Rafflesia is the world’s largest flower, found naturally in South East Asia. There are 27 species of Rafflesia; the largest is Rafflesia arnoldii, which could grow over 100cm in diameter and 10kg in weigh [wiki]
Rafflesia is infamous for its rotten-meat like smell; but I’ve seen the flower twice on different occasions and never smelled anything that resembled the fact.
Sharing a few Rafflesia photos from Poring in Kinabalu National Park during my Sabah trip in March 2009; the bloomed Rafflesia I saw was about 60-70cm in diameter…
Read the rest of this post »
Will be having an adventurous holiday in the Sabah State in East Malaysia; leaving on Thursday (Mar 5), followed by a trip to Penang State to visit my sister and nieces.
The blog will not be updated for at least a week, probably two depending on internet availability; see you all again then. Meanwhile, sharing some Flickr photos of Mount Kinabalu, a 4000+ metre mountain that I am going to climb in Sabah…
Mount Kinabalu from afar (Image by
Austin)
Read the rest of this post »
Sung Sot Cave (Cave of Surprises) is the largest and arguably the most beautiful cave in Halong Bay, Vietnam. The cave is located at the Bo Hon Island and got its name (grotte des surprises) from a French admiral who was surprised at how huge and majestic the cave was when he discovered it.
The limestone cave is now heavily developed for tourism, with granite pavements and coloured-lighting beautifying the cave. The nature elements of the cave seems pretty well preserved though, hopefully the in-flock of tourists won’t cause too much harm.
Photos from my July 2008 visit, including an aerial view of the iconic Bo Hon Bay which often featured on travel magazines and postcards…
Read the rest of this post »
Will make my second attempt to conquer Mt Kinabalu in March 2009.
Mt Kinabalu (Gunung Kinabalu) is located at Kinabalu National Park, a World Heritage Site in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. At 4,095 metres, it’s the highest summit in Malaysia and the fourth highest in South East Asia.
Near the summit of Mt Kinabalu… (Image by
Matthew)
Read the rest of this post »
The floating village is a cultural heritage and tourist attraction in Halong Bay, Vietnam. People have been living in these houses for hundred of years with fishing as the main income activity. Some photos below, taken during my trip in July 2008…
Read the rest of this post »
Halong Bay (Vịnh Hạ Long, lit. Bay of the Descending Dragons) is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Quang Ninh province of northern Vietnam, famous for its scenic landscape with thousands of limestone isles in various sizes and shapes.
Halong Bay has become an international travel hotspot in recent years; there must be more than 200-300 junks and cruises that depart daily from the port, with thousands of travellers visiting the destination each day.
The weather was perfect during my July 2008 visit. My guide told me that the clear blue sky are normally seen only for two-three weeks in one whole year. Sounds exaggerated, but my Hanoi friends later reaffirmed the statement… one of them had been to Halong for five times and had never seen such a clear weather. Lucky me :)
Some photos from the seaport and first glimpse of Halong Bay…
Read the rest of this post »
