THE ALTINGSBURG LIGHTHOUSE, BOARDWALK IN MANGROVE TOWN & FIREFLIES TERRITORY: KUALA SELANGOR IN TECHNICOLOR
From my very own personal lenses, the lighthouse is such a fascinating and magnetic structure. Iconically towering on a higher elevation, it emits the guiding light for the sailing ships on the open sea as darkness sweeps across the horizon. Its very presence significantly livens up the ambiance of the surrounding hill and coastal areas.
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The Altingsburg Lighthouse atop Melawati Hill
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A lighthouse on top of Melawati Hill in Kuala Selangor is known as The Altingsburg Lighthouse. It was built by the British during its occupancy of Peninsular Malaysia. The light beam emitted by the Altingsburg Lighthouse can reach up
to 40 even 56 kilometres. It rotates and flashes twice at a frequency of 15 seconds. Apart from frequenting the vicinity around the lighthouse of Kuala Selangor, I've been to Tanjung Tuan (a.k.a Cape Rachardo) to see the lighthouse at the end of the reserve forest; The Lighthouse of Cape Rachardo. |
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The Lighthouse of Cape Rachardo
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| A glimpse of The Straits of Malacca, as seen on the cliff of Cape Rachardo |
There's a timeless painting of lighthouse that I like so much, The Lighthouse At Two Lights by Edward Hopper, an American painter who is mostly known for his oil paintings. Hopper's painting of the lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth is so picturesque and captivating.
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Another shot of the lighthouse of Kuala Selangor
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The historic Bukit Melawati ( Melawati Hill ) in Kuala Selangor was once the administrative centre of the Selangor Sultanate in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Melawati Hill was once known as Fort Altingsburg. Once upon a time, there was a mighty fortress erected on top of Melawati Hill in an effort to safeguard Selangor against the invasion of the Dutch. It was constructed under the reign of a Malay ruler known as Sultan Ibrahim. In 1784, the fort was captured by the Dutch and was renamed as Fort Altingsburg.
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| Ruins of the centuries old fort |
Kuala Selangor is the second biggest district in Selangor which is rich with historical relics. As such, tourism is also a major source of income for Kuala Selangor, apart from fishing. Off late, a growing number of Japanese and Koreans tourist can be spotted in Kuala Selangor. From time to time, there are a steady number of Caucasian backpackers of various nationalities being spotted around. I was somewhat thrilled to see a French RV parked in the heart of Kuala Selangor, one fine December.
During the reign of Sultan Ibrahim (1782 - 1826), Sir Francis Light, (the founder of British colony in Penang) came to trade in Selangor. Captain James Scott who commanded the Junk Selang ship, had spent a lengthy time in Kuala Selangor and had a house built for him in 1870.
The early settlers of Kuala Selangor were seafaring people. The leader of the seafaring people of Kuala Selangor was a charismatic woman of Bugis descent, known as Opu Cendera Burung. The magnetic Opu Cendera Burung was well loved by her followers. My great grandfather coincidently known as Captain Hitam Dagang of Bugis descent, was once based in Port Klang, and later bought plots of land in Malacca. He was a true blue seafarer all his life.
We love to head to Kuala Selangor for brief much needed breakaways. One of the most memorable moments that I had in Kuala Selangor was on one rainy evening in June 2015. The sky was sombre with bright prospect of incoming rain; not really a promising start for a breakaway, not going to delay the trip anyway. En route to our destination, while cruising on the LATAR Highway, with a slight rain, the news was out that the pre qualifying examination result for translator in Malaysia Institute of Translation and Books (ITBM) was finalised.
I was kind of prepared with the prospect of not making it through (the exam), I didn't place high hopes either. The exam was rather tough. I spent hours browsing through various dictionaries and reading medical and science journals. I actually like the idea of browsing through medical journals. For the longest time, my ambition was actually to become a doctor.
To get myself more upbeat with the exam task at hand, I listened to a certain beat of music that induced me to be more focused on the given task. Music and sight seeing are "staples" to me. I love to listen to a wide repertoire of music. To get into the mood, to immerse into the characters in my book, Rainchild & The River of Kings, I listened to A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum over and over again.
