Gambo kat Bangkok, Phuket and Guam

by Azam.

Hi y'all,

Here I am in Guam now, got nothing to do, so I'm putting up this post. The first few pics are the ones I took at the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. It was a Sunday and I wasn't working. So I walked from my hotel to the Chao Phraya River (around 1.5km away from my hotel) and I saw a free boat ride I could take.

Okay, so the boat ride was only 15 minutes. Who cares, as long as it's free right ;). Anyway the boat ride that I took was from River City Plaza to something Taksin BTS Station (I forgot the full name of it, so sue me). So here's the pics.

The Hilton Hotel in Bangkok.

At the docks of River City Plaza.

The boat that I took a ride in.

Dunno what building this is, just snapped it cause I was sitting in the boat.

After Bangkok, I went to Phuket. I rented a scooter there as it was cheap and very easy to get around with. The rent was only RM20/day.

The rented scooter.

So I rode around the island with the scooter. I stopped by the beach and took some pictures. It was still early in the morning so the beach was still quite empty with few sunbathers around. Although I must say that the situation changes in the afternoon. I can't post those pics here. Too indecent if you know what I mean (heh heh heh).

Only two 'farangs' (white people) on the beach.

Then I rode to try and find the place where I'm supposed to do my work. I found out that it was close to the Phuket Aquarium. I had to pay RM10 to enter cause I'm not Thai. If only I could speak Thai, I could fool the lady selling the ticket and pay only RM2. Oh well. Here's a pic of a diver giving food to the sting ray.

'Watch out for the hand my man.'

I saw a masjid right across the road from the place where I did my work. So I did my Zohor prayer there. The masjid was just like any masjid in Malaysia. After they prayer, the Tok Imam came to me and spoke to me in Thai, but when he found out I'm Malay, he spoke Malay to me but in Indon dialect. He can speak Indon quite fluently cause he went out for 40 days twice in Indonesia with the Tabligh movement. He invited me to go to his home for a feast cause it turned out he was going for the Haj later that afternoon. The food that he served turned out to be nasi dagang.

Muslim family in Phuket. The tok imam is the one on the right.

The next day I went to the hills to take some scenic views of Phuket. I don't remember the name of the hills and beaches, but here's the pics anyway.

Finally, here's my pics in Guam. The water here is crystal clear and is full of corals. Because of the coral reefs, the waves break far from the shore and the beach is very calm. The only thing I could eat around here is Long John Silver. I'm already sick of it cause I'm eating it everyday. I'm never gonna eat at Long John's in Malaysia again. I wonder how Amar and Nina find halal food here.

Crystal clear waters of Guam.

My feet in the clear waters of the Pacific Ocean.


View point on top of the hill facing the south of Guam.

Here's the car that I rented. It's a Suzuki SX-4 that's just launched in Malaysia. It's a good car and it's one of the smallest car in Guam. Everybody here is driving big american cars. It took me a few days to get used to driving on the right side of the road. Always had to remind myself to keep right.

My rented car in Guam.

Below is the Two Lover's Point in Guam. It sits atop a cliff with a 500 ft. drop. If you wanted to go inside, you'd have to pay USD3, so I decided not to go. Not worth to pay RM10 just to get a nice view of Tumon Bay.

View point in Guam.

View of Tumon Bay from the side of the view point (it's free :) ).

The 500 ft. drop.

Gigantic waves of the Pacific pounding the shore where there is no reef.

Typical beach in Guam. Note the waves crashing far from the beach.

A flock of butterflies doing something. (I didn't have the
chance to ask them what they were doing ;p)

Okay. That was my report of my recent travels. After Christmas, I'd most probably have to go back to Thailand and will be going to Dubai in the first week of 2008. Aaahh, so tired and missing my family and friends. My boss better give me a substantial raise for next year, heh heh.

