ULU TAMU FALLS

A beautiful hike with wonderful scenery and many waterfalls of various sizes.  We drove to the Eco Resort in Ulu Tamu near Batang Kali.  It took some time to find the trail head but once we were en route the hike was fairly short and the water was perfect. 

#12: Chiling Falls, Malaysia

Chiling Falls is located north of Kuala Lumpur near Kuala Kubu Bharu and the Selangor reservoir.  It is one of the more developed nature sites with proper signage and it receives more visitors than the more remote falls.  There are a total of five river crossings and since it is fish reserve the water is teeming with them.  The journey takes you fairly deep into the jungle so you’re bound to come across some wildlife.  The waterfall itself is an impressive two-tiered fall with a large pool for swimming.  The cool, fresh water is such a wonderful treat after a long walk on the trail.

I cut the music with some samples from our journey.  But mostly it’s a mood meant to compliment the sights and sounds of the jungle.

#11: An Afternoon in Yangon, Myanmar

When you’re only in town for a day, don’t know the language, and barely know the culture … there are only first impressions. 

Our first sweep through Yangon filled our minds with more questions than answers.  Peering into the shadows of Shwe Bontha Road from a balcony at Bogyoke Aung San Market I kept wondering … “How does a place end up like this?”  There’s the British legacy, the years and years under an oppressive military junta, the sanctions.  And yet somehow the spirit is not gone, and life in the little capital city of Burma still ebbs on indomitably.

It is said that Yangon expresses the Asia of old.  Telephone and power lines hover precariously above the sidewalks.  British-era buildings serve as dilapidated apartment blocks and shophouses.  Vibrant marketplaces and colorful signs excite the seasoned urban landscape.  Down by the river some of the buildings are blown-out shells of their former selves, and a murky blue/gray sticks to everything in sight.  It’s a real relic, Yangon.

One place that seems unchanged and even more beautiful in person is Shwedagon Pagoda.  This massive stupa serves as the spiritual centre of Burma.  The compound sits atop a small hill, making it visible for miles around.  It’s a wondrous destination filled with ornate statues, shrines, and houses of prayer. 

Each of us were asked for our birthdays so that we could give offerings at our planetary post, represented by different animals corresponding to the days of the week.  As we made our way around the pagoda clockwise, each of us poured ablutions over our animals and the Buddha image.

I used the bell as the basis for my compositions here … because it’s such a part of the sound in Myanmar.  I recorded a long section of group prayer which was just too lovely to cut short.  My favorite is the young female monk I found singing quietly in front of the Buddha.

And the last shot … the giant stupa that sits in the middle of the pagoda, covered in gold leaf.  Too amazing to be true and yet, there it sits!