Airborne Leg First!

Few weeks later another interesting incident happened.
At the very same hiking rest stop, our human walked to the other side of the stream turned man-made pool where a small flat area had been cemented with a few benches. 
To go there, one has to walk on a narrow man-made concrete mini-bridge above the small waterfall that separates the upper and lower level of the stream.
On the return walk, our human slipped on a small patch of green moss/algae and went airborne leg first.

The next instant, our human felt something cold and soft.
Our human quickly stood up and realised that the murky water filled with mud and decaying leaves was almost waist high.
Water in the upper level 'pool' dropped due to the previous few days of dry weather.
To be honest, our human could not recollect how the climb up out of that murky water was.
Soaked and very dirty with decaying leaves in the hair, a fellow hiker helped our human pick it out; another hiker gave our human a clean dry T-shirt to change.
Our human then went to the lower stream to clean up before heading downhill.
Now our human is extra careful at that area, moving slower and sure-footed.
Without even a scratch, one hiker commented that the 'mountain spirits' must have protected our human. They said it could have been dangerous if landed on any part of the cemented area or rocks.
PS: Cell phone, keys and money in the waist pouch were wet and had to be cleaned and dried.

Sinkhole

This frequently visited rest stop beside a small stream is a favourite among hikers. Few years ago someone cemented the sides of the stream creating a small pool on the upper level. This stream flows down some big rocks to the lower level and was cemented to resemble a small waterfall.

When it rains (usually heavy), water will gush down the hill slopes beside it making its way to the stream.

With normal quick steps, our human walked beside the stream when suddenly the ground beneath gave way and our human fell forward onto the soft sand.

Since our human never uttered a sound, other hikers resting on the lower level did not know about the incident. Though the sand had the full imprint of our human's body (knee, hip, shoulder and face), our human just brushed the sand off and then walked downhill home.

At home, while taking the bath, our human checked and did not sustain any injuries.

That evening, there was a long heavy downpour.

Next morning, our human went back to the same spot but this time our human walked nearer the hill slope and with a long fallen branch prodded that sunken spot which now looked normal with no indication of a sinkhole.

Our human was shocked to discover that it was almost two feet deep. This time this potential sinkhole had to be make known to other hikers. Our human then drove in more twigs and branches, and placed an orange plastic lid to indicate danger.

Spunky Spiny Turtle

On the way downhill, our human met this lone spiny turtle. Its spines were not yet thoroughly worn down through age and rummaging years for food among the abrasive undergrowth.

Our human slowly placed one foot beside it as size comparison before snapping a photo.

This chap, did a sudden little hop and turned 180 degrees around to face the foot.

Surprised at its agility and speed, our human stayed still.

When it climbed up with its neck stretched out aiming for our human's ankle, our human felt a little uneasy and moved.

Our human gently prodded and guided that spunky chap to the side of the path into the thick undergrowth.

PS: Could not blog earlier weeks due to thunderstorm electricity trip.

I Will Survive 2026!

Our human loves going for morning walks as the surroundings, especially the plants are encouraging and do not give up.

This plant, off the path, was bent; it grew a branch straight up. The bent plant now almost touching the ground grew leaves.

Off the path and chopped off, this plant grew new leaves.

Our human absolutely loves this plant for showing its resilience.
Also off the path, it was chopped off; it grew sideways to the left. When it was also broken, it grew up straight up with leaves sprouting.

PS: When the internet router was upgraded to higher speed plus data lately; and
having retired 20 years ago with no one to ask, our human had a little trouble comprehending the fast evolving internet jargon.

Artistically Feasted On; Can you see it?

Our human noticed something unusual, stopped to look closer.

The leaves had unusual shapes. After a while upon closer scrutiny, our human realised it was artistically feasted on creating this unique lovely shape. The shoe below is for comparison.

Our human carefully looked but could not find any clue as to who the culprit is.

This Keeled Rat Snake, also known as King Koros, is non-venomous. Found in Southeast Asian forests, it preys on rodents and small animals.

'Tired Old Man'

It was a normal hiking day.

As usual after the walk, our human cleaned the mud and dirt off the shoes so as not to bring it into the car.