Jalan-jalan Jengka / Let's go to Jengka - Zue

Dua minggu lalu, saya menerima jemputan untuk membuat liputan tugasan di Jengka, Pahang. Mula-mula kami singgah di Tekam Plantation Resort yang terletak di Jerantut untuk menikmati makan tengah hari. Tekam Resort merupakan sebahagian daripada usaha Felda untuk mempromosi agro pelancongan di kawasan perladangannya di seluruh negara. Ada pelbagai kemudahan di Tekam Resort, antaranya 60 buah calet, asrama yang mampu menampung 224 katil dan 30 bilik dikelilingi dusun buah-buahan, ladang kelapa sawit, getah, koko dan sebagainya. Pakej pelancongan Tekam Resort turut meliputi lawatan ke gua-gua serta kawasan bersejarah seperti Taman Warisan Kota Gelanggi, Taman Negara, Gunung Senyum dan juga pusat santuari pemuliharaan gajah di Kuala Gandah di Lanchang, Temerloh. Jom kita tengok apa yang best di sini...

Kemudahan kolam renang di Resort Tekam. Pool facility in Tekam Resort.



Two weeks ago, I was Invited to go to Felda Jengka in Pahang for an assignment.

Its a one day trip and I had a exciting experience.
We went to Tekam Plantation Resort situated in Jerantut for lunch. Tekam Resort is a part of Felda’s effort to promote agro-tourisme ini its estate all over the country. There are plenty of facilities, such as 60 chelets, a hostel that accomodate 224 beds and 30 bedroom surrounded by vast fruit farms and lush greens. Tourism package for Tekam Resort included a tour of caves and historical spots such as Kota Gelanggi Heritage Park, National Park, Senyum Mountain and Elephant Santuary in Kuala Gandah at Lancang, Temerloh.

Taman Warisan Gua Kota Gelanggi

Gua terang bulan Keadaan dalam gua nih memang gelap sebab lampu-lampu yang dipasang kebanyakannya telah rosak dan tidak dibaiki lagi. Menurut salah seorang kakitangan Felda yang menjadi pemandu arah, hampir enam bulan gua ini tidak menerima pengunjung...maknanya tiada siapa yang masuk dalam tempoh tu..emmm seram jugak sebab katanya ada banyak lipan dan ular putih...kebetulan pula, kitaorang ternampak katak yang agak besar..heheheh. Untuk masuk ke dalam gua ni, kena melalui tangga ke bawah yang agak sempit dan kena berhati-hati sebab takut terkena kepala. Dan satu lagi, keadaan dalam gua nih memang licin...so, jalan tuh kene tengok bawah selalu...terutamanya bagi orang selalu jatuh seperti saya heheheheheh. Menurut orang tuh lagi, gua ni diberi nama terang bulan sebab di bahagian hujung paling atas gua akan nampak seakan-akan bulan sabit bila matahari memancarkan cahayanya..cahaya yang masuk ke gua memang cantik kebiru-biruan... Bahkan air di dalam gua ini sedalam 100 meter, jernih dan sejuk...tp so far, tak nampak ikan pun kat dalam tuh. Walaupun, keadaan tertutup masih dapat rasakan hembusan angin..dan memang mendamaikan. Secara berseloroh, menurut pengurus Felda wilayah yang pertama kali dia ke gua terang bulan, kalau sesiapa yang berminat nak buat majlis kawen dalam gua memang menarik..masalahnya ade ke orang nak kawen dalam gua. Ceritanya lagi, pada tahun 70-an dulu ada seorang peneroka hilang tanpa dikesan di gua nih, yang tinggal hanya sejadah, selipar dan buah tasbih..wallahualam

Kota Gelanggi Heritage Cave Park
Terang Bulan Cave. It was almost pitch black in the cave. The lights that was supposed to lit up the cave is broken and no repair works being carry out yet. According to one of Felda’s guide, the cave did not recieve any tourist for almost 6 months. Tourist must be extra cautious not to step on to reptiles such as white snakes and centipedes and extra large amphibians (frogs). To get into this cave, we have to climb down a tight ladder and when proceeding into the cave the floor is quite slippery. The Terang Bulan (Bright Moon?) cave got its name because if you look upward, the cavity of cave ceiling is in a form of a moon crescent and when in bright sun light or at high noon, the crescent is obviously formed. The water inside this cave is clear and cold and 100 meters deep!. You can also feel the cold breeze as the wind flow inside this enclosed cave.

