Finally get a chance to update my blog (after some "encouragement" from concerned parties)
I don't have the time to write a full trip report on the recent trip to Mawai Eco Camp on 9-10 Oct 2004. Therefore, the following is only a short description of the trip with the highlights thrown in.
Mawai Eco Camp is located next to Sedili River in Johor. It has a nice combination of a kampong's rustic charm and a city's modern conveniences e.g. well equipped toilets and bathing facilities.
We were all gathered at Newton at 0800 on Saturday (9/10/04) to board our van for the trip. Before going to Mawai camp proper, we made our way to Pelapah for a short trekking session. Pelapah is next to Kota Tinggi Waterfalls and sometimes it is known as Lumbong Forest.
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Pelapah waterfall |
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Cliff climbing before having lunch next to the water. What an ambience! |
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Do you know that the ripe fruit of the oil palm can be eaten? It tastes oily and bland but nevertheless edible. |
By mid-afternoon, we made our way to Mawai and crossed the Sedili River on a motorised sampan to Eco Camp.
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We had to make our beds by laying a piece of canvas across these wooden poles. Even though they looked crude, they were really comfortable at night! Add a sleeping bag and you can say "sweet dreams". |
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Dinner cooked by the Malay staff in the camp. Malay style chicken rice with lots of vegetables. |
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Carbide lamp. Banned in Singapore (not sure why). Calcium carbide reacts with water to produce acetylene which provides the fuel. |
Later in the evening, we went for a boat ride along the dark Sedili River, watching the fireflies displaying their lighting prowess. At one point, the boat motor was turned off and we were left in the dark silence. ONLY the night was not silent. Listen closely and you could hear crickets, cicadas, Buffy Fish Owl, dog barks and traffic noise 1 km away.
Upon returning to camp, we had a quick stargazing session followed by a sweet snack of green bean soup - cooked Malay style with coconut milk. Tasted rather sweet - perhaps this is how the Malays like it.
Dreamtime......
If you are thinking of lazing in bed till late morning, Mawai is not the place to do it. By 0630, the whole place was lit up by the incessant chattering of birds and the loud calls of gibbons.
After breakfast, we went out for a swamp walk with our camp facilitators and a couple of Orang Asli guides.
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A member of the Sedge family. Leaf blades are sharp like razors because of the presence of silica. However, pull out the topmost portion and you can dine on the soft heart. |
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Wild boar tracks |
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Young ferns growing along the swamp path. Tasted really succulent. |
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Giant wild pandan on tall trunks. |
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Claw marks of panther. |
By late morning, the lot of us returned to camp for some last bits of fun before moving out.
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Orang Asli water obstacle course. According to the camp facilitators, this is the only one of its kind in Asia. Wow, what an honour! |
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Orang Asli animal trap. Animal e.g. mousedeer tripped on the trigger and bam! Cage falls on deer, trapping it. |
We finished lunch and boarded the van to a fruit farm owned by a retired Singaporean by the name of Mr Tan.
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Ficus auriculata, Roxburgh's Fig, Broad-leafed Fig. "Rong shu", "Wu hua guo". Dry the leaves within newspapers. Boil the dried leaves and you get a great tasting tea, macam "jia jia liang ca". Ripe figs (reddish) tasted crunchy! |
Evening 10 Oct 2004. After getting through the "mild" Causeway traffic jam, we were back in Singapore.