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| A creative cute decor at OTea Outlet |
Our entourage reached Kuala Selangor close to 4 p.m. We headed straight to the surrounding shop lots in Pekan Lama (old town) of Kuala Selangor that have been around since the colonial days. Pekan Lama is the closest area to Melawati Hill. At Pekan Lama, I checked out a cozy outlet with wifi connection known as OTea Kuala Selangor that serves an assortment of blog teas, among others. My favourite tea of all time shall always be green tea.
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The Blog Tea at OTea Kuala Selangor
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At exactly 15 minutes past 4, I received the great and happy news that I passed the pre qualifying exam to be a translator from a reputable establishment for translation in Malaysia, ITBM (Malaysian Institute for Translation and Books) in Wangsa Maju. I shed happy tears in June while it was raining on the evening of June 12. My special happy June Rain, one of those my moments of the sweetest thing. Kpop music was blaring in the background, at the OTea outlet with a cute decor. I'm really thankful and honoured to pass the exam with quite good marks, surpassing my expectation. I thought that I would not have made it.
Several months before my father passed away, he mentioned to me that he would love to go to the Firefly Park in Kuala Selangor. He would have loved to witness fireflies at play, by the river. We just didn't get to go there, his illness did not permit. On 6 June 2015, on a day that used to be my late father's birthday, Hazimin, my greatest December born buddy, gave me a surprise treat to a firefly park in Kampung Belimbing of Kuala Selangor. Nice things usually in store for me on the six day of June, like an annual ritual. I was in Nepal on 6 June 2014. Many years ago, I met a great friend, Derek William Harper from Perth, who by coincidence of fate, shares the same birthday with me, January 14. I met Derek at Skypark Terminal in Subang,(formerly known as Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah) while I was working as a tourist enumerator at that airport in Subang.
Hazimin didn't tell me beforehand he was going to take me specifically to the Firefly Park. I dozed off peacefully in our trusty 7 seater van and was really taken by surprise when I saw the signage of The Firefly Park of Kampung Belimbing, when I arose from my slumber. The signage instantaneously reminded me of my father's unfulfilled wish and the awesome Fireflies song from Owl City.
My late father who was born on June 6 1948 in Malacca, was of a mixed parentage between Malay and Chinese, among others. His late father, Sargeant Major Zainal Hitam,(A.M.N.), used to be the head of the police station in Jalan Dang Wangi in KL. My late grandmother who was of Hokkien lineage, was a jeweler and a beautician. My father went to Methodist Boy School (MBS) in KL and studied law in ITM, Jln. Othman in PJ. After the demise of his mother, he didn't finish his law studies. Later he enrolled in a teaching college and embarked on teaching as his lifetime profession.
My late father always remained a shadowy entity in my life, much to my dismay. We were separated for more than a decade, as fate would have it, or whatever is it that has it. Growing up without a father's presence can be very tough. On the bright side of things though, you may be able to be a better survivor than your peers because you really have to brace yourself to face the world mainly on your own from a tender young age.
During his final days, while I was visiting him at Selayang Hospital, I had an unexpectedly brief enlightening conversation with him. He was known as a teacher who rode a Virago motorbike to school carrying a mountain backpack. He carried the backpack to the hospital as well. Sensing that I'm somewhat curious of his habit of bringing the mountain backpack almost everywhere, he claimed to be a traveler at heart, even though the world may laugh at him because he has a fear of flying. He loved to embark on long road trips and enjoyed touring with fellow Virago bikers club. According to him, you can always travel distances, depending on your perspectives. It's not really the mileage that counts, it's your spirit while encountering what you experienced during your journey can be the key to a happier life. Keep your sight on the bigger picture of things.
In June 2015, I managed to watch fireflies at play by the river banks of Kampung Belimbing. Millions of fireflies dwell among the scores of Berembang trees along the riverbanks of Kuala Selangor. There are a number of chalets on stilts built along the riverbanks as well. The fireflies normally embark on their magnificent light display an hour after sunset.
The signage of Firefly Park in Kampung Belimbing
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The Chalets on Stilts in Kampung Belimbing Firefly Park Resort
The bridge that leads to the lair of the fireflies |
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| Fares for fireflies watching boat ride in Kg. Belimbing : Adult RM 16, Children RM 8 |
It was an unforgettable experience being in the fireflies territories. Watching fireflies in motion is like watching nature's amazing display of light morse code to me. Tried to capture pics of the fireflies but it was disappointingly not visible enough. Need to bring camera with a good night vision next time around.There's another outlet for firefly watching in Kuala Selangor known as Kampung Kuantan. Kampung Kuantan is known as one of the biggest firefly colonies in the world.