Selamat Datang. Welcome

Tangga curam menuju ke dalam gua. Steep ladder case into the cave.

Di dalam gua Terang Bulan. Inside Terang Bulan cave.

Gua balai

Untuk masuk ke gua nih, kena panjat tangga yang tinggi tp yang horror tangga tuh mcm dah berkarat dan bila2 masa je boleh jatuh...Tapi don't worry keadaan dalam gua balai tak lah segelap gua terang bulan td. Keadaannya lebih landai tetapi sejuk. Yang tak bestnya ada banyak kesan-kesan vandalisme dalam gua nih..so, sedikit mencacatkan dinding-dinding gua tuh..

Balai Cave.

To get inside this cave, we had to walk through a bit horrific rusted steel ladder that seems going to be collapse at anytime. This cave is not as dark as Terang Bulan cave and a bit steep floor cave. Unfortunately, the cave wall is vandalised by irresponsible visitiors with graffiti.

Tangga curam menuju gua Balai. Steep steel ladder again into Balai cave.

Pemandangan di dalam gua Balai. Inside the Balai cave.

Permukaan dinding batu gua Balai. Wall texture of Balai cave.

Gua tongkat

Tidak dapat dipastikan kenapa namanya gua tongkat..tetapi ini adalah gua pertama yang ditempuh sebelum ke gua-gua seterusnya. Ada juga disediakan tempat-tempat untuk berkhemah bagi mereka yang sukakan aktiviti mencabar...(berani ke?)

Tongkat Cave.

Not sure how its got its name from, this cave is sort of a cave-gateway to another caves ahead. A camping site has been placed for those who like extreme sports.

Batuan gua Tongkat. Stone formation inside Tongkat cave

Keadaan suasana gua Tongkat. Cave condition in Tongkat cave

Batuan tergantung gua tongkat. Hanging rock formation in Tongkat cave

Gunung Senyum

Hutan Lipur Gunung Senyum pula terletak di Temerloh, Pahang kira-kira 40 kilometer (km) dari Bandar Temerloh dan 20km dari Bandar Pusat Jengka yang boleh dilawati dengan menyeberangi Sungai Pahang jika dari Pekan Kuala Krau dan melalui Kampung Tersusun Rumpun Makmur yang jaraknya untuk sampai ialah 14km manakala dari Temerloh pula selama satu jam perjalanan dengan kenderaan bermotor.

Kewujudan hutan lipur itu adalah suatu usaha konservasi habitat biodiversiti yang mengandungi pelbagai spesis flora dan fauna serta keunikan yang tersendiri.

Kalau nak tahu, hutan lipur ini terkenal dengan keunikan gua-gua yang penuh misteri yang terletak di hutan simpan Jengka tetapi yang sempat pergi hanyalah Gunung Senyum yang memiliki ketinggian 1,594 kaki. Sayang betul tak dapat ke Gunung Rebak Puyuh kerana kesuntukan masa. Ia mengambil masa kira-kira 45 minit ke 1 jam untuk sampai ke gunung ini yang memiliki ketinggian 1,180 kaki dari aras laut.Dikatakan, kedua-dua gunung ini mempunyai keistimewaan dari struktur geologis seperti stailaigtait, stailaignait dan kolum. Ada juga yang sudah berusia hampir 400 juta tahun teutamanya batuan kapur di bahagian barat Gunung Senyum manakala kawasan condong di sebelah timur Gunung Jebak Puyuh pula terbentuk daripada batuan berlumpur dan serpihan yang dianggarkan berusia 300 juta tahun.

