MALAYSIAN ENVIRONMENTAL NGO (MENGO) AGM 9-10 MAY 2014

The Malaysian Environmental NGO's (MENGO) held their AGM at Uluhati from 9 to 10 May 2014. We understand MENGO is an association of 24 environmental NGO's in Malaysia. Program for the two days seemed tight and sometimes the discussions sounded quite intense I feared that someone might be thrown down from the Serambi.

Living here in the hills the issues they discussed would certainly be of interest to us, as we see the environment being degraded continuously. We certainly hope they would come up with some measures to help preserve the the green hills that we love so much. Apart from preserving the environment for its own sake we believe a thriving natural environment is one way to create economic empowerment for the residents of Hulu Langat and other places similar.

I used to say that Hulu Langat has everything that Taman Negara has to offer, albeit the rivers and lakes are smaller, but the jungles are as thick, various and diverse as those in Taman Negara. The greatest advantage Hulu Langat has over Taman Negara is that its only 40 minutes from KL. So you do not have to use up all your annual leave, just a weekend will do. We  have guests who could not believe that barely an hour ago they were in KLCC or Bangsar and now they were bamboo rafting down the river. Taken in another perspective Kuala Lumpur/Selangor can offer both the amenities of the 21st century and the adventures of the primeval rainforest in one go. Not many places have that option.

But to be sure and frank, there are issues. Over the last 10 years we have been here we have seen more and more jungles being being cleared and progress have also brought along its nasty companions in the form of water bottles, plastics bags and whatever else on the road side and in the rivers. No, its not the fault of the water bottles or the plastic bags, nor progress in itself. It is we, the people, who do not seem to understand how to handle progress. We seemed to think that everything old and natural must be ripped apart and replaced with the shinny new thing to create new wealth. We cannot stop for a moment to think that even the old and natural has its own value and wealth creation abilities. Ecotourism to be precise. Haven't we heard that some countries earned OECD status by primarily relying on the tourist dollar. And the tourist dollar is not always about shopping in megamalls or chic boutiques. Our own experience has been that 75% of our guests are people in the late 20's to the mid 30's. We find this very interesting because common logic would have said that they would have preferred the city. Our only explanation is that too much of a good thing may not be that good afterall.

So in our humble opinion a few things need to be focussed on;

1. if we do not pay enough attention, our natural assets would disappear fast. So too would the eco-tourism dollar and in its place would be dry spells, unseasonal floods

2. we, the people, must heighten our awareness of the importance and the role of the environment in our overall well being. If we cannot figure this out ourselves, then shout for help

3. we the people must learn how to make money out of the environment without destroying it. We have to figure out that there are more ways to make money out of the environment  apart from selling logs.

Well, that's my 2 sen worth of opinion. You know, one guest sometime ago told us that their children thought that chickens had 6 legs, until they saw our chickens running on the farm. All because all they have seen of chickens was the 6 drum sticks packed in the supermarket styrofoam. So the issues with the environment range from the hilarious to brow beating, hand wringing and heart wrenching debates and arguments.

Lets pray we get it right someday.

PREETHI TURNS TWO

Judging from the amount of preparation the parents made, Preethi must be a very special girl, much loved by the parents and the grandparents. Thilaga and Suresh, the parents, paid several visits to the farm to make sure that all arrangements were well understood and prepared, the last one with the grandparents on tow, perhaps for the official blessing. So when the great day came all 60 of them trooped in, and amazingly almost all on time. Such a pleasant surprise. Who says Malaysians cannot keep time. This group did it. Only wish the rest of us could, though.

