Aloe Vera Flowers

It never crossed my mind that aloe veras have flowers until a few days ago when I suddenly noticed one of my aloe plants has grown a tall stalk of flowers. I water my plants daily but I never noticed it the day before. Did they just appear overnight like 'now you don't see it, now you see it'? Or did I simply overlook the flowering stem earlier and only noticed it when the flower buds started appearing? Beats me. Nevertheless, it's quite fascinating as it's my first time seeing a flowering aloe vera plant.

Here's what  my plant and its flowers look like in my unkempt and overgrown grass patch.

Nature trek at FRIM

On Sunday, ACE and some friends went on a nature trek at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia in Kepong. After some basic research through their website and some info from a friend who had been there before, I called them and booked a guide earlier in the week.

Their guide service costs RM80 and they can take a maximum of 20 people. You can make payment and meet your guide at the one-stop info centre at building D6 after driving past the main entrance where you pay your entry fees. They recommend you start your nature walk at 9.00am.

Our guide, Encik Wahid, took our group of 10 on a walk through a nature trail and showed the kids interesting plants and animals. He described the names, features and uses of the plants. He told us of the different types of wood - strong (hard), medium and soft - that the trees provide, which could be used to make things from pencils, to furniture, bridges and railroad sleepers, for example, depending on the type of wood.

Did you know that we need two trees per person to have enough oxygen in the air (that's why we need to protect Mother Earth from over-development, logging and deforestation), and only about 25% of sunlight penetrates the forest?

Caitlin and friends on the trail

Along the trek, we saw unique plants, their flowers and fruit, a giant milipede, a centipede, a cicada (we heard them first before spotting one),and two forest crested lizards. We also saw scratchings on the ground at two separate areas made by wild boars in search of worms, according to the guide.

The fruit and flower of the sea poison tree (local name: putat)

The mud tunnel or mud tube created by the cicada nymphs as they emerge from underground where they've remained for 2-5 years (some species up to 17 years!)

The Crown Shyness Phenomenon - the leaves of the Dryabalanops aromatica (kapur/camphor) trees do not touch each other!

A giant millipede

After the one-hour trek, we proceeded on an uphill climb to get to the Canopy Walk. Although the distance was only 500m, it was a challenging climb through the forest, for us with 'old, creaky' bones and our city kids. But they took it all in stride despite complaining a little of tiredness, and getting impatient as it got steeper towards the top. Upon reaching the entrance hut of the canopy walkway, we sat for a short briefing by the people-in-charge -- no running, jumping, keep a distance of two planks (5m) between each person, no turning back, the maximum number of people allowed at each of the three viewing platforms, etc. The canopy walkway is about 30m above ground, or 300m above sea level.

Entrance hut of the canopy walkway

The 150-metre long suspension-bridge canopy walkway

After completing the 150m canopy walk, we then had to trek down another trail to get back to ground level and head back to our car. Along the trek downhill which was also quite steep and slippery at some parts, we came across a picnic area and a small waterfall.

The entire trek up and down plus walking on the canopy walkway took about two hours. By the time we got to our car, we were all soaked in perspiration, rather tired but happy we got to experience a jungle trek and walking among the treetops of a tropical forest. It was C's first such experience and she enjoyed and learned quite a lot.

If you wish to visit FRIM, check out their website for more info on the activities available. Besides nature trails and the canopy walkway, they have a picnic and camping site (C wants to go camping next!), a botanical garden, mountain biking trails, birdwatching and treasure hunt activities. You need to pay an entrance fee (RM5 per car with driver, RM1 per adult and free for kids below 12). The canopy walkway charges RM5 per adult and RM1 per child below 12. It is closed on Mondays and Fridays. Beginning, January 2012, FRIM will be increasing these fees. Non-Malaysians are charged a different (slightly higher) rate :(

Remember to bring insect repellant, drinking water, a camera if you wish to take photos, a small towel or wet wipes (to wipe off your perspiration!), and a change of clothes if you wish to feel more comfortable after the hike. It would be handy to have a small plastic bag too to collect whatever rubbish you have like used tissue paper/wet wipes, sweet/food wrappers so that you can discard them later properly in a dustbin, and not litter the jungle.

