Beauty & The Beasts

Admittedly, this is a non-palm post - an acute diversion from what I set out to find over the long weekend just past.

Instead, it turned out to be quite an unexpected yet interesting find of the commercial, correction, alien kind! Both acts caught the curious attention of mingling crowds including passers-by like myself, on a busy Saturday noon right smack in the Bukit Bintang 'shop till you drop' district in KL.

Promotions of new products and services were taken to new heights with these extraordinary and extraterrestrial outfits.

bedazzled @ Fahrenheit 88

androids in town

The above picture collages were created on www.picnik.com. It's free, easy to apply and I think the results appealing!

The Pink October Month

How the month has flown!  This belated post is in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness, a global campaign held during the month of the 10 each year for the last 25 years!

Being in the "pink of health" has and always will be a notable ideal until some malignant cell illness strikes us or our loved ones or anyone we know, that this colour term suddenly takes on its appropriate true meaning.

However, being aware and informed is half the battle won.  Detailed information can be sought at the Pink Ribbon International Organisation.

And for the first time ever, the historical Sultan Abdul Samad Building in KL was 'dressed' in pink to highlight this noble cause!

Areca catechu in foreground

trunk of Roystonea regia

pretty in pink

The Palm Surround Playground

If there ever be an outdoors knowledge playground for children to learn about tropical palms, this might be the perfect location for it, in residential Setia Eco Park, Shah Alam.

Nestled in the cool shade and surrounded by several species of mid sized mature palms, this cheerful playland is an open invitation for the young, restless and energetic juniors. Ah! what joy to be that young again ;), if only I knew then to appreciate the trees around me.

The Triangle and Foxtail Palms in the background

Queen palms with inflorescence, clusters of Lady Palm at the back 

one of the nearby Lady Palm clusters

deserted during the day

Behind the Queens are several Golden coconut palms, being tidied by park gardeners at the time this picture was taken.

Playtime is usually reserved for the evenings when the setting sun casts its low shadows and the late heat less intense. That's when this playground comes alive with carefree laughter and merriment of the children.

The Rainforest B & B

Serendipity played its hands in my discovery of a 'palmscape' of the totally unexpected kind.  Looking out for palm trees in the city centre has always been an amazing adventure for me but coming across a place like this - felt like walking into the woods and finding Goldilocks' abode.

But this quaint little "forest home" is located right smack in busy Bukit Bintang, the heart of KL's golden commercial triangle. A welcoming, cool and green flora facade is beckoning...

Wow! From the outside, my eyes were drawn to the various trees, palms and flowering plants planted on tiered levels of its 3-storeyed rooftops and windows, presenting a calm oasis for some weary back-packers waiting to be checked-in.

Ptychosperma macarthurii - tropical welcome

an eco-home in the concrete jungle

Fatty Ma restaurant next door 

iron clad antique doors and interior decorations

The interior and reception area while small was genuinely cosy, gently awash by the natural sunlight coming through the door frame.

Wishing for a cold drink (alcoholic or not) in hand, this could be a shangri-la of the local B&B kind.

Shinrin-yoku | Forest Air Bathing

Now, before anyone gets any funny ideas from this title, it is certainly not what you think!

Rather than expecting to find a group of aged hippies washing themselves in a forest clearing, this is certainly more gratifying for the individual...

If recent trends in Japan is anything to go by, we hope that more people in Malaysia will learn about this and be encouraged by the practice of 'shinrin-yoku' meaning forest air taking + walking or forest air bathing.  Basically a simple activity of visiting forests and nature parks for its therapeutic effects.  How easy is that?

Now scientists have discovered that phytoncides (chemicals that prevent plants rotting and protecting them from insects) do provide a positive chemical influence on humans too.

Spending time outdoors have been said to be a greatest invigorator to the soul and mind and hence, brings about therapeutic health benefits, especially in stress management.

If many a time, one finds oneself totally recharged, rejuvenated, reinvigorated and refreshed after a leisurely walk in a nature park or the more energetic bush walks, now you know the answer. It's in the air!

So, do get out there and take your air bath. (oops! deep breaths)

The Rainforest at 1Utama

Surprise! Surprised myself again!

Perhaps like many others, I had been blindly making my way around the shopping mall without exiting its enclosed cool air-conditioned environment for fear the heat outside would be unbearable! 

This staged Rainforest themed garden would be worth every drop of perspiration if only we venture out of our comfortable confines. There are several exits from the lower ground floor leading to this exhiliarating 'forest' with an interesting variety of tropical greenery including palms, beautiful carps (Japanese koi), Malaysian freshwater tropical fishes,soothing flow of streams and the sound of trickling water coasting or should it be cascading down from high.

