leadership, ethical approach to planning
and economic development, sustainability and citizen
engagement, effective response to global issues such
as climate change, tackling social and economic issues
in cities, etc.
The participants involved in this assembly are from Bangladesh,
Belize, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic,
Ethiopia, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,
Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Macedonia, Maldives,
Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda,
Somalia, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago,
Turkey, UAE, Uganda, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe
and Malaysia.

217
^ YAB Datuk Seri Ir. Idris Haron, the Chief Minister of Melaka.
Holding this assembly here is good as Malacca is a good
example of the successful implementation of such initiatives.
One very good example is the successful rehabilitation
of the Melaka River that has turned a once filthy and
dead river into a beautiful river of life that now draws in
tourists and is now a very successful tourism product.
According to the Chief Minister of Malacca YAB Datuk Seri
Ir. Idris Haron, the aim for Malacca is to become resilient
and to manage its natural resources well, becoming a self
sustainable state, and to promote low carbon growth of
which in return will help the state to remain competitive
and enhances the liveability of all its residents.

Its plans includes a green city of which will also benefits
tourism. This plan covers water management, renewable
energy and energy efficiency, green transportation,
zero waste, urban forestry and agriculture, as well as
cultural heritage.
As of current, Malacca city has deployed two electric
buses that covers the World Heritage Zone. Forty more
electric buses are in the pipeline pending approval for
a request made and hopefully it will become a reality
soon.
An initiative to transform nine state government buildings
into energy efficient buildings is underway with
the completion of the first phase of the Putra Specialist
Hospital Melaka Building that brought about monthly
savings of RM100,000 to RM150,000. The second
phase is underway and is expected to see completion at
the end of 2017. It is hoped that the completion of both
these phases will bring down electricity cost by some
RM3.5million per year.
Note: This project started in 2013 with the support and
cooperation of the Danish government.

Other Projects
Smart Grid Pilot Project that will help control the daily
maximum demand of electricity with smarter load management
that is hoped to optimize the generation of
electricity during the peak periods.
The Recycling of Solid Waste of which encourages waste
separation, a program that has been ongoing since 1st
September2015 with the aim of increasing recycling rate
by 20 percent come 2020. The use of polystyrene and
plastic bags are also banned in Malacca.
Energy saving Smart LED Street Lights are currently
being retrofitted onto 120,000 units of street lights enabling
a significant reduction of energy using an internet
connected smart control system.
Melaka World Solar Valley, a new township in the pipelines
that focuses on the development of solar technology.
Contents Page
219

Goodies
Escapy
Coleman Instant Shelter
Most outdoor shelters provide shelter from one thing -
the sun. Coleman Shelters provide protection from the sun,
the wind and the rain with our exclusive WindStrong System.
This wind-tested technology combines vented canopies,
shock-corded poles, patent-pending hubs and Guy lines to
ensure your Coleman Shelter is strong, sturdy and secure.
Next time you need outdoor shelter, count on Coleman
quality to provide you with more than just shade. Check out
Coleman Instant Shelters.
The patented Instant Canopy frame sets up in less than 60
seconds, leaving you more time for having fun. If you like to
be outside and not spend a lot of time setting up your equipment,
you’ll appreciate the Instant Canopies easy set-up.
Website: http://coleman.com.my/
Note: May not be available in certain markets.

Contents Page
221
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEvqeMVcmwg&list=PL-pdWfDP5zNrSMg8bZlgm3XKnJXhUXe-J&index=105

Goodies
Escapy
Coleman WeatherTec System
Keeps You Dry
Our tent is the most important piece of equipment of
your camping trip. The tent is your home away from home.
Campers have many choices in selecting a tent or shelter
that will meet a variety of needs. Tents are offered in cabins,
domes and other geometric shapes that provide many
storage and comfort options. Choose a tent that meets
your outdoor recreation needs for protection, comfort, size,
weight and features. By choosing carefully, you are laying
a strong foundation for years of enjoyable camping experiences.
Website: http://coleman.com.my/
Note: May not be available in certain market
.

PDF Readers: Click Link To Watch Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B3UcsC-k68
Website: http://coleman.com.my/
Note: May not be available in certain market
.
Contents Page
223

http://www.oakley.com/en/mens/sunglasses/sport-sunglasses/flak-2-0-xl-polarized/product/W0OO9295XLP/?skuCode=OO9188-08&categoryCode=m0203
Contents Page
Goodies
Escapy
Oakley® Flak 2.0 XL
Polarized Sunglasses
Oakley engineering takes performance to the next level
and brings style along for the ride. Flak 2.0 offers a standard
size frame with enhanced lens coverage, and every millimeter
of the lens is optimized with High Definition Optics®
in a ruggedly durable yet lightweight design. Designed to
push your limits with patented XYZ Optics® for razor sharp
clarity and secure grip of Unobtanium®
http://www.oakley.com/en/mens/sunglasses/
sport-sunglasses/flak-2-0-xl-polarized/product/
W0OO9295XLP/?skuCode=OO9188-08&categoryCode=m0203
Note: May not be available in certain markets

225
Goodies
Escapy
Merrell Men’s All Out Blaze Sieve
Intense overland missions require both speed and hiking
performance. Add in stream crossings, and you need this
water-ready, agile hiking shoe. Its open designed, watershedding
upper hugs your foot to an aggressive, responsive
trail platform made to flex naturally and connect to terrain,
while protecting underfoot.

Freatures
UPPER/LINING
• Waxy waterproof leather fabric upper
• Lycra neoprene stretch collar for easy on and off
• M Select FRESH antimicrobial agents reduce shoe odor

Contents Page
227
MIDSOLE/OUTSOLE
• UniFly midsole connects you to the trail, protects you
from the terrain
• 3 mm lug depth
• TC5+Vibram outsole
• Weight: 1lb 5oz
http://www.merrell.com/US/en/all-out-blaze-sieve/17573M.html
Note: May not be available in certain markets

Goodies
Escapy
LAYERED HOODIE 2
• Layered hoodie made from different materials combined
with different thickness to maximize comfort level and
funtionality when wearing it
• Cool piece of neck guard with Snow Camo print to give
wearer full protection from the hot and cold weather

Contents Page
229
• Fast drying material absorb and disperse moisture
quickly for a dry and comfortable wear
• UV Protection fabric (UPF 40)
• Material with deodorant function – reduction / neutralized
odor function
• Finger hole cut out on sleeve with silicone dot for antislip
grip
Colours:
Size:
Grey, Green, Snow Camo
M, L, XL
Materials
Body:
Sleeve:
Neck Guard:
.
100% Polyester
86% Nylon, 14% Polyurethane
100% Polyester
For more information please visit Pure Fishing at:
www.purefishingmalaysia.com

Goodies
Escapy
MONOGRAM NECK SUN
GUARD
• A versatile neck piece that can be worn in various ways
• UV Protection (UPF 30)
• Sweat Absorbent in comfortable and stretchable material
• Quick drying for best comfort
• Thermal Protection from heat and cold alike
• Seamless design

Contents Page
231
Colours:
Sizes:
Material:
Charcoal, Navy, Black
Free size
100% Polyester
.
For more information please visit Pure Fishing at:
www.purefishingmalaysia.com

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