That's how ACE concluded the second week of school holidays. Another four weeks to go before we get back to routine and C goes to Year 4 in school.

There's still school books and Christmas presents to buy...

Gardening

My attempts at creating a lovely flourishing 8 ft X 12 ft 'green lung' at the front portion of my house has been a start-stop affair for the past one year. I was all enthusiastic at first to have my very own garden after moving in, dreaming of how my garden would look like with lush green bushes and flowering plants.

A beautiful, or at least satisfactory-looking garden with mature plants takes lots of hard work, TLC, patience and time for the plants to grow and flourish. Nowadays, you can also have a beautiful, artistically landscaped garden with mature plants in about 24 hours too - instant gardens! All you need to do is get a landscaper or go to a plant/flower nursery and get them to plan your garden, supply and plant the trees, bushes etc for you. You can have rocks, water features like fountains, mini waterfalls, ponds. Anything is possible. Where there is demand, and of course money, there will be supply.

While these instant gardens are nice, they seem to look too artificial and sterile for my liking, especially if it's an outdoor garden. I guess it also depends on the choice of plants, shrubs or trees one chooses. Those that I see around my neighbourhood tend to look too 'clean' somehow.

Anyway, back to my garden. It certainly does not have the 'clean' look. The grass is uneven and unkempt. We've trimmed it a few times only so far. There are some plants in the ground and the grass around those plants are overgrown. After mowing the open sections, we didn't complete the job by trimming by hand around the plants...

Rusty is also a regular contributor to the 'crazy garden' look. He's made a row of flowering bushes his play pen (just like how kids love tumbling and rolling about in a pen filled with colourful plastic balls). He's chewed off the tips of some plants. He's 'plucked' some flowers and decorated himself with them. He's uprooted small flowering plants too. Sigh. We tried fencing up the plants, only to make them look 'imprisoned' but they are still not safe from Rusty lifting his leg and watering them with urea-based 'fertiliser'. Sigh...

A garden planted by your own hands, with your own sweat and toil is more satisfying and rewarding in the long run in my opinion. It is a labour of love, a hobby, a pastime that teaches you new things. These past few days, I've started to work on the garden again. I guess if I'm hardworking and patient enough, the garden should look the way I want it to someday.

The Pretty Moon

According to Caitlin, this is a story her teacher told. Here's how she retold it.

"Once upon a time, the moon was very tall and she wore a long black dress. Every night, she would shine near the river and used the reflection to put on her makeup. Then she would shine high up and looked very beautiful. One day, the moon took a walk in the forest and her long dress got caught among the branches and thorns. It became torn everywhere and when she shone, all the animals said she looked ugly.

So the moon saw some grass and used it to cover her long black dress. She shone again and the animals said she still looked ugly. Then the moon found some flowers and plucked them and stuck them to her dress. All the animals said she looked pretty. But a gust of wind came and blew all the flower petals away. The moon's dress looked tattered again.

The animals then decided to help the moon become pretty again. The moon was very tall so the animals had to use a ladder to reach up to her. The stars also came down to help. They painted on her dress and when they finished, the dress was very beautiful. It 'fit' (matched) the sky. It had shiny stars all over and all the animals said the moon looked very pretty.

That's the end of the story about the 'vain pot' moon."

Wild, beautiful, powerful

I've trekked jungles countless times in my lifetime, mostly on a fortnightly basis continuously for two years between 1998 and 2000. If not for the experienced ex-army guides I had, I would have probably gotten lost among the thick bushes, towering trees and rugged terrain, despite having trekked along those several different routes more than once.

Never once during those treks have I not been reminded of how fragile the wild can be when you see the marks man has left on it, but in its fragility there is its power. It protects its inhabitants, the animals, providing food and shelter. From the various species of plants, man has found cures and made medicines, traditional and scientific. You can feel its 'power' more so at night, when darkness surronds you and you see absolutely nothing but thick blackness, not even your hand in front of your face, and all you hear is the sound of the wild making their calls and noises.

The wild jungle is beautiful and powerful -- the wonders of nature, trees, plants, rocks, soil, water, insects, animals all living in harmonious balance. Only when man comes into the picture that the harmony is spoilt.