Semasa kami berada di Gunung Senyum, seorang ahli arkeologi yang dikenali sebagai Evan memberitahu, terdapat kesan-kesan sejarah peninggalan kehidupan manusia zaman Mesolitik berdasarkan kepada rangka manusia yang dijumpai beserta serpihan tembikar, timbunan kulit siput dan pecahan batu-batu yang dipercayai tulisan berbentuk lukisan manusia di dinding-dinding gua. Tetapi kerja-kerja arkeologi di kawasan tersebut telah dihentikan pada tahun 1990. Menariknya, menurut Evan lagi, terdapat Makam Tok Long di gua tersebut yang dipercayai menunggu isteri buniannya tidak muncul-muncul hinggalah akhirnya meninggal dunia di situ...ini berdasarkan cerita-cerita orang kampung mengenai riwayat hidup Tok Long. Siapakah Tok Long yang sebenarnya tidak dapat dikenalpasti, dia hanyalah orang kampung yang bertapa di gua tersebut dan jatuh cinta dan berkahwin dengan orang bunian...kerana memungkiri janji akhirnya dia tidak menemui isterinya hingga ke akhir hayat...

Senyum Mountain.

Gunung Senyum Forest or Senyum Mountain (Mount Smile?) located in Temerloh, Pahang about 40km form Temerloh Town and 20km form Jengka Town Center and can be visited by crossing Pahang River if you are from Kuala Krau smalltown and through Rumpun Makmur Village. The distance is about one hour drive. The forest is a conservation effort for habitat biodivresity consists of various species of flora and fauna that has it own uniqueness. Gunung Senyum has a height of 1,594 feet. Next to Gunung senyum is Gunung Rebak Puyuh/Rebak Puyuh Mount. It will take you about from 45 minutes to 1 hour to get there and it has 1,180 feet height from sea level. Most of it has stalactite and stalagmite formations and there are some aged about 400 million years. Gunung Puyuh Rebak is about 300 million years formed by muddy lime stones. According to an archeologist, Mr. Evan, there are trace of human inhabitant during Mesolitic Age from him findings of human remains such as human bones, pottery, sea shells and ancient drawings on the walls. The excavation stops in 1990.

Gunung Senyum

Kesan peninggalan manusia di Gunung Senyum. Human traces found in the Gunung Senyum

Makam Tok Long. Tok Long Tomb

Lubuk Yu

Ini adalah lokasi terakhir yang kami pergi sebelum pulang ke KL. Lewat 6.30 petang kami tiba dan beransur ketika azan Maghrib. Lubuk Yu memang cantik tetapi keadaan airnya agak deras. kalau nak mandi, kena berhati-hati...sebab katanya pernah ada orang mati lemas dibawa arus. So, please be careful guys!

Lubuk Yu.

This was our last destination before we head back to Kuala Lumpur. About late 6.30 p.m. we arrived during Maghrib Azan prayer call. Lubuk Yu is very beautiful river but the water current is a bit storng. You have to be extra careful if you want to swim since there are reports of drowned tourist.

Arus deras sungai di Lubuk Yu. Strong water current of the river in Lubuk Yu

Pemandangan cantik jeram sungai. Beautiful river scenery of Lubuk Yu.

Ketenangan air membuatkan rasa hendak mandi sungai.
The calmness of the river makes you want to take a swim.

Gambar-gambar lain.
Other Pictures.

Batu yang mempunyai wajah seakan-akan manusia.
A rock formation that resembles of a human face.

Batu ini mempunyai bentuk seperti seekor ular tedung.
This rock formation appeared to be like a cobra snake.

Pokok madu lebah. A honey tree.

Eksesais KgLimauManis 1711 #0207 -by AM

wide grin

Brothers in arms - earned in blood

Jawohl, herr commandant!

Eh?

Debrief. Aku lupa bawak camo ah! Rappers pon camo gak ape.

Onkel JR, blödes arschloch

Had paintball game last week with Ali and Puck. Ali had some 'clearance' issues in the morning but he turned out OK. Puck bunked at my place just to make sure he didn't miss the game. Thanks for the 5 o'clock breakfast, bro. All geared to our teeth, as we considered this a 'warm up' for the big game in December - Command and Conquer. Some sort of Big Manouver game if you ask me. Too bad we haven't got own markers in our hands yet! Ali brought the emo side of him but he played good. Puck learned he's not agile and cute enough to be on the fireteam. Me? Got flushed left and right. Totally not cool. Maybe later during CnC, Puck will give some suppressive fire while Ali do his thing. I'll sit quietly and cover 'em from far. Hehe. Some pix for the fat bastard out there (that means you JR!). So Ulutopians, are we adrenaline junkie or what?