Into the woods

Burning the road for three hours or so up north eventually lead us to a green heaven, albeit a steamy one.

As soon we stepped out of the cosy automobile into this sauna of a place, we were greeted by a welcome party ....

... a troop of dusky leaf monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus). These are obligate herbivores and most of them have a pot belly as digesting the leaves is a slow inefficient process and hence they tend to over eat. I consider them to be the most adorable monkey in Malaysia due to their peaceful nature and impish looking face.

This particular fearless young guy caught my eyes as it fed nonchalantly on the young leaves just above me.

Fallen while still so glorious, like Kim Jonghyun or James Dean before him perhaps ..... the spent bloom of an Syzgium.

The stilt roots of a tall Dillenia (possibly D. reticulata), showed that this area is seasonally flooded, especially during the year end monsoon.

We were stopped short by a singular tree with a population of these sap-sucking red-nosed lantern flies (Fulgoridae ).

From another angle they look even more ridiculous -  the function of the red-tipped horns remained elusive.

Amydrium medium is a climbing aroid with nice juvenile foliage that turns rather nondescript as it matures.

The rare small palm Licuala kiahii resides in this neck of the woods. East and West Malaysia has the highest diversity of Licuala in the world although to casual observers they look rather similar.


Pinanga disticha is a common palm in this area - it has beautiful mottled foliage. This has great horticultural value and is not difficult to grow in a sheltered location indoor.

 The very interesting Phyllanthus griffithii which is endemic in West Malaysia.

  The distinctive flower and fruits of a Sterculia....

... usually these are giant trees growing in more open area but this small species appear to prefer shade.

 A couple of the so called corpse flower follows - the common Amorphophallus paenifolius which is fruiting ....

....and the much rarer Amorphophallus bufo - which I have yet to see flower despite encountering them many times.

 ....and finally, what a glorious spot to wash our smelly dirty feet .....

"There's no wifi in the woods but you will find a better connection" ....hmmm I am not sure .... we were just trespassing this dark realm, like rolling stones really.....too keen to get back to our comfort zone, too impatient to sync with nature's channel....