Anyway, they brought with them good luck. Weather was great. The rain came the day before and it was dry throughout the occasion. Cannot say the same for the mosquitoes, though. Unfortunately these wet and dry spells are heavenly for them. The only consolation is rural/bush mosquitoes are not as deadly as urban ones who are the carriers of dengue and the other nasty diseases. This has often puzzled me, but my theory is, its not the mosquitoes which are the problem, but the people packing the urban areas. Any disease is easily transmitted from from one person to another, when they they live so close together. And given the life span of mosquitoes they would die off before they complete the 30 odd km journey to Hulu Langat. And why bother to migrate to Hulu Langat where the pickings are slim. Lots more juicy bodies in town. Anyway this is just a muzing of an ignorant farmer, perhaps trying to justify his existence in these hills.

But I should not feel so bad. We recently made good friends with Terry and Yati who lives further up the hills in a place called "Far Far Away" and they are thinking of finding another place to be named "Further and Further Away". We kid you not. Our boys call them Uncle Shrek and Aunti Fiona and they have a helper called Donkey. Well, what can you say, we have all heard of the crazy Mat Salleh and this one fits the bill to the 'T'. But "Far Far Away" is another tale for another day.

Hear I go wandering again. Did I say that I just turned 57. Is that when senility smilingly announce its presence.

Anyway, back to Preethi, Thilaga and Suresh. So they all came, had a good time and left. (my, that was brief). Okay, they had the mandatory pony rides. They even sent in the clowns. The ice-cream man came. The children scared the deers out of their horns, the goats had to do their usual coy "come and get me" routine, and the chickens had to put up their weekly flustered show, and the dogs were frustratingly gnashing their teeth in their cages  "All that fun and we are left out. All those clueless people who would drop you a morsel or two if you shamelessly give that unfed look". That is precisely why you are confined to barracks when the guests come. In short the entire cast played their part well.

 

Well thank you Preethi, Thilga, Suresh and everyone for gracing Uluhati. Don't forget Uluhati when you are planning Preethi's wedding. Salam Pak Din and Safiya

JULIANA'S FAMILY DAY 12 - 13 April 2014

Another family came to chill out and catch up with each other at Uluhati. As usual we are more than pleased to be part of this family bonding experience. Some of their moods and experiences are captured below.

EARLY MORNING EXERCISE

MOMS AND AUNTIES CATCHING UP

THE GIRLS TRYING THEIR LUCK AT FISHING

 

 

 

CAMPFIRE BLAZING

 

 

 

Nice to have you all. Do come again. Salam

IN RESPECT AND MEMORY OF MAS 370

In a few hours it will be one month since that fateful day. A day which began with incredulous disbelieve, which slowly felt it way into our conciousness, finally grabbing a firm tenacious hold of the minds of millions of people all over the world, from simple farmers like me, to statesmen and illustrious specialists and academicians.

As the days went by the enormity the event grew correspondingly and emotions of various shades flowed and ebbed with every announcement. Despair followed hope whilst desperation trade places with confusion at every possible turn. Theories and hypothesis surfaced in different tongues from far flung corners of the earth. 

Surely this extraordinary event has caught the attention and imagination of everyone, culminating in an almost unprecedented scale of humanitarian effort outside a formal multinational framework. Whilst cynics may say that each have their own special interest at heart,  but I think beneath it all is the common basic care for a fellow human being. 

And when you hear the dedicated comments of the everyday man, from another part of the globe, doing his job looking for clues and survivors, whose names he knows not, then you know that there is still that human kindness hard-coded regardless of race, color or creed.

The Malays have a saying, loosely translated; "whilst it is the eyes that see (the burden), it is the shoulders that bear (the burden)".

We all have our moments of loss and despair. But evenso I can only imagine the pain and sorrow of the families of those on the ill-fated flight. I can only imagine because mine is only the eyes that see, but theirs are the shoulders that bear the pain. To my brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, may the Almighty descend upon you soothing calmness in your  hours of greatest trials. May He strengthen you with patience and forebearance. Just so you know the world mourns with you. 