You get the feeling of being in the forest but without having to sweat it out to get there. How pampered today's lifestyle have made us feel. And if you don't get to go into the rainforest, it will come to you, courtesy of 1U Management. Best of all, you travel to the lower forest floors via escalators. tic..tic

Some photos here to tempt the uninitiated. You might want to hurry up and come by for an enjoyable walk to see what simple joys you had bypassed, followed by a relaxing cuppa at any of the adjoining eateries. Arcadia!

sign posted

multi-storey

giant lily pads (Victoria amazonica)

water lilies

cool stream

curious carpies

cascading waterfall 

sitting duck

close up of young Victoria

birdlife cast in stone

forest floor

tropical freshwater fish aquarium

River catfish  (Pangasius kunyit) 

dumb cane (Dieffenbachia)

ctenanthe oppenheimiana tricolor

reflection of atrium (beam me up, Scottie!)

cyclanthus bipartitus

Of course, the delightful walk unveiled some new (to me) and exciting palm species too.  Blog soon...  

The Palm Fringed Mosque

Taking an intercession from my palms series @ The Secret Garden to post my favourite postcard scene. I usually stop and spend a few minutes to observe this serene and picturesque sight which is a pleasant respite from my daily commute.

Today, I also take this opportunity to acknowledge my 1st follower (Hi!) who came onboard early this week - whoever/whereever you are, this one is for you...

                                                                           at dawn                                                                                                      

The Masjid Jamek (Jamek Mosque) is the oldest mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is situated on a triangular piece of land located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers and is surrounded by highrise buildings in the commercial district.

                                                                       at high noon

Opened in 1909 and designed by Arthur Benison Hubback, this pretty mosque with Moorish architecture shares the same architect and style as the historically impressive and equally picturesque Sultan Abdul Samad Building located on the opposite side of the Klang River.

                                                                          at dusk

Prior to the establishment of the Masjid Negara (National Mosque) in 1965, the Masjid Jamek also served as the national mosque in the city.

It is easily accessible by light rail transit (LRT) and is central to busy tourist sites such as the Merdeka (Independence) Square, Little India and Chinatown.                                                        

                                       faithful throng @ Friday prayers

Fringed by the cocos nucifera (Malayan green coconut palm), this is one tropical snapshot not to be missed by the many overseas visitors to the city/country!

mosque lighted up for Ramadhan - updated 17Aug2010

The Secret Garden of 1Utama

Finally, my excitement of taking a walk in the Secret Garden was unlocked upon the lift doors to Level UR was opened.

Located on a 9th storey high rooftop of a major shopping mall named 1Utama (affectionately known to locals as 1U) in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, it is open to the public only on weekends.

According to its literature, "it is an experimental garden using novel technologies to grow 500 species of interesting, rare and unusual plants in an open tropical roof-top environment.  The soil medium is based on granulated horticultural carbon (a form of charcoal) while chilled water is provided by sprinklers at night".

Stepping out from the lift into the garden entrance, I was greeted by potted everyday kind of shade loving patio plants and a healthy list of dont's.  As admission is free, one only needs to register at the security post and pick up a free (again!) colour copy of the garden zone map.

Welcoming cool mist blowing from the overhead piping system flies in your face and hair as one walks along the garden path.  It's a lovely feeling to be able to roam free in someone's well tended garden on a hot sunny day!

The garden hosted a diverse range of flowering trees, shrubs, herbs, foliage plants, temperate & highland plants, herbs, spices & food plants, cacti, succulents & dry climate plants, climbers and accent plants, palms, cycads, giant aroids, century plants, conifers and bananas!

I was on a 'mission' and was looking out for palms. And I was not disappointed!  It was a highly rewarding trip and will post the most amazing palms in my next. Nevertheless, there are many plants that I like too and here is a brief snapshot of some of my favourites as I wander from zone to zone.

 

              weeping willows + parrot beak anthurium

                                                                                                                    

                                                                     coral hibiscus

                                                                                                handsome staghorn fern

                                                          

 orchids + waterfall in background

Calabash (Chinese Bottle Gourd)

                                                                                                            copernicia prunifera
                                                                                    
Could have easily spent half a day exploring the nooks and crannies of the garden and taking in the sights and sounds... Yes, the ever present chirping and flitting of birds, the water splashing sounds of the waterfall, the aroma of local herbs, scents of flowers, lots of green shapes and forms, colour and hues of flowering plants, and not forgetting that rejuvenating cooling spray mist in your face.

For me, it's an awesome rooftop experience plus the idyllic serenity of a Sunday morning well spent. Ting! lift door opens - back to reality and maddening shopping crowds...

For further info, link below.
http://www.sun2surf.com/articlePrint.cfm?id=32983