Little Things - Butterfly Farm

Date: 13 Aug 2006
Location: Butterfly farm, Penang
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Tamron SP AF90mm F/2.8 (Di) Macro 1:1
Filter: none
Post editing: PS CS

My first time using the Tamron SP90 ... boy it is not as easy as I thought, learned a thousand lessons that day. Well I have deleted more than half of the pictures took .... these are the few ok ones. I have actually tried some daring composition and err...other stuffs, hope you boleh tahan the crazy stuffs eh..

Kanchanaburi, Thailand

I got the cheap cheap AirAsia flight ticket from Penang to Bangkok(RM135.00 for 2 ways), so I went there for 5-6 days and wondered into the heart of Kanchanaburi for some fresh air, away from the Sumatran haze and my alarm clock.
Kanchanaburi is a beautiful state, contains a lot of greenery, rivers, waterfalls, national parks and gentle+polite Thai people.
And of coz I spent a day and night at Bangkok for some finger licking good food and just a little shopping….

I would describe this trip as:
- Refreshing.
- Yummy – Everything tasted good here, I had 5-6 meals every day.
- Cheap – 200-400 bath per river raft… and Khaosan of coz is cheap too.
- Happy – Met some really nice Thai people, they are real whole hearted people.
- Happy – Tigers… wow …
- Happy – The waterfalls are awesome !!!!
- Happy – Got myself a 2nd day pack for 500bath, 20 lit LoweAlpine with Net-Airflow
- Seen a lot – train rides, local buses, tuk tuks, motorbike tuk tuks, taxis, bike, walk walk walk….
- I actually took some pictures with Tigers ! wow..

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Gunung Irau 2,110m 2006

Date: 08.Jul.06 - 09.Jul.06

Altitude: 2,110m ASL
Difficulty: 4.6/10

These are unsorted, unselected pictures from my Cam..... everything's here.
Gunung Irau 2110M is located at Cameron Highlands, uphill trek takes 3-4 hours.
On Gunung Irau the starting point is already so high that we were among the moss immediately. The trees here are literally covered in moss. It grows in great, green, cushiony clumps, as wet as unsqueezed out sponges. Fringes and curtains of moss hang among the trees and little beards of it sway in the breeze. It's impossible to count how many different shades of green there are, or describe just how brilliant the green is sometimes. It's really magical, like walking in a fairytale forest.

Aside from the magic, there is mud. All that water in the moss is right there in the ground too. Some of the ground is so soft that it sinks like a mattress when you stand on it. The rest of the ground is so soggy that the mud will come over our boots if we step on it.
Then there are all the fallen trees and tangles of exposed roots which block the path and have to be clambered over. Some parts of the path are almost vertical and we have to climb up using roots as handholds. This is one of those treks where arm muscles ache as much as leg muscles the next day!

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Gunung Ayam 1,504m

Date: 03 Jun 06 - 04 Jun 06
Location: Gunung Ayam, Kelantan
From: Mount Stong State Park, Dabong, Kelantan
Altitude: 1,504m ASL
Difficulty: 6.5/10 (http://danlow.multiply.com/journal/item/50)
Hike duration: 2D/1N
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC
Filter: Hoya CPL
Post editing: PS CS2
Organizer: Kenny Sin(AH) - they were also there, so we trailed them
Members: Dan, Lucy, Ewe Cheong, Kah Fai and KL Tan
Guide: NIL
Reason of my visit: Heard it is nice up there, wanted to try hiking with full load

Gunung Ayam 1,504m is located in Kelantan, 5 hours drive from Butterworth, Penang. 
From Grik to Jeli then to the base of Jelawang waterfall is where we started the hike up to this very beautiful mountain. It takes approximately 1-2 hours to hike from the park entrance to Baha’s camp (the base camp) and another 5-6 hours to the summit of Gunung Ayam. We camped at the false peak and visit the summit the next morning.

Most of the trekkers will set their base camp at the top of Jelawang waterfall to have a easy journey. The junction to G.Ayam 1,504m & G.Stong 1,433m at one hour distance after the Base camp. The trek to Gunung Ayam is more challenging and arduous than Gunung Stong trek because take about 3 hour to the summit of Gunung Stong but 6 hour to the top of Gunung Ayam.

