Yasmin and water snake
Prof. Dan lets a leech hang out for a photo--he thinks they are the neatest creature in the rainforest--the rest of us were less joyful to meet them. In reality, they itch/sting like a local mosquitoe.
Dan and Gary chat at a rest stop.
Days eleven to thirteen—off to the Malaysian rainforest at Endau-Rompin Selai named for the indigenous village near its entrance. To get there was an adventure in itself. The train station, trains and tracks are still owned by Malaysia though surrounded by Singapore. We arrived at a station that showed its age but was decorated with cultural murals. Some Singaporeans feel it would be nicer if controlled by Sg. We went through customs/immigration sensing heightened alert by officials as they search for an escaped terrorist—his picture is in every window—on every wall. Then we commenced our early am train ride thru Johor (a modern looking city/Muslim culture) and into countryside of thick vegetation although much of it obviously has had native forest replaced by widely present palms for palm oil. We were met at the station by Gary and his crew of guides and went for an adventurous, muddy ride to reach base camp. At one stop, Gary introduced us to Guava fruit—native here—and I prefer it to apples. Later, when we had to stop for roadwork, Gary got coconuts and opened them with machete for a refreshing drink for all.
(Incidentally, since I’ve been watching for shorebirds, I saw a white egret in the river near Mandai mangroves as we neared the border and a great heron in the same area on return—some of the sparse shorebirds seen here).
At the base camp there were cottages with elevated sleeping platforms, rough toilets, and wonderful local cooking by a local family. Malaysian culture includes six meals a day-breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon teas, supper and midnight snack—they all seemed like full meals (I started skipping some). The park ranger met to tell us the history of the park which still holds rhinoceros, elephant and many large animals. Two areas are set aside for recreation—we were in one----but all the rest/ 80% is off limits except to research and occasional poachers. They are very protective of preserving this habitat. In this area of parkland, indigenous people, the Orangasee, are often used for guides. They are a gentle, peaceful, likeable group who still lives much or solely from the land—the rainforest—harvesting rattan, hunting for meat, guiding, etc.
Our exposure to this environment includes a walk to the falls (I was the only one to fall into the river at a washed out bridge—it cooled me down—always the klutz). Two night walks netted us looks at two flying lemurs, deer, a civet fighting a water snake (the snake seen above in hands of Yasmin), frogs of many types, black scorpion, firefly larvae looking like dark brown millipede with glowing tails, small fish and freshwater eel.
I won the prize for getting the most leeches—over twenty on my first walk of 35 minutes (photo of one above on Dr. Dan’s finger). They respond to your approach—human, elephant, whatever by moving rapidly with inch-worm motion almost jumping to meat your shoes on the trail—standing erect to make contact, then climbing to a good spot over a vein, boring in and going to town. I was bleeding this afternoon again from a bite 24 hours ago—they possess a strong anticoagulant. They start the size of a large pencil lead and gorge themselves to the size of a medium earthworm. The discomfort is about like a Cedar Island mosquito and less than one of our local marsh flies. I was looking at the bruises all over my feet and ankles at the bus stop tonight when Dr. Dan and I realized it was the same bus stop at which he first informed me there would be leeches in my future. We had a chuckle.
This experience was quite a striking contrast to urban Singapore—but not that long ago, much of Singapore held this same biodiversity that is now gone and Malaysia is trying to preserve. This side trip gives me a sense of what a rapid and widespread loss of nature has occurred as result of the developmental path /Singapore has previously chosen—tho now apparently re-examining.
I asked Gary who has worked for 15 years in this field of guiding or environmental field work—and in these geographic areas-the same question I have asked others—which group of animals, plants insects, etc. is showing he earliest signs of impact from environmental degradation. He believes the large mammals are hit the worst in the rainforest and next the reptiles—based on hi experience and observations.
We were able to see the wide biodiversity among trees and rainforest plants especially and at night got s taste of mammals, reptiles and amphibians that stay well hidden during the day.