Shimmering colony of fireflies dance
Enlivening the dark veil of the night
Within the awesome fireflies territory
Be wary not of blackouts.....
The fireflies cheer your hearts out
Another nice moment in Kuala Selangor for me is when I bumped into a live band crooning to the song of Have You Ever seen The Rain? I tweeted a picture of rain cloud in Brinchang, Cameron Highlands with the very caption Have you ever seen the rain? and its nice to have interactions about it on Twitter. The rain clouds in Brinchang appeared abruptly on a fairly sunny day in Cameron Highlands. It literally captures the moment of seeing rain on a sunny day, as in the lyrics of the song made famous by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
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Have You Ever Seen The Rain? The Rain Clouds in Brinchang
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| The hilly terraces of Cameron Highlands, one of the places that I love to go |
One Saturday morning in June, I walked all by myself all the way up the Melawati Hill, first time ever uphill without the tram car. I would liked to have an early morning walk but it was raining. I only get to venture out 15 minutes to 11 a.m. Though it was eleven, it really looked like nine. On the onset, everything seemed to be smooth sailing. Though not many souls were strolling on the hill, I bumped into several smiling tourists, going downhill. I gladly inhaled the fresh morning hill borne air. Felt so lively and upbeat, like a hilly sonata. I climbed the area at the foot of the lighthouse. Glad to see some friendly monkeys around. They came close near me, tilting their heads while theirs eyes fixed on me yet they were not menacing at all. There's one shot of a monkey at the foot of the lighthouse that I like. My caption of the shot : A primate in meditation.
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| A primate in meditation |
After treating myself to a sweeping view of the famous Straits of Malacca, I made my way further uphill to the farthest point that can be reached by a tram ride. When I've reached that particular point, a golden brown beasty monkey of the Macaque species suddenly charged at me. A beasty monkey on the prowl was really an awful encounter, approaching with a menacing grit. I wanted to scream yet I felt so numb. I made a lashing gesture as if I was about to whip the mad macaque. The mad monkey kept charging at me and I kept stomping my feet randomly and helplessly. At one point, I was almost certain that the creature was going to bite and claw me. The very least I hoped that he was not infected by rabies.
I was really flabbergasted, wondering what ticked the monkey off. Moments before the beasty monkey charged at me, I was taking a pic of a mother monkey with a baby clinging to it and suddenly the beasty monkey out of nowhere ran amok. The angry primate belted out some strange loud bellows as well. Earlier on, I've met friendly monkeys who didn't seem to mind at all when I snap pics of them at the foot of the lighthouse.
Amidst the damning state of confusion and chaos, a somewhat kind looking passerby monkey stood on his two feet and the kind monkey seemed to be repeatedly pointing to a direction, nearing an overgrown bushes. I paid attention to the direction pointed out by the kind pointing monkey. Three humans heads popped out from the overgrown bushes. The sight was illuminating, undoubtedly a great boon for me. The sighting led to the discovery of a hidden staircase that was shielded by the bushes and shrubberies.
The appearance of three people from the hidden staircase scared away the beasty monkey. One of the people who popped out from the staircase threw a stick at the berserk primate. The primate dispersed in agitation. After thanking the kind passer by, I descended down my "heavenly" staircase, a staircase that provides me with a safe haven, away from the ferocious monkey. An isolated staircase that is devoid of masses.
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| My Safety Staircase : An isolated staircase that is devoid of masses |
Just when I thought I have fled to safety, three monkeys trail me while walking on the footpath near a secondary school with a bright yellow hue. They trailed me with expectations for treats gleaming in their eyes. I didn't have any treats to offer them. I had enough of this monkey business. Luckily a tram car passed by. Aha, I discovered that the macaques were afraid of the passing tram cars. They were none to happy to flee and I was the one who was left grinning ear to ear.
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| The school near Nature Park in yellow hue |
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The outer compound of The Royal Mausoleum
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After fleeing from the monkeys, I made my way to the outer compound of the gated Royal Mausoleum of Melawati Hill. It is located at a rather secluded area of the hill, but it's not so hard to spot it. There's a staircase painted in white leading all the way to it. I was delighted to see troops of swallows encircling by. Love the swallows.