These pictures were taken at Gunung Ayam Kelantan during my hiking trip there. Gunung Ayam has these very unique Ferns(蕨类植物的叶子) growing near the summit region, I have not seen these type of fern else where so far...

Pulau Tenggol

Date: June 2005, Sep 2005 and May 2006
Location: Pulau Tenggol, Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia
No. of dives: 18
Accessibility to dive sites: 8.5
Marine Animal Density: 5.8
Dive site terrain Quality: 9.0
Marine Animal Diversity: 7.0
Visibility: 8.0
Overall Score: 7.7
Entry: Boat
Difficulty: AOW
Dive Sites: Fringing reefs/Wrecks/Pinnacles
Camera: Canon Powershot A80
Underwater casing: Canon Waterproof Case WP-DC900 for Powershot A80 by Canon
Strobe: NIL
Oraganizer: Simon
Members: gang from KL
My reason to go there: Good visibility, current, awesome coral gardens and cheap diving.
I have been to Pulau Tenggol like 3 times(June 2005, Sep 2005 and May 2006), in summary I feel that Pulau Tenggol have plenty of healthy and beautiful coral reefs with good visibility, however we don't see much big fishes. The sea there can be pretty rough and currents can be strong, it is a good place for experience divers. I would consider Pulau Tenggol to be among the best places to dive around Peninsular Malaysia.
Pulau Tenggol is another beautiful diving getaway and lies just 45 minutes off Kuala Dungun in the south of Terengganu. It is small - just 3km long and 2km wide.
The Tenggol group of islands is the most southernly of Terengganu's Marine Parks. It consists of Pulau Tenggol (Tenggol Island), Pulau Nyireh, Tokong Timur, Tokong Burung and Tokong Talang/Tokong Kemudi, Tokong Laut.
Cited as “The Best Diving in Peninsular Malaysia” Asian Diver Magazine 2002 Annual Edition.

yeah that's me with a giant jelly. ..

Pulau Tenggol lies 14 nautical miles (26 km) off the coast of quiet fishing town of Kuala Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia. This rocky island about 50 hectares in size, spans less than 3 kilometres in length and 2 kilometres at its widest point, is one of the most beautiful and serene islands off Peninsular Malaysia's east coast, with spectacular rocky cliffs that offer many excellent dive sites. One of the island’s attractions is that it is close to its original state. A virgin island with its white sandy beaches backed by steeply forested cliffs is a pleasant retreat away from the city. Activities range from snorkelling, scuba diving, jungle trekking or just basking under the sun on the white sandy beach.
At Pulau Tenggol, divers and Snorkellers alike can find pristine coral formations and a number of submerged rocks with excellent coral growths. Tenggol and its surrounding islands offer good visibility with teeming of marine life, including sharks, rays, nudibranch and a wide variety of hard and soft corals. Divers will discover that Tenggol offers great diving experiences, ranging from deep diving, drift diving and wreck dive for the advanced divers or experienced divers.

All shots here were taken using a
Canon Powershot A80 compact camera with its' underwater casing.

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流 - FLOW III (Bukit Hijau)

Date: Jun 2006
Location: Bukit Hijau, Kedah
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC
Filter: Hoya CPL + ND4
Post editing: PS CS

Bukit Hijau - Kedah, one of the most beautiful waterfalls around Northern Peninsular Malaysia. Faced with challenging lighting condition, I struggled to avoid over exposure of the water while trying to keep details of the surrounding visible... I had fun ler, will return for more soon.... that's for sure!

 

流 - FLOW II (Bukit Hijau)

Location: Bukit Hijau, Kedah
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC
Filter: Hoya CPL + ND4
Post editing: PS CS

Bukit Hijau - Kedah, one of the most beautiful waterfalls around Northern Peninsular Malaysia. Faced with challenging lighting condition, I struggled to avoid over exposure of the water while trying to keep details of the surrounding visible... I had fun ler, will return for more soon.... that's for sure!
Album post in Jun 2006..