The Gardener #47

If you would have it so,
I will end my sing.
If it sets your heart aflutter,
I will take away my eyes from your face.
If it suddenly startles you in your walk,
I wil step aside and take another path.
If it confuses you in your flower weaving,
I will shun your lonely garden.
If it makes the water wanto and wild,
I will not row my boat by your bank.




Rabindranath Tagore

Phuket : Shadow Play



It is popular in various cultures : the Chinese call it  皮影戏 ; wayang kulit by the Malay ; killekyata, killikets, citrakathi, patua, patidar, pat par, para etc in India.

In Thailand, it is called nang yai.  In the south it is called nang talung.

A shadow play is not complete without being accompanied by a band of music, while the puppeteer brings the figures to live with motion, songs and dialogues.   

 A talented puppeteer can make the figures walk, dance, fight, nod, laugh, etc…

even if the puppeteer is a kid !

Krabi : Island Hopping Getaway

Thailand : in a glimpse

Highways

Highways in Thailand ( Krabi & Songkhla Province , to be exact )are not as grande as highways in Malaysia. Yet the highways still function as they were designed for ! .

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There are no fancy road kerbs, which make the road shoulders higher than the road levels. Well, what’s the purpose of road kerbs anyway ? Of cause they are to keep the soil from spilling over to the road surface. But then, why are the shoulders designed to be higher than the road surface in the first place ? To incur more cost to maintenance and upkeep them ? . .
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There is no need for kerbs. Without kerbs, no scupper drains are required. No clogging of scupper drains. Rain water can flow faster and freely off road surface. bla bla bla …… .

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There are no fancy median too. The medians are made into ravine, another practical thing to do in non-stop-rain-pouring country ! .
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Trees are planted along shoulders and medians. No much flowering shrubs. More functional than mere good looks ! .

By the way, does anyone notice any toll booth ? I think i didn't see one !

Long live Thai King

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Transportation

Safety helmet for motorcyclist is optional ! Cool, yet somehow dangerous.

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Pick-ups are abundant ! To transport farm produces, perhaps ?

Tut-tuts are everywhere….. 20baht for a trip to any location within the town. The service are better than Malaysian taxis ! and 200% cheaper too.

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Communication

Well, Thais speaks Thai, of course.

Road signs, business signboards, are mostly in Thai. Occasionally little bit of English and Mandarin., but not much help especially when we want to walk-about a little bit, or do our own driving. Maps are in readable Roman character, but road signs are mostly in Thais.

Yet, Thais speak some English. Aided with some sign language, it’s not impossible to seal the deal. . .

There are some local Thai of Chinese descendants, who speak Teochews ( a dialect similar to Hokkien ) and some Mandarin.

Broga Hill ... in the rain

... the will power of life ! No stone is too hard

it rains as soon as we reach the top.

... yet, we come prepared !

it was surely strong wind and heavy rain !

... after the rain, the sky turn blue-est

not a far distance away, rain continue to pour

sunlight forcing its way through the clouds

at the highest peak !

dark cloud are re-gathering , its time to go ...

raining on the way down.....

surface runoff : the rainwater flowed down through the walking path

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Broga Hill 之 秋意

《鸽子》 胡适

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云淡天高，好一片晚秋天气！

有一群鸽子，在空中游戏。

看他们三三两两，

回环来往，

夷犹如意，

忽地里，翻身映日，白羽衬青田，十分鲜丽！

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Broga Hill – Upgraded

This is n-time of me hiking Broga Hill, so finding my way up is not a problem, - sap sap sui - even in the darkness of the night. Though, it was quite blur-blur for me for the first time too, a GPS wont be of much help when we are in the middle of nowhere. ..

Good news everyone !

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Someone ( an Outback Adventure Camp ) had taken the liberty of erecting a direction sign at the entrance. With the sign there, at least first-time visitors will be more certain they come to the right place, especially when the staff of the Rabbit Farm opposite the road don’t even know where is Broga Hill ( maybe they are tired of giving directions to those not visiting their Rabbit Farm ).

The signboard writes “ Bukit Broga ( 1.7 km ) ® “ and “ Gunung Tok Wan ( 4.8 km ) ® “ in white on a black background metal board.

About 5 minutes through the oil palm field, another sign indicating “ This way to Broga Hills“ at a junction. This junction is very crucial as the road at the left, which is relatively even, leads to nowhere. ( according to Cat, it’s the long way up. Takes approximately 2 hours journey ) The road at the right, somehow is uneven and rocky is the road to the top.

There are several ravines along the way, which are as deep as it can get. Surely not fun if fall into one of them. The ravines are most probably formed when soil are eroded by running water.

I would recommend all to have a relax stroll up. Why the rush ? The hill won’t go anywhere. Conserve your energy !

Enjoy the flora along the way. .....

The view is breathtaking too ! ....

Once reach the edge of the trees ( meaning no more shades ), it’s another breathtaking sights – field of grass ! Then you know you are on the right track......

There are 4 peaks at the top. Going from one peak to another is not as easy as some may think. ( that ‘s why I said : conserve your energy ! ), but it’s ( walking through field of grasses ) surely something unforgettable

The last of the peaks is a rocky one. Bruised, if not careful. Tough at some point, but it’s all worth it when you stand at the highest point – stand in between earth and heaven….

Enjoy the journey !

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