Belum Rainforest

It should be every parents' duty to instill the love of nature in their children.As we know children learns easily from their parents. Look at the children in the city.Some can't even climb a tree and they will not go anywhere without a wifi  . It's about time we teach the children of today to appreciate nature.

Mother nature has been good to us and we still have plenty of untouched forest  in our country and Perak is blessed with beautiful Rainforest that is our pride.The cutting down of trees should be scorned at.

On that note, city folks should make it a priority to send their children to adventure camps like the "Belum Adventure Camp" or BAC located on Pulau Banding. 

BAC is collaboration between Belum management and conservation SDN BHD ,a member of the Emkay  group of companies and Rainwalker ecosystems SDN BHD.

Pulau Banding is a unique man made,243 hectare island and is managed by Belum Conservation. It's executive Director,Datuk Fazwinna Mustapha Kamal said that conservation is their prime focus in its long term development plans for Pulau Banding which includes creating a premier heritage location for Malaysia.

BAC is one of the many components in this special approach to the development in Pulau Banding  which is targeted to put Malaysia on the world eco tourism map.Already Malaysia is ranked as one of 12 mega diverse nations of the world.

Imagine  a classroom in the forest and that's what BAC is all about.Take a walk on the wild side or in this case take a walk in the jungle.BAC will make you fall in love with nature even if you are the city type who loves concrete jungle.

What is the difference between BAC and other camps?

For starters BAC lies in the oldest rainforest  often known as the Amazon of Malaysia. As promised it is like being in the oldest classroom on earth.This adventure camp exposes campers to a variety of challenging and exciting activities that will strengthen their appreciation of teamwork and personal accomplishment.It is all about experiencing the power of nature and letting the flora and fauna teach,heal and strengthen people in body,mind and spirit.

Activities at the Belum Adventure Camp are flying fox course,high rope challenge course,bamboo rafting, white water rafting,trekking and camping,Rafflesia walk,outdoor education for schools, water confidence activity, camera trap and research expeditions and high impact team building.

BAC has been in operation for two years with great success among school children and they have managed 3,500 students so far.  Amkay has sponsored 30 schools within the two years.The children ranges from 11 yrs old to 17 yrs old and they are mostly from the  under privileged categories. Now they are launching their second phase  .Phase two sees it adding facilities and it witnessed the exchange of a signed memorandum of understanding with Kirkby  International College represented by President Bismillah Kader, partnering with Rainwalker Ecosystems sdn bhd represented by CEO  Chandra Arumugam,to extend learning beyond the classroom and gives students a deeper meaning to their studies.

Royal Belum is already on the world map and is at par with the likes of Amazon and Congo.Only the publicity part is not there yet so we should be our own ambassadors and tell the world about Royal Belum-Temengor, she added and we would like Perak to be the main player in eco tourism.

To get to Belum Adventure Camp is not difficult at all.It is only an hours drive from Grik.Once you reach the Belum Rainforest Resort, you can take boat from the jetty to the camp.

"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary." -Rachel Carson

Ends

Jogjakarta

My daughter recently treated me to a trip to Jogjakarta for my birthday.That's because she knows that I am a lover of arts and culture and Jogja is the place.

So We took the Air Asia flight which was about two and half hours.We booked ourselves at the Adhisthana hotel which happens to be at the area where arts and coffee collided.
The city is old and rustic but it has it's own character.Adhisthana is a 3 star hotel which is cheap and beautifully decorated,not to mention comfortable and plush.
Infact most of the guest houses and hotel in Jogja are artsy and pretty.
What is a visit to Jogja if one does not see the borobudur and so that was the first thing we did.We spent the whole day at the prambanan hindu temple and Borobudur temple.I was in awe at the sight of of these two temple.Awesome?More than that.I marveled at the architecture of these two.How did the ancient people of Indonesia at that era built them.I touched the carvings and it seemed surreal.Amazing!
Oh we walked around the malioboro street where tourist from all over hung out.The trishaw and horse carriages were truly a sight.It's their culture and all over there are authentic street food and people doing gimmicks for a few rupuah.They are full of talents.Buskers with great voice singing lovely songs.I was entertained by their ways and culture.I fell in love with Jogja!

Then there is the coffee culture of Indonesia.They have all kinds of coffee and they even sell the famous and most expensive coffee which is the "kopi luwak".We had a taste of the civet poop coffee at a place called Luwabica cafe.

On our 2nd day we visited the royal museum called the Kraton.There was a traditional dance for the public to see.As mentioned earlier,Jogja is steep in culture.

Jogja was where the batik painting originated.There are many batik painters and they produced great art work.

There is so much to see in Jogja and I did not have enough time to go to their beach and see the volcano Marapi.
I will definitely visit Jogja again and stay in Adhisthana for its warm hospitality and friendly people.

The Haven

I used to wonder what it's like to stay in an apartment suite of a resort hotel till my dream came true,I was invited to experienced two nights at the Haven Resorts,Ipoh.

Words fail to described the beautiful resort.I will try to show you the pictures and let them do the talking.From my suite on the 21st floor,I could see the unique shape of the swimming pool.

 Then there's the walkway that leads one to a jungle walk and every morning the gardeners would run apass the walkway in a group to keep them fit.

 This is the kitchen of the 3 bedrooms apartment.The view is simply magnificient.