... any way the wind blows ...

End of Another Trip

16 to 20 Jan 2008 - Melaka, Singapore - (Malaysia, Singapore)

Some retrospective notes - made in 2018!

Over-decorated trishaws, Melaka

Night market, Melaka

Bees eye, or the durian
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore

Detail
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore

Fancy meeting you here!
Running in to Mon at Singapore airport.

Malaysian Islands

12 to 16 Jan 2008 - Pulau Pangkor, Pulau Penang - (Malaysia)

Some retrospective notes - made in 2018!

Eastern and Orient Hotel, Penang

Hornbill on the balcony

Hornbill

Hornbill
I love the "eyelashes"!

Bee-eater on alert

Bee-eater scans the air for insects

7 to 11 Jan 2008 - Kuala Lumpur (and surrounds), Kuala Selangor - (Malaysia)

Some retrospective notes - made in 2018!

KL

People from Open Doors in Klang

Joshua from Myanmar and the refugees in the secret camp near Batu Caves

National Park near Kuala Selangor with mudskippers and fireflies

Incense

So photogenic
Joshua's neice

A moving visit
We visited a group of Burmese refugees, living in very basic conditions in the forest, not far from KL

Despite extreme hardship, a refugee beams a beautiful smile
Despite their status, they can still maintain an optimistic outlook.

We visited a group of Burmese refugees, living in very basic conditions in the forest, not far from KL.

A moving visit
We visited a group of Burmese refugees, living in very basic conditions in the forest, not far from KL.

Refugee camp sign
We visited a group of Burmese refugees, living in very basic conditions in the forest, not far from KL.

Iconic symbol of KL
The Petronas Towers

Mudskipper

Woodpecker at dusk

A Most Awesome Souvenier from Sarawak

1 to 7 Jan 2008 - Niah, Sibu, Kapit, Kuching - (Malaysia)

Some retrospective notes - made in 2018!

A very rough and scary ferry crossing

Finding a rafflesia flower

Buying our cannon

On vague directions, finding the best garlic crabs ever

In the "Trader's Cave", Niah

If you wanted to know what crocs eat...

Hmmm, not sure everything looks tasty when flourescent

Flat out like a lizard drinking

Richard gets brave
Some strange dessert, with crushed ice, jelly, and that yellow stuff on top is corn! Not a fan!

Jo and a rafflesia
This is the world's largest type of flower. We were blessed to have seen one, as they only pop up every now and then, and bloom for three days or so before rotting away.

Blooming rafflesia

Jo demolishes some seafood.
Oh what a magnificent dinner. Garlic crabs, and Bamboo Clams.

We buy a souvenier...
Yes, that is an 19th century cannon, and no, it is not coming home in the hand luggage, but it is on its way.

Brunei, and in to Sarawak

29 to 31 Dec 2007 - Bandar Seri Begawan, Gunung Mulu, Miri - (Brunei, Malaysia)

Some retrospective notes - made in 2018!

Visiting 6 star Empire Hotel

Bats

Royal Regalia Museum

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

Boys in makeshift boats, Brunei.
These boys were fishing for shrimps under the houses in Kampung Ayer, BSB, Brunei.

In the foyer of the "Empire Hotel"
With Peter, from St Andrew's church in BSB. This hotel is a step up from the accommodation we are accustomed to. No, we didn't stay here, just stopped by for a mocktail...

Pitcher plant - Carniverous jungle plant

A friend on a leaf

Strike a pose!

Not flying at the moment.
Flying lizard. The folded skin can be stretched tight, allowing the lizard to glide between trees.

"The Rock of Enlightenment"
Surely this is the place to stand if you want to hear from God!

Stream of bats
Millions of bats exit one of the Mulu caves as they head out in the late afternoon to feed. A constant stream for over an hour, like a giant twisting ribbon.

Bloody annoying mozzies!
Note the mosquitoes biting and flying around this frog.

More mozzies!
Note the mosquitoes biting and flying around this frog.

Mushies!

Mulu caves

Mulu Caves

So much Sabah Wildlife

22 to 27 Dec 2007 - Sungai Kinabatang, Kinarut, Bandar Labuan - (Malaysia)

Some retrospective notes - made in 2018!

Seeing Orangutans in the wild, amongst other great animals.

Gecko

Blue-eared Kingfisher
Blue-eared Kingfisher - Latin name: Alcedo Meninting

Sungai Kinabatang, Sabah, Malaysia

Water Monitor
Looking out for some passengers, I believe. They, too, find that speedboats are quicker than swimming!

Borneo Gibbon
A very shy, extremely rare, and seldom sighted. This was a definite highlight of our time in Sungai Kinabatang.

Monitor Lizard and Wild Pigs
I was ankle deep in mud, trying to take the monitor's photo, and then saw the pigs coming, and had to squish quickly to a good spot without scaring anything away - The monitor blends in a bit too much with the background (like, derrrr, it's supposed to!) but still happy.

A tiny frog
The second smallest species of frog - You have no idea how long we spent searching through the mud to find him!

Green Tree Lizard

Black-Backed Kingfisher
Very happy with this full flash shot.

Black-backed Kingfisher - Latin name: Ceyx Erithacus
(formerly thought to be... Blue-eared Kingfisher - Latin name: Alcedo Meninting)

Sungai Kinabatang, Sabah, Malaysia

Tarantula
Not huge, but certainly big enough at about 15 cm.

Scorpion

Harlequin Tree Frog
This rubbery little guy was actually quite difficult to remove from the torch - he had no desire to leave!

"Big Daddy"
The large male has no real issue with us staring up at him from the base of his tree - he just continues to eat the plentiful fruits around him.

"Big Daddy"
Large male orangutan eyes us off from the tree top.

Hornbill
Hard to catch birds in the air, but we were quite pleased with this photo of an Oriental Pied Hornbill