This blog serves as a resource for photographers and spotters visiting the LIMA Airshow 2013 (26-30 March 2013) at Langkawi, Malaysia. The main Guide To LIMA is at the first post, dated 12th February 2013.
Selamat Datang!
In between LIMA airshows, the blog will focus on regional military events and wherever else my camera takes me.
Wednesday 3 April 2013
After LIMA 2013- cruise through the Kilim Geopark
I had one full day after LIMA for R and R, and I chose to spend it on a river cruise that took in the sights around the Kilim Karst Geopark, situated in the NE of Langkawi island. We went with a tour organised by the Baron Group, which costed RM 90 per adult. The Kilim Geopark is one of the three Geoparks on Langkawi, and is characterised by mangroves three interconnected riverine estuary systems with characteristic limestone hillocks reaching to the sky, in the background. The place looks prehistoric, and one thought came to mind: Jurassic Park. It is, after all, situated at the oldest limestone area in the country, called the Setul Formation.
We were picked up by a minivan from the hotel at 0915, and transited to the Kilim Jetty which is situated here (blue marker):
It is adjacent to the Galleria Perdana.
About the Kilim River:
The Kilim Jetty
We noticed that there were quite a few tourist boats plying the waters
There were many signs exhorting the importance of life vests, but we were not offered any.
Anyway, onto the speedboat:
First stop is the Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar) - and no, the Batmobile does not reside within.
Jetty at Gua Kelawar
The walkway from the jetty takes you past mangrove mudflats into a tunnel through a semicircular cave, part of which is not passable during high tide.
The Gua Kelawar walkway system
On the walkway
Mangrove mudflat floor exposed at low tide
Mangrove roots
More mangroves
The weathered limestone at the cave entrance
Cave entrance
Mind your head!
Look at them bats!
There, a large number of fruit bats are suspended from the high cave ceiling in the gloom.
The expressions on some of the bats' faces are pretty creepy.
Exit up ahead
The boat traversed the waterways that were bounded on both sides by mangrove swamps, with karst hillocks pushing into the sky.
Low tide
At low tide, the ecosystem was exposed- mud flats, the dwellers within (like crabs) and breathing roots. As the trip wore on, the tide came in, and the intertidal zone was submerged.
High tide. Roots vanish under water.
We passed a fish farm, which was also the berthing point of some yachts from far afield, Well, the seafood must be good.
The "Hole In The Wall" restaurant has its own website here:
After a cruise through more rivers, we came upon the Crocodile Cave, which is a passage in the rock acting as a gateway between one river system and the next. Quite unforgettable. The boat could just squeeze through the entrance; it seems this not possible when the tide is higher.
The Crocodile Cave
No crocodiles here- it is so named as one side of the entrance is shaped like a crocodile's head
Halfway through
Almost out
A narrow part of the river- a mini boat-jam develops
No points for guessing what this chap does for a living outside of LIMA
The next stop was an area of the forest teeming with macaques on the mangrove banks.
Macaques aplenty
As the boat nudged closer, many of these animals jumped with gay abandon onto the boat and its canopy.
Coming aboard!
FEED ME!!
Munching on groundnuts. Burrp.
The passengers had a grand time feeding them, with groundnuts and crisps and even Coca Cola. Man, these macaques are picking up a lot of terrible human dietary habits, and will soon fall prey to obesity, diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesteremia.
At the next point in the river there was an opportunity to feed the eagles- both the brown Brahminy Kites and White-Bellied Sea Eagles. Chicken skin was thrown in the water, and the raptors swooped in with precision. I now regret leaving the 100-400 back at the hotel.
Note: I think feeding eagles this way is quite politically incorrect, but then so is thinking up supersonic machines of war and breaking the Commandment that says' "Thou shalt not kill."
Eagle feeding spot
Nap of the water flying.
Muscle-powered flight
The next stop was a section where the macaques had learnt to swim via operant conditioning. Groundnuts were thrown into the water, and groups of macaques dived in to obtain their reward. I am not sure if macaques do swim naturally, or not...
Groundnut sighted on the water
Munch!
We stopped at another fish farm, where the workers demonstrated how the fish were fed, and the humans also got fed, The fish farm was a floating structure crisscrossed by planking, between which large nets were suspended to keep in the farmed fish,
Fish farm/ restaurant
On the floating fish farm
Huge stingray
Time for the humans to get fed
So peaceful
After lunch, he boat then piled on the horsepower, and we exited the riverine system heading north. We had quite a good view of the Tanjung Rhu Resort, before we turned right to hug the coast.
Tanjung Rhu Resort
The throttle was slammed open, and the boat responded, throwing up spray and a long wake.
Limestone islands
We ended up at White Sand Beach (Pantai Pasir Puteh) for a 1-hour swimming session.
The water was crystal clear, but the sand quality was not anywhere as nice as at the Tanjung Rhu Resort, or even the Holiday Villa. I thought the stop was way too long, given the intense UV that was filtering from above, and also being reflected onto the swimmers by the water. I think I was rather glad to get off The Beach, pretty as it was.
Next up was the Gua Cerita (Cave of Legends), a which are actually two limestone caves perched one above the other.
Disembarking
Location map
They are reached via a 200-metre walk from the jetty, then up some stone steps to the upper cave, which possessed some drawings on the wall which had some connection with a romance between a Chinese Princess and a Roman Prince, and how they lived happily ever after, after some bloodshed and drama in between.
The story behind the Cave of Legends
Eroded rock strata
Staircase to Legend
Great view from the top of the stairs
Video thereof:
Cave entrance
Deeper in
Even deeper in
A bed? With some cave drawings
The boat then traveled to Bukit Anak Tikus, a small limestone outcrop where limestone islands that been eroded by the weather and tides, leaving behind sharp limestone rocks, as well as gastropod fossils embedded within. Cycads, a living fossil since prehistoric times that predated the dinosaurs, lived on these harsh limestone outcrops as they have always done.
Eroded limestone formations
Here be fossils
Here be fossils
The way back
Next up was the Gua Langsir (Cave of The Banshee). It was such a small cave that I did not even notice its location. It seems that unearthly screams emanate from this cave, but I did not even notice the cave, let alone hear the screams!
The walkway from the jetty led up a small hill and down the other side, to a hidden lagoon surrounded on all 4 sides by limestone outcrops.
Walking to the Hidden Lagoon
Video of The Hidden Lagoon:
The way back- gun the throttle!
We arrived back at Kilim Jetty at 1530, and returned to the hotel at 1615. Kilim was well worth a visit. As I'd already visited the Machinchang Geopark and now the Kilim Geopark, I'll pencil in the last Geopark on Langkawi (the Dayang Bunting Marble Geopark) for LIMA 2015.
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