Three events I do not want to forget: when we arrived we were greeted by the sounds of cicada so loud it could seriously mistaken for the jet engine sound of a plane taxi-ing down the runway//second, the afternoon rain, thunder, downpour so strong it brought limbs down off trees including the one over our roof, and third, the sound of the gibbons playing out of sight in the treetops as we were preparing to leave, One more thing, the shy and soft song sang for us as a gift by our Orangasee guide the night before we left. \
Now back in Singapore, I appreciate clothes that are dry or can dry out at all, the soft mattress, the A/C, and walking on flat level ground. And it was tough trying to keep up with young folk 1/3 my age.
(Incidentally, since I’ve been watching for shorebirds, I saw a white egret in the river near Mandai mangroves as we neared the border and a great heron in the same area on return—some of the sparse shorebirds seen here).
At the base camp there were cottages with elevated sleeping platforms, rough toilets, and wonderful local cooking by a local family. Malaysian culture includes six meals a day-breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon teas, supper and midnight snack—they all seemed like full meals (I started skipping some). The park ranger met to tell us the history of the park which still holds rhinoceros, elephant and many large animals. Two areas are set aside for recreation—we were in one----but all the rest/ 80% is off limits except to research and occasional poachers. They are very protective of preserving this habitat. In this area of parkland, indigenous people, the Orangasee, are often used for guides. They are a gentle, peaceful, likeable group who still lives much or solely from the land—the rainforest—harvesting rattan, hunting for meat, guiding, etc.
Our exposure to this environment includes a walk to the falls (I was the only one to fall into the river at a washed out bridge—it cooled me down—always the klutz). Two night walks netted us looks at two flying lemurs, deer, a civet fighting a water snake (the snake seen above in hands of Yasmin), frogs of many types, black scorpion, firefly larvae looking like dark brown millipede with glowing tails, small fish and freshwater eel.
I won the prize for getting the most leeches—over twenty on my first walk of 35 minutes (photo of one above on Dr. Dan’s finger). They respond to your approach—human, elephant, whatever by moving rapidly with inch-worm motion almost jumping to meat your shoes on the trail—standing erect to make contact, then climbing to a good spot over a vein, boring in and going to town. I was bleeding this afternoon again from a bite 24 hours ago—they possess a strong anticoagulant. They start the size of a large pencil lead and gorge themselves to the size of a medium earthworm. The discomfort is about like a Cedar Island mosquito and less than one of our local marsh flies. I was looking at the bruises all over my feet and ankles at the bus stop tonight when Dr. Dan and I realized it was the same bus stop at which he first informed me there would be leeches in my future. We had a chuckle.
This experience was quite a striking contrast to urban Singapore—but not that long ago, much of Singapore held this same biodiversity that is now gone and Malaysia is trying to preserve. This side trip gives me a sense of what a rapid and widespread loss of nature has occurred as result of the developmental path /Singapore has previously chosen—tho now apparently re-examining.
I asked Gary who has worked for 15 years in this field of guiding or environmental field work—and in these geographic areas-the same question I have asked others—which group of animals, plants insects, etc. is showing he earliest signs of impact from environmental degradation. He believes the large mammals are hit the worst in the rainforest and next the reptiles—based on hi experience and observations.
We were able to see the wide biodiversity among trees and rainforest plants especially and at night got s taste of mammals, reptiles and amphibians that stay well hidden during the day.
Three events I do not want to forget: when we arrived we were greeted by the sounds of cicada so loud it could seriously mistaken for the jet engine sound of a plane taxi-ing down the runway//second, the afternoon rain, thunder, downpour so strong it brought limbs down off trees including the one over our roof, and third, the sound of the gibbons playing out of sight in the treetops as we were preparing to leave, One more thing, the shy and soft song sang for us as a gift by our Orangasee guide the night before we left. \
Now back in Singapore, I appreciate clothes that are dry or can dry out at all, the soft mattress, the A/C, and walking on flat level ground. And it was tough trying to keep up with young folk 1/3 my age.
For park info: http://johorparks.com/
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