Salam, Pak Din

Fairuz's Family Day - Welcome to the rain

The dry spell over the last few months also had its effects in Hulu Langat and Uluhati in particular. Whilst our water comes directly from the mountains, the dry spell reduced the water flow to only a trickle.  It was sufficient for own family needs, it was not enough for our guests. Hence we decided to close down temporarily for the month of March. However the last few days of March saw signs of rain and we opened our doors again to a group of guests, this time to En Fairuz and his entire bigger family, all 37 of them.

We were told that this gathering was somewhat special as many things were celebrated, birthdays and anniversaries, and all but two family members made their way back ,some as far as from America.

Prior to their arrival, I had decided to use the break in guest arrivals to do some renovations to the wash rooms facilities. Fairly confident that I would finish on time, as luck would have it many things came in between. So there I was going dizzy on Saturday morning trying to get everything completed before they arrive at 2.00 p.m. Can you imagine 37 people needing to go when the toilet is in shambles.  Thank God it was completed just in time.That's what happens when you try to be Mister Knowall.

Anyway they arrived in batches, apologizing for being late, me secretly thankful that at least I have some time to do some final touches. The program after tea was to go for a trek in the jungle. It began to drizzle but to my surprise everyone was game for it. By the time we got back it was pouring and I got worried as half of them will be tents. The tents are waterproof but still camping on wet grounds can be quite trying.

Rain or not, nothing seemed to effect their spirits. Their barbeque went on as scheduled in the Balai and when  they were given hurricane lamps to compensate for the spoilt kitchen light, someone reminisced of the good old days in Grandma's kitchen. And when the karaoke started everyone was involved, including Uncle Bob from the U.S.of A. Yes, we heard, even when we were not there.

So we thought the campfire would be a write off and the tents would be empty. To our surprise just as we were about to retire we saw a roaring fire at the campfire spot. Must have been some doing since the wood which we got ready for them were soaking wet. The next morning we learnt that almost everyone opted for the tents leaving the Longhouse almost empty, except for Grandma and Grandpa. The morning saw some of them warming themselves by the fire with someone playing the guitar.

A moment to yourself

Strumming his soul with his fingers

Campsite Uluhati

Late sleeper, who cares when your are only 3

Sister up with Mommy

A quick game of football before breakfast

Horse and Pony rides

This group really impressed us. They wanted to be together and they did just that no matter what the circumstances are, rain or shine with not a whisper of complain, at least not that we heard. Okay, there was a scream in the Ladies washroom in the morning as they discovered our resident frog in one of the cubicles. Frogs too like to get out of the rain sometimes.

Yes, animals can be quite unpredictable sometimes, not always following their script. Our squirrels for example would not eat the fruits on the trees themselves, but would rather bring them to the Coffee House and have their tea on the table top, leaving the usual mess behind.

Anyway, well done Fairuz and family. Great family. Salam and God Bless.

THE MOTHER HEN AND ME

Let me tell you a little story about the mother hen and me. Calm down, its not that kind of story. This story happened some time back at the onset of the rainy season.

It was a dark and stormy night, as Snoopy would have had it. As per the usual nightly routine I made my way to the stables to give the horses and the fishes their supper (yes, catfish feed mostly at night and horses like to munch during the night when they get bored). The rain fell steadily as I rushed to get over the routine soonest possible. Just as I was finishing I noticed something blocking the drain which ran along the length of the stables. A blocked drain would cause a spillover which will only create a mess of the already soggy grounds. Expecting a bunch of leaves or something similar I approached the cause of the blockage and what greeted me was a total surprise. Squatting quietly in the drain was a hen half soaked in water. Without any protest (most probably numbed with cold) she allowed me to pick her up. 

As I held her I felt something wriggling beneath her. I lifted her higher and a little chick fell from beneath her wings, perfectly dry and warm. How the mother hen could have kept her warm in the flooded drain was beyond my comprehension. Without any hesitation I placed the chick in the incubator with other newborns and left the mother to go back to her usual perch. She must have been relieved. You see, she belonged to a group of recalcitrant chickens who refused to be housed with the other chickens in the hen-house. They would roost wherever they wish, mostly on top of the stables. Everything would be fine if they do not have young ones to take care of. With her usual perch on top of the stable it would not be possible to bring the chick back up for the night, hence the night spent at ground level.

