Take The Path Less Ordinary

First it hugs you, and then it kills you. The strangler fig is no pushover in the botanical kingdom. It best epitomises Darwinism’s “survival of the fitness”. A fully grown fig can choke the largest tree to death and takes over its place.
Yes, this is how we like our jungle – raw and full [...]

“Another boatman Ali Hashim, 35, admits that it is embarassing when visitors are not satisfied with the light show. “They came from far and went away disappointed. We are disappointed too but there’s very little that we can do. It’s a shame if we lose this natural wonder to greed and ignorance,” says Ali” - [...]

Forest and wildlife degradation happening under local enforcement dept’s nose; we hear this over and over again, all the time. People who are paid to do their job looked the other way and locals themselves are none better either. This is an honest observation by those who visited Malaysia frequently and love our country like [...]

“I am personally unhappy because I believe that the place is best left untouched”. It is a pleasure to know that Tourism Minister Dato’ Azalina Othman has a good grasp on what makes ecotourism tick.
Today, it was reported in the news that the highest tourism authority in the country is taking it personal and [...]

“Business as usual is simply not an option”, said Julia Marton-Lefevre, the director general of IUCN.
It is horrifying to know that Malaysia ranks 3rd in the recently furnished IUCN 2008 Red List of Endangered Species report, after Ecuador and US, in terms of highest number of endangered species. Among the 1,141 threatened species in Malaysia, [...]

In the past, forest loss is associated with consumption of paper products and wood-based industry. At the dawn of 21st century, a more alarming threat is looming. With petroleum prices hitting the roof, rainforests are increasingly downsized to make way for bio-fuel crops - this is not good.
Who’s to be blamed?
While many in developed countries [...]

Thaipusam hurts. Like hell.
As the cacophony of chants and chaos intensifies, the priest stabs a 20cm rod across a man’s cheeks, sending him wild into deep trance. He trembles, grunts and suddenly stares coldly at us. Gosh, did we do something wrong? We could hear our heart throb.
The next moment, the possessed man turns away [...]

Penang is listed in Patricia Schultz’s “1,000 Places To See Before You Die”, a New York Times bestseller. It’s easy to grasp why. With its melange of ethnicity, multiculturism and fabulous spread of food, this island city is a striking example of Malaysia’s unusual social fabric.
How the myriad of races identify themselves
As early as 500 [...]