Parked under the roadside trees, our human heard rustles of leaves and looked up. A few monkeys were moving from branches to branches.

Our human quickly took out the cell phone.

As the monkeys moved off, one stopped and decided to rest on a branch nearest to our human...

...and sat there like a 'tired old man' for quite a while.

Yes, our human could relate, feels for him and understand his tiredness.

His home has been invaded, destroyed for human advancement and convenience.

When our human moved to the present home twenty years ago, beside was a small patch of green forest. The air then was fresh with daily visits from monkeys.

Soon it was cleared. In its place, now stands two rows of 4-storey shop office.

Air now is not like before; it feels warmer and faintly smell of vehicle exhaust.

Short-Term Tenant

Snowie is our human brother's pet cat.

The MeowRoom, without the cats, has now been converted into a sort of storeroom; and it took a couple of days for our human to clear out and clean it.

Our human bought a lot of cat food (to try to turn Snowie into a 'fatty') and a cardboard scratch house (that went home with him). 

All the kitty bowls and toys were cleaned.

Snowie was scared when he first arrived and hid in the corner staring. 

By the next day he was purring when our human placed him on the lap and groomed him. He loved playing with all the toys.

Each night, when our human sat in the hall watching TV, Snowie would sit behind the MeowRoom door and watch our human.

After Snowie left, our human cleaned the MeowRoom partially and then procrastinated.

MeowRoom is not completely cleaned yet! 

It is hard to shake off this procrastination disease.

Fat Skink

From the corner of the eye, something shiny caught our human's eye; immediately stood still and looked.

Well camouflaged, it took two to three seconds to pin point what and where it was.

In the bright sun puddle was this skink. It was the fattest our human has ever seen.

Perhaps it lives in the right place with plenty of food and less predators.

Paradise Tree Snake

Wanting to completely recover from the recent illness, on the return short hike our human walked extra slow. It was getting warm as the sun has risen high up.

Full of thoughts of ways on how not to fall ill again, our human suddenly sensed something in front, immediately stopped and looked.

Just one step in front was this beautiful chap in a sun puddle.

Our human quickly sidestepped, went behind the tree beside in a controlled slow motion and slowly took out the cellphone to capture the moment. (Our human purposely use the tree as a shield from the snake.)

Googled and found out that this is Paradise Tree Snake.

[from Wikipedia --

Paradise tree snake, paradise flying snake or garden flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia. It can, like all species of its genus Chrysopelea, glide by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. It is mostly found in moist forests and can cover a horizontal distance of 10 meters (33 feet) or more in a glide from the top of a tree. Slow motion photography shows an undulation of the snake's body in flight while the head remains relatively stable, suggesting controlled flight. They are mildly venomous with rear fangs and also can constrict their prey, which consists of mostly lizards and bats.]

Moon Gate and Sun Rise

As mentioned in the previous post of Loop de Loop, this is the giant vine loop which our human named it 'Moon Gate' where all hikers going this way have to walk through it.

The almost 4-foot hiking pole and the haversack purposedly placed there was to show its size in comparison.

It was one of those rare days when you are at the right place at the right time. It was a beautiful sunrise.

PS: Our human had a bad case of flu and on recovery, got caught on a sudden downpour which worsened and prolonged the flu.

Loop de Loop

These pictures well describe the vines doing the Loop de Loop.

There is one big one where you have to walk through it but it is on another trail opposite to this usual path which our human normally takes; and will snap the photo another day.

A Hand on Path?!

As usual in the mornings, walking alone in the forest, all our human's senses are heightened; hearing, smelling, looking, feeling, including the sixth.

Suddenly from the corner of the eye, there was something looking strangely familiar that should not be there.

Our human stopped immediately, turned and looked.

A hand! A child-sized hand on the path.

The early morning sun filtering through the thick canopy aided shadow play on it.

Imagine a superstitious, weak-hearted hiker walking alone during dusk, the scene would certainly scare the wits out of him or her.

Fruits on Path

Our human saw and recognised these fruits on the path. These were still young, not matured or fully grown yet.

