I used to think Hawaii is the best place to watch the sunset; not that I have been there before but I think it must be the late Jack Lord's Hawaii-Five-O which put the idea into me.Singaporeans may say that Sentosa Island is the place and someone else may say it's Los Angeles's Santa Monica pier or Ipanema Beach in Rio De Janeiro or the Maldives or the Serengeti but don't cross Pangkor Island out just yet. You don't get to see a big, red sun bursting passionately into the sky there perhaps; but if you were to sit on the beach after six and watch the sky slowly changing its hues, it is bliss indeed; very unlike that beautiful feeling of a normal relationship developing into true love...It is indeed a joy just watching the sky...
If you fancy kayakking, then I suppose Pangkor Island is just the place for you. At Pasir Bogak Beach, it looks like a perfect place for these activities. The place looks peaceful and protected and it makes one doubtful if the deadly tsunami could cause much damage here as it did in Acheh, Indonesia or Phuket Island, Thailand. It was reported that after the Indian Ocean created damage there in 2004, tourists started to dwindle in Pangkor Island. Fear, I suppose, has a way with people's mind....
Pulau Pangkor, a place where you can canoe or kayak to your heart content!
As far as I could remember, Pangkor island has always been famous for its beaches. The beach at Pasir Bogak Beach near where I was staying is said to be more superior in terms of sand quality but elsewhere in Teluk Nipah and Coral Bay on the north west of the island, the beaches there are said to be very popular with Europeans. German driving ace, Michael Schumacher, touted by Formula 1 website to be the greatest driver the sport has ever seen, reportedly had put up a night in an exclusive resort somewhere here when he was in the region. I suppose one doesn't have to be a star to enjoy beaches!
If you love to go a-wandering, well, you can give Pangkor island a try. It is said that there is a 12.5 acre virgin forest here and you can camp here and hike to your heart content. Nature and bird lovers especially would be delighted too since the forest here is home to a variety of flora and fauna and I swear to it that I saw some hornbills here once. Then of course, during this present trip, I did not just go trekking in the morning, in broad daylight as most of us would do. In fact, I had the privilege to join many youngsters in their trek to the jungle at night and it was a fantastic experience especially if you are lucky enough to see the spores of fungi that glows in the dark...Do not relish in the morning alone. Value the night for the night hold surprises!
Was it just June this year that I found myself in Pangkor Island? I have heard that Joan Collins, the bitchy vixen from Dynasty, had been to this island once and no wonder, the island off the coast of Perak in North West Malaysia is a tropical paradise. I remember frollicking in the sun with my cousins and friends and getting all sun burned in Pasir Bogak Beach during my younger days, and then there was also those tintillating moments when I had to hike through a jungle just to camp on a quiet beach near the Dutch Fort with Mrs. Pang and her husband. Yes, it was in June this year that I had the opportunity to visit Pangkor Island again and was I surprised! The jetty in Lumut where I was to take a ferry to Lumut had had a facelift! It looks more polished and there are many stalls there selling souvenirs and food now! Things change, I should know and it should be towards the better!
Prior to visiting China, a Malay lady I know did not believe that the communist country practises the one child policy. A family is allowed to have only one child unless the child born is deformed or has some kind of problem. A twenty something lady tourist guide I met in Beijing in the mid-80s seemed to be a strong supporter of her country's policy, saying that her country was bursting to the seam with people and even that, minorities in the country are allowed to have more than one child since their number is few and needs to be boosted. One thing I like about the Malays in my country and Muslims in general is that they view children as tokens from Gods and never hesitate to have many children even though some are not financially well-off. It was very unlike Queen Victoria of the former British Empire who once remarked that children are only to be seen but not to be heard. Perhaps, some children are by nature unbecoming! Just watch!
There is a story, The Lotus Eater, written by William Somerset Maugham about a certain Thomas Wilson who gives up his job to live an idyllic life in Capri. He plans to live for 25 years there and have enough money to live until then, following which he would kill himself. This ridiculously beautiful story is supposed to be inspired by Homer's Odyssey. Odysseus, a mythical Greek warrior and his men have stopped at an island where the seeds of the lotus plant are used as a narcotics. After consuming the seeds, his men become drugged, grow idle and refuse to continue their journey. Lotus eaters are therefore people who live an idle, comfortable life who do not work and do not think and care very much about anything else. In my hometown, Taiping, some of the Chinese eat lotus seeds that are freshly picked from the lakes. I enjoy eating them too, but nay, they are not narcotics. One must not take the word of a book!
If I remember right, Debasis is from India and an engineer. Debasis, the author of three blogs, Health-news-tips , STRANGE THINGS TO KNOW , and SOUL,THE LIGHT ON THE WAY sent me a message: Dear footiam as promised I am sending the htmal code of the shrine near my house just put it in your buddhist blog and please read my third blog in blogcatalog thanks. I thought a message like this from someone so far away is such a nice gesture. A simple gift always pleases!
BBC reported that a seven-year-old smiling boy has been filmed going on a 30-minute rampage at Alice Springs Reptile Centre in Australia, killing 13 rare reptiles and feeding live ones to a crocodile. Elsewhere, Chicago Tribune reported former New York Mets minor leaguer, actor Joseph Petcka who has appeared in Sex and the City, was arrested and faced two years of prison for killing Norman, his girlfriend's seven-and-a-half-pound cat which died with broken teeth, broken ribs, a broken leg, a torn tongue, massive internal injuries including bruised lungs and a bruised liver and a chest cavity filled with blood. Now, all these news and some weird bread in a strange bakery probably make us think that human beings are by nature violent! Just have a look at some of the bread in this bakery! I wonder where this bakery is and if you would take a bite of its bread. The world really does not stop to amaze!
It must be towards the end of spring 8 years ago when I was watching television in a hotel room with a friend in New Zealand. Another friend who had joined us commented that there was no adult scenes in New Zealand TV and lo! Suddenly, there was one in the idiot box! As far as I remember, New Zealand seems like one very free country. The Herald reported that an Auckland primary school teacher who moonlights as a prostitute could neither be sacked nor asked to stop moonlighting. The Labour-led New Zealand government has made prostitution a lawful and legitimate occupation and to penalise somebody holding a second job that is constitutionally lawful tantamounts to violating that person’s civil right. The 30-something teacher and mother of two, has argued that what she did in her own time was no concern to the principal, that it was a private matter and it was not affecting her performance as a teacher. That reminds me, perhaps she cares. It is more heartwrenching to hear of people who don't care and prostitute themselves as teachers!
Posts