This little episode got me thoughtful for along while. Why did she choose the drain instead of somewhere more convenient, say at the base of one of the big durian trees, in between the buttress roots. The answer drew on me. On open ground she and baby would have been visible to the dogs. Whilst the dogs have been taught that the chickens are off limits, one of them, Socks, sometimes finds the temptation to much for her tender heart to bear. Socks is a Collie with the most endearing of eyes and the sweetest of smiles which belie a fiendish attitude. I swear she must have been part fox. As a pup, she has been seen going after chickens and when caught in the act, she would give that "who me??..." denying look with her mouth full of feathers. As an adult, she is the only dog who would busily following us around when we are rounding the chickens for sale, seemingly offering assistance, whilst suspiciously licking her dripping mouth.

So the choice of the drain as a refuge was a smart move by the mother hen. That way she would not be visible to Socks. So who says chickens are dumb. One point for intelligence. But she did not account for the flooding drain. So shall we take away that one point.

But what touched me most was the sense of love, devotion and sacrifice demonstrated by the simple mother hen. It was most moving to see her half frozen in the drain, risking life and limb to keep her chick safe and dry. On that score I would think that she would put some, if not many humans to shame. Strange that a creature with limited intelligence and lacking in the spiritual self, as we humans like to believe can demonstrate such devotion to duty and love. What I saw was humbling and it opened another window to the endless wonders and mysteries of God's creation.

I am reminded of a saying of the Prophet (May peace be upon him). He said, " Knowledge/Wisdom is the lost camel of the believer. He picks it up where he finds it and from whichever vessel it ensues.". In this case I learned a new meaning of love, care and devotion from the most unlikely vessel, a mother hen. My late grandfather used to tell me to respect my teachers, even if they happened to be a little boy, for they are purveyors of knowledge and wisdom. I guess now I have to give chickens more respect than for their delicious meat.

The choice of camel as a symbol of lost property by the Prophet (pbuh), is quite interesting. The Prophet (pbuh) was an Arab and he was speaking to a Arab audience. To the Arab peoples, then and now, the camel is something very dear and valuable to their hearts, hence lost property = lost camel. To the Arabs the camel is among the most beautiful of creatures and many poems are recited over campfires extolling the virtues and beauty of so-and-so camel. Of course to non-Arabs like me and many others like me, this is something we would have to work very hard to understand, what more appreciate. I mean, horses, cats, dogs, even tigers, lions and arowana fish, yes, I can see the beauty in them. But camels? But never mind, to each of us his own.

The Arabs' love for camels is demonstrated yet again in another amuzing, yet gentle incident. The Prophet (pbuh) was describing paradise to a group of companions. In the middle of the discourse, a bedouin, interrupted and asked the Prophet (pbuh) if there are camels in paradise. The Prophet (pbuh) replied, "yes" and continued with his discussion,. Not believing his ears, the bedouin asked the Prophet (pbuh) again, and was given the same answer. A bit later as if to really make sure, the bedouin asked again, and the Prophet (pbuh) laughed and told him that there are camels the likes of which he has and will never see on earth. Satisfied, the Bedouin  left for his tent, probably reinforced in his determination to work for paradise where there are beautiful camels.

What is amuzing about the incident, is the demonstration of the wide spectrum of human interests, which ranges from the simple camel to the sublime ideals and principles of metaphysics. And God being the all merciful and gentle provides for all.

Goodnight and salam to all from Pak Din.

ULUHATI: HOLIDAY CAMPS WITH ULUHATI

ULUHATI: HOLIDAY CAMPS WITH ULUHATI: The end of year long school break is coming soon, all six weeks of them beginning from mid November till just after new year 2014. Check out Uluhati Holiday Camp programs under the Page: Holiday Camps with Uluhati