A week in Mid Valley - Kuala Lumpur.

It was one of those weeks where I have to face life’s reality of things I need to do to earn a living. Although it was an all expenses paid trip, I very much prefer to be in my jungle rather than this concrete one, given a choice.
But you might well say life is about making choices, what you are and what happens to you through your actions, is all about making choices. Fortunately, making a choice to make a decent living is pretty straight forward, you endure what you dislike along the way and attempts to enjoy it, to make it that little bit more interesting and tolerable.

I was put up in CitiTel, right smack in the middle of Mid Valley Shopping and Commercial Office Area, a huge place where I actually got myself lost in it on more than one occasion. From morning till about mid-night, the place is crowded with people every where, heading somewhere, hopefully ending somewhere.

Views from my room.

Trips like these always make me gain weight, it was hog heaven and I admit I pigged out, what with the nice breakfast buffet spread every morning at the Hotel and the sumptuous buffet lunch we had in another five star hotel nearby daily and nice tea breaks in between served with cream cakes and all, the break finally came at dinner time where it was up to the individual and all this over a killer five day period, not that I am complaining though - burp ;0).

Well, all good (and bad) things will eventually come to an end like they say and I am back home till my next reality trip. Meanwhile, cest la vie.

My Jungle Walk Pictures Part 2

A Gliding lizards (genus Draco) resting on a tree trunk with its well camouflaged body. When there is a need to take a flight, so to speak, a gliding lizard can expand its mid body into a flat disc and glide through the air from tree to tree.

Long referred to as Dragonflies generically by me out of ignorance, they are actually called Damselflies, although they both are insects in the Order Odanata. Damselflies are also usually smaller, weaker fliers than dragonflies, and their eyes are separated.

The specimens below are Dragonflies.
I mistook it initially for a moth because of its color, till it dawn on me that butterflies have knobs on their tip of the antennae while moths have threadlike, feathery, or blunt antennae, which make this specimen a butterfly. It appears to have just emerged from its cocoon next to it.

Morning glories are funnel-shaped flowers which open in the morning, allowing them to be pollinated by birds and insects. The flower typically lasts for a single morning and dies in the afternoon. New flowers bloom each day and usually start to fade a couple of hours before the petals start showing visible curling. There are reputedly many variants of morning glories

Baya Weaver Bird Colony

It is fortunate that the location of this Baya Weaver bird colony is still unknown to commercial nest collectors as the nest can fetch quite a good price, apparently there is a demand for them as home ornaments. I still do not understand why anyone would want to decorate their homes with a weaver bird nest.

Sparrow-sized, the Baya Weaver (Ploceus philipinus) is known to be one of the most spectacular nest builders in the avian world.
The male builds two types of coconut-sized hanging nests, one for perching and the other for brooding. Their nests are woven from fresh long grass slit into string-like strips and are coconuts in size.

Perching Nest

The male sports a bright yellow plumage on the head and, during breeding season, this distinguishes it from the female.

Brooding Nest

Off-breeding season, both sexes look similar, brownish with dark accents down its body.

The Border Town Of Dannok - Thailand

Dannok is a small Thai town situated just across the border, opposite the Malaysian side of Bukit Kayu Hitam.

Getting there by road from Malaysia is easy, just drive till the very end of the North - South Highway and you are there.

The town is quite small and every thing is located nearby, "taxi service" by motorbikes is easily available as an alternative if you do not want to walk.

The Ringgit is accepted here, even in their Seven-Eleven stores and that can save you the trouble of currency conversion. Malay seem to be widely understood here too.

Acceptable accomodation is available at reasonable prices but do not expect too much up scale nightlife in this town, besides the few karaokes, disco and massage parlours of all sorts which plays music way too loud for my comfort to the point I have to walk out to get away from it, you might not want to spent more than a night in this town.

For people who are interested in some serious shopping, I recommend going to Hatyai sligthly further north, there is none to be found here.
Any town that serves beer with ice cubes as a common practise warrants moving on.