Prawn aquaculture

My traveling diary brought me to the northern part of Malaysia where I happened to visit once the most controversial aqua project in Malaysia's history. The project, approved in May 1993 and involving acquisition of some 400 ha of paddy land and more than 700 landowners, may be the most controversial development project in Kedah. The project was a joint venture between the state government and an Arab company, the Ben Laden group.


The project was initially used to culture tiger prawns since it fetch a good market price. The project is considered as a mega project where the are 220 ponds available and each pond can cultured of more than 70,000 matured prawns. A matured prawn is about 10grams in weight and each kilos can fetch to about Rm40 to Rm50 ex-farm. With that, you can do the maths on the projected profits. Pakcik kayo!


However, tiger prawn is prone to catch a viral disease called "red tide disease", a disease that come in during monsoon season. And this lead to the mass failure of the project (apart from the political unrest shrouding the whole project since the beginning). When the project failed the Arabs pulled out and the project was bailed out by the federal government via MOF.


Currently, only a few of the ponds are used to breed the white prawns and they no longer sees prawn tiger can bring the big bucks to them.


I do hope the new state government can revive the project and bring back the hope to the investors and previous landowners who shed their tears when heavy machinery bulldozed their paddy fields and transformed it into ponds. There is a saying that the prawns were actually swimming in the pool of tears of Kerpan people. If the prawn breeding is a failure, then a new alternative must be sought. Perhaps, the place can be turn into a resort where people can came and spend their time to fish the prawns at the the largest prawn fishing village, who knows.

But, knowing that this property belonged to state government with federal government interest, that is still a long way to go.

Beautiful BALI!

Definition of Kecak Dance from wikipedia.org

Kecak, a form of Balinese music drama, originated in the 1930s and is performed primarily by men. Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana where the monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Ravana fight the evil King Ravana. However, Kecak has roots in sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.

I watched the Kecak Dance at the Uluvatu Temple which is also known as the Monkey Temple. Located just about half an hour drive from Kuta town, passing through an arid and yet heavily habitable piece of land making me appreciate how people will do anything for survival.

Monkeys are everywhere in this temple and the Balinese people believe that they are a reincarnation of Prince Ravana, one of their revered Gods. The monkeys are a constant pests in this temple and I believe "they" are trained by local guides to harass visitors. One of the monkeys took me by surprise by climbing from my back and took my spectacles and I have to pay 5 thousands rupiah to one of the local guide for the monkey to "return" it back to me. Other visitors had even bad experience when his spectacles were grabbed by the monkeys and it throw it to the cliffs.

This is where the Kecak dance will be carry out at 1800 hours sharp.

Japanese Tunnel, Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra

Japanese Tunnel, Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra, originally uploaded by algenta101.

This the first underground tunnel that i have entered it my life and the feeling is mainly unpleasant. Being in Indonesia where tremors are quite a common earth's activities, feeling of it going to collapse never escaped my mind. In addition, the cave was reportedly claims thousand of Indonesian forced labours' lives where nobody knew where the Japs dumped the bodies contributed to my uneasiness. But due to satisfiy my curiosity, I braved myself to enter it.

I entered the caves together with my better half and and her cousin's families accompanied by a local guide. Actually, you can enter it on your own but it is better to have a guide so he can explain the cave's history. As my time were more occupied in taking photos, most of his explanation fall to my deaf ears.

However, I still could recall the gist of his explanation. The caves was just recently open to public, I believe in 2007, and there are 3 similar caves exist in Indonesia. One in Bandung and another in Irian Jaya, and only in Bukit Tinggi it is open as a tourist attraction (the locals call it as objek wisata, a loose dialect for visitor object).

The cave was constructed by the Japanese during the WWII in secrecy. Even the locals do not know of its existence. Bukit Tinggi was previously used by the Japs as their main headquarters. The Japs used forced labours collected throughout the Indonesia but reportedly none from Bukit Tinggi. No one really know where the Japs dumped the earth they digged nor how many lives it claimed during its construction. But based on their other grand design such as the Death Railway on the River Kwai, thousands may have lost their lives till its completion. May God have mercy on their souls.

Rumah Gadang, Padang Panjang, West Sumatera

Rumah Gadang, Padang Panjang, originally uploaded by algenta101.

The last standing of Rumah Gadang (Big House) or some say Rumah Godang according to local dialect as tourist object after the famous similar house in Pagar Ruyong burnt down due to lightning strike. The four huts in front of the house is called "rangkiang", a hut to store harvested paddy.

If you are to visit Bukit Tinggi via Padang, you would not miss this place as this is located on the way up to Bukit Tinggi.

According to our local guide, it is called Rumah Gadang because it will housed all of the family members including one who is married. But the individual rooms are so small, an indication by the head of familes to politely or implied for them to move to their own house.

Tasik Maninjau, West Sumatera

Tasik Maninjau, West Sumatera, originally uploaded by algenta101.

I went to Padang Sumatera as the 2008 curtain raiser. We flew using Airasia together with other 16 entourage mainly consists of family members of my better half. The flight just took about 45 minutes from KLIA but I just loved the nasi lemak menu served by Airasia. Tasty!

Here is the the photo I took at Lekok 34 of Lekok 44 with the famous Tasik Maninjau as backdrop. I like this photo, the blend of colors are so perfect.

Indonesia is famous for its Lake Toba but that is not the only lake located on top of the mountain available in Indonesia. This lake is just like Lake Toba but I'm not sure whether its it was created from a supervolcano as what volcano scientists said it so.