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The staircase that leads to the Royal Mausoleum of Melawati Hill
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Later in the day, we savored Aiskrim Pasu, a fancy ice cream in the pot at Ice Station Restaurant. It's the pot and the soil that makes the difference. A streak of creativity that sells. Crushed Oreo biscuits as the soil and served in a small plastic pot, with a Sunflower as garnishing. It's so refreshing and it's a clever ploy of palatial joy. Much to my delight, the restaurant is filled with an enviable collection of Hello Kitty memorabilia, among others. I was so relieved that the ferocious macaque didn't get to hurt me. Happy as well that I got to snap pics of the awesome Melawati hills. Photography has ultimately become one of my passion.
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| Aiskrim Pasu: Ice cream in a pot |
Taking tram ride uphill is a must when reaching Kuala Selangor. When you reach the farthest point that can be reached by tramp ride, there'll be sighting of several bike vendors selling long beans and some veggies. The long beans are sold as treats for the monkeys. The silver leaf monkey in grayish hue is a gentler species compared to the golden brown monkey of the Macaque species. The Macaques are more boisterous. Parents just need to be cautious that the monkeys like to snatch food from little children.
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| Almost a full house tram ride |
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| Monkey out of the box |
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| The Silver Macaques loitering the playground |
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| The colourful shoplots around the oldtown of Kuala Selangor |
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| The road heading to Taman Alam |
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The brightly coloured tram car
The Souvenir Huts at the foot of Melawati Hill
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| From the other side of the boardwalk |
I really enjoy strolling on the boardwalk. It never occurred to me before that jungle trail can be fun. I'm not someone who likes to camp or hike in the jungle. It never occurred to me that I'm able to somehow enjoy the jungle walk. My burning passion for photography is the main motivator for me to walk in the sweltering heat amidst the jungle realm, something I have never done before.
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The Boardwalk Stroll
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There is one walk within the Nature's Park that I like the most, The Boardwalk Jungle Walk amidst the mangrove swamp. Nice catching glimpses of the elusive mudskippers and the cute colorful fiddler crabs. I pen an impromptu poem while strolling on the boardwalk. The playlist in my head replays Kingstown Town by UB40. Although there's no direct connection between Kingston Town and swampy mangrove territories, the song just swings by.
Within the mangrove town
One ought not to frown
Fiddler crabs clowning the mud
Mud skippers and their vanishing stunts
Tirelessly playing hide and seek
In the grayish pasty swamp
Strolling along the mossy Boardwalk
A great jungle trail treat
Canopies of leafy umbrellas
Makes you forget the scorching heat
Woodpeckers pecking, insects buzzing
Your soul contently humming
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| The Wooden Observation Tower |
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| The Jungle 'Pit Stop' |
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| The First Observation Tower that we came across |
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The vegetation near the first watchtower
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The view of the swampy area from the watchtower
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| Deloitte is one of the sponsors of the Nature Park in Kuala Selangor |
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| The Fragrant Yellow Flower amidst the jungle trail |
There are three Watchtowers within the Nature Park. Love being on the watchtowers, got to spot birds flying by and see the Altingsburg lighthouse from a distance. It's great to see species like stork, eagle, egret and kingfisher, among others. I'm fond of birds, apart from being fond of cats. I bump into a huge water monitor lizard but was unable to capture it's pic. The enormous lizard glided rather swiftly into the shrubberies and the creature is such a professional hider. There was a foreign photographer around who joined us on the boardwalk who was unsuccessful as well in catching the elusive monitor lizard.
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| Gangs Of Neighbourhood Pigeons that I regularly feed |
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The third observation tower
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If you're interested to try out home stay accommodation in Kuala Selangor, there's an interesting homestay and unique homestay known as Summer Windmill. Love the decor of the homestay. It has replicas of windmills outside the house. There are several other homestays as well. For those who are looking for budget accomodations, Malawati Ria Hotel is a nice budget hotel to check in. It is situated not far from Taman Alam (Nature Park). It is conveniently situated next to Maybank.
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Summer Windmill Homestay in Kuala Selangor
https://www.facebook.com/summerwindmill/ |
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| The cute decor sticker on the wall of Summer Windmill Homestay |
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| Another homestay in Taman Telaga Tujuh |
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| Apps Hotel-a nice boutique hotel |
An author, traveler, poet and music lover with a burning passion for photography. Working on my second fiction, The Sky Piercer. Participated in Los Angeles Times Festival of Books 2014 (Indie Section) My 1st novel, Rainchild & The River of Kings.
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