It is possible that either the bad weather or some animals may be the cause of the falling. Due to the thick foliage above, our human could not determine which tree these fruits belonged to.

These are either nangka (jackfruit in English) or cempedak (honey jackfruit in English).

Nangka is usually huge and oval in shape while cempedak is smaller and tubular. Nangka tastes sweet and fruity when ripe, like a mix of banana, pineapple, and mango, with a fragrant, sometimes durian-like smell, while unripe nangka is mild, chewy, and absorbs spices, often used as a meat substitute in savory dishes.

Our human loves unripe nangka cooked in coconut milk with a bit of chilli, 'Nangka muda masak lemak' or 'Young Jackfruit Curry with Coconut Milk' and could seldom enjoy it as unripe nangka is so difficult to get.

Happiness is Meeting Friends

Our human turned a corner, something moved in front, immediately stopped and looked.

Monkeys were in front on the path a few feet away. They, too, stopped and looked.

Then someone approaching from behind said, "Good Morning!" Our human turned and saw a hiker acquaintance. He asked, "What are you doing?" I replied,"Snapping photos".

Those monkeys scampered!

Isn't that rear end view cute?

That hiker walked on.

Perhaps the monkeys recognised our human and then came down from the upper branches.

Our human was delighted to be able to capture this wonderful moment and had to refrain from hugging it. It looked at our human in such a cute coquettish position with seemingly cross-eyes.

Actually they are not cross-eyed but the markings made it look such.

They are so cute and friendly.

These are dusky leaf monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus), also dknown as the spectacled langur or the spectacled leaf monkey, a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae.

When It Rains

Our country's monsoon is not over yet and forecasters say it will continue.

There were days when our human, eager looking forward to the walk, changed to walking gear with a packed haversack, stepped outside, and it started raining!

Outside, our human stood looking at the falling rain for at least half an hour hoping that it was just a passing shower. When it did not stop for over an hour, our human gave up and went inside like a 'tortoise retracting into its shell'!

The very next fine weather morning, the walk was different. It was slower and cautious.

The fallen tree trunk fell on the path and broke on impact.

Muddy slopes and rain-filled holes.

Beauty of Old Vines

(Continue from the previous post.)

This is how it looks after years of growing together. The wrap-around vine cuts into the trunk.

Our human wanted to place either the hiking pole or haversack against the tree for comparison but could not go near it as it is off the path and on a slope.

This is one of the biggest vine covered with moss that is off the path.

PS: Could not blog earlier from house electrical power trips due to lightnings and continuous thunderstorms.

Vine Riot

Walking down the familiar path daily with one fine day when a scene suddenly caught your eye and you wondered how is it that you did not realise its beauty earlier.

A riot of vines in its raw beauty!

A young vine coiling round an older one which will eventually dig and carve into the older one as time goes by.

Walking with Spiny Turtle

Our human could not walk daily (or blog) due to the monsoon season and can only walk on fair mornings.

Two days ago, our human chanced upon this Spiny Turtle on the path.

On closer scrutiny, it was not "Holey Shell". Though it has a small indentation on its shell; it was on a different spot.

With no hikers in sight, our human slowly used the shoes to guide it to the undergrowth beside the path (our human was absolutely thrilled and grinned widely when it climbed up the shoe); and then covered spiny turtle with fallen leaves for camouflage.

Dead Tree Sculpture

It caught our human's eye when the bright early morning sun hit this dead tree beside the path illuminating its sculpture beauty; this particular scene simply had to be captured. Though walked past it countless times over several years, this area was dim under the thick canopy.

There is another nature's sculpture art along the path but Man's trash spoiled the scene.

Ant Tunnel

From far it looked like a broken fallen twig as well as a small snake across the path.

Closer, our human realised it was the ants ground tunnel and proceeded to casually step over it.

Our human thought, did the ants build the tunnel at a wrong place, right across the path and that it could be destroyed soon as not all hikers are mindful or conscientious.

True enough, it only lasted a couple of weeks; the top portion of the whole tunnel was gone.

If only much thought was given how much effort these hardworking and industrious ants put in to build it.