On A Hill Quite Far Away...

When I agreed to go on a photo-chase with TV Smith, (see his version of the story on the link) I wasn’t prepared to brave the cold up the hills but the prospect of seeing birds & feeling on top of this world in the jungles of Fraser’s Hill made me put aside my tropical inclinations. Our plan was to visit the countryside & the quaint town of Kuala Kubu Baru. And I wanted to have my Cognac bottle of drink. In case you make me out to be a bottleholic, there is a stall that serves herbal drink in liquor bottles that accompany the lunch! They still served lunch but not my bottle of Cognac anymore…. I got to have my Hainanese bread though, at the ever faithful Weng Lok Bakery. RM0.90 per loaf. This serves my carbo-cravings on long drives. We drove into the Orang Asli village in KKB Permai where I shot the bougainvillea, cockscomb & other village pictures. The kids were glad to see us as much as TV Smith was glad to see their laundry out in the sun…! As we traveled on the road to the hills, not only did the scenery change but the roads as well. The dam is now 110metres deep & very wide. The wind was about to blow my ponytail horizontal as I steadied myself to take panorama shots of what used to be my secret sanctuary… I wonder if I can scuba dive in here… The Gap at the foothills..... Close up of moss on the ground... Many twirls & turns later, we got to Fraser’s hill top…..only to find all the public amenities closed. Sight see, we did. I had to scramble back into the car each time the chilly winds seared pass. It’s great! The car was like an oven, providing me with heat as we scavenged the fringes for ferns & such. I longed for my bird. Whatever bird, it has to be a bird I hadn’t seen before. Before twilight, we headed downhill only to drop in to 2 bird watchers at The Gap, a resthouse, which was also closed, by the way. And a peer into this ultra canggih telescope brought forth an awesome vision of a Black Thighed Falconet some kilometers away!!! I knew I’d get my bird…Next thing on my wish-list…a super powerful telescope for birdwatching. When I have gotten it figured out in my head, I might illustrate it & put it up here for you to see. Going home with the memory of this magnificent little creature is a treat despite not having a picture taken of it. It’s truly a wonder as a bird of prey, the smallest in the world, found here in Malaysia on a hill quite far away…. More in my Wandering Across The Countryside album...