My Very First Blog

I first walked the Canopy Walkway at FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia) in Kepong back in March 2009.

At that time I had acrophobia. I still have acrophobia, though I think it's not as bad as last time. In case you do not know what acrophobia is, that's the term for a fear of heights.

The Canopy Walkway at FRIM is actually a suspended bridge about 30 metres above ground. I first attempted to walk this canopy back in 2009 to cure my fear of heights.

Read all about my experience in the two links below...
My Very First Canopy Walk At FRIM (Part 1)
My Very First Canopy Walk At FRIM (Part 2)

Although it did not totally cure my acrophobia, I must say it did help me manage it better.

Last Thursday, I decided to make a second visit to this Canopy Walkway. It's been more than 4 years now - how time flies! The ticket for the Canopy Walkway was RM5, exactly the same price 4 years ago. I'm glad they did not raise the price!



Just like my first attempt in 2009, I was doing this alone. No one wanted to join me. Maybe because it was a working day. Or maybe most of my friends have acrophobia like me, and they did not think walking on a suspended bridge is fun.

I drove to FRIM around 10am in the morning. Since FRIM is not a public recreational park, but a R&D institution that opens its campus door to the public, a fee must be paid at the guard house to enter. Cars without stickers are charged RM5 - that's the amount I needed to pay. (Do not confuse this RM5 entry charge with the RM5 canopy walkway ticket in the photo above).

Oh, found an empty parking space between 2 cars! Perfect!



After parking my car, I walked over to the FRIM's One Stop Centre (which is also where souvenirs are sold) to purchase the ticket for the Canopy Walk. Remember, you need to buy tickets before proceeding to the Canopy Walkway or you won't be allowed access.

For a group of 10 persons or more, advanced bookings are required. Refer to the email and contact number at the bottom of this post.

There's a signboard showing you direction to the Canopy Walkway. Just follow it!



After passing a mosque on my left, I reached the starting point of the Rover Track. This is a track mainly for joggers.



I used to jog here last time, but I have since stopped doing so as FRIM was a little bit too far from my place. But walking or jogging in the parks and forests is a must for me as I found it to be relaxing and rejuvenating. That's why I never run on treadmills in the gym - those machines are only useful if it's raining outdoors!



I did not bring my camera with me - I thought it was too much trouble! So I took all the photos here with my iPhone 3Gs, hence the not so good quality photos.

This time, I did not run but just stroll leisurely to enjoy the forests and the fresh air. After walking on the Rover Track for about half an hour, I reached the base of the Canopy Walkway.



From here, it's mostly uphill climb all the way. If you are not fit, you might find it quite challenging as some terrains were quite steep. Make sure you are wearing suitable sports or hiking shoes. A walking stick may be useful to those who experience physical difficulty.

Walking up this forest trail also reminded me of a similar but longer climb I made in Cambodia to visit Kbal Spean - the River of a Thousand Lingas. Read about it HERE.



That morning, the grounds were quite wet as it had rained the night before. So it was somewhat a bit slippery at certain parts. One thing good was there was no leeches at all unlike the forests walk I experienced at Belum Rainforest.

Read More > My Trip To Belum Rainforest

After climbing for about 500 metres, I reached the Canopy Walkway. Here, there's a person that will check your ticket before allowing you to walk the Canopy Walkway.



This time around, there was a group of students walking the suspended bridge ahead of me. Luckily, they did not linger long because I wanted the whole bridge to myself haha!!



I was quite surprised that I did not experience any fear of heights even though I was high above the ground and the bridge seemed a bit wobbly when I walked on it. I guess the netting that reached above my waist on both sides of the canopy walkway made me feel safe.



I even managed to take a short video while standing among the tree tops at the middle of the canopy walkway. Watch my Instagram video HERE.



There were altogether 3 platforms along the 150 metres Canopy Walkway. The first platform could only accommodate a maximum of 4 persons.



At this platform, I took a photo of the tree above me. See those wooden blocks around the tree trunk? I wonder if they were meant to protect the tree?



I continued to walk the suspended bridge towards the second platform. Do take your time to observe your surroundings when you are on the bridge (that is, is you are not too pre-occupied with your fear of heights!). If you are lucky, you may just be able to spot birds and small reptiles.



I soon reached the second platform. Unlike the first platform, the second platform could accommodate up to a maximum of 8 persons. Here, the view was pretty nice!



I took a similar photo back in 2009 and that photo created some kind of interest due to the image of a ghost on the tree trunk. Let me repost back that photo. Here it is - Can you see the image of a female ghost in dark glasses in the old photo below?



I have to say this is another reason I revisited FRIM Canopy Walkway - to check out the ghost LOL! Anyway, there was no ghostly image in the photo I took last week. I believe the old photo is just a lighting trick. What do you think?

But look at the the two photos above again. Can you see that the older photo was more beautiful? And it was taken with my old Sony Ericsson mobile phone. How come it was better than the recent photo taken using my iPhone 3Gs?!



Besides the stunning view, I also took photos of the wooden plank that I walked on. So this is how it was done. Without the wooden plank, you would probably be walking on just the net - that would make your walk very unstable!



The ropes and ladders of the Canopy Walkway are all tied to and supported by trees. So the health of the trees are very important as the Canopy Walkway totally depends on the trees.



Perhaps that is why I saw these blocks of wood surrounding the tree trunk to protect the tree from the stress created by the ropes tied around it.



I spent some time on the second platform before moving on to the third and last platform.



Do you dare to walk this bridge if there is no netting on both sides? I will never dare attempt it! LOL!



Another amazing view from the middle of this last leg of the Canopy Walkway but I am afraid my photo could not do it justice. Oh well.....



I actually crouched down to take this photo below. That's why you can see the netting on both sides so much higher. Luckily I was the only person on the bridge and was not blocking anyone haha!



My adventure on the Canopy Walkway came to an end with the third platform. This third platform could accommodate up to 4 persons like the first platform. No photos here, but I took a short video of the third platform leading to the stairs to exit the Canopy Walkway. Watch my Instagram video of the final platform HERE.

If you are interested to visit FRIM Canopy Walkway, do take note that its operating hours are from 9.30am - 2.30pm everyday except Mondays and Fridays. It's also closed during rain and stormy weather.

For enquiries or bookings, contact FRIM's One Stop Centre.
Tel : 603-6279 7575
Email : FRIM_Enquiry@frim.gov.my
Website : http://www.frim.gov.my

After our breakfast of roasted duck at Prachak Pet Yang, I immediately brought my Filipino friend Ishmael over to Boonsap Thai Desserts.

I had been craving for my favorite Thai dessert, coconut sticky rice with durian and I knew I just had to eat it!



Located somewhere across the road from Prachak Pet Yang (and same row with Robinson Bangrak), this famous Thai dessert shop has been around since before World War 2. Now run by the young third-generation owners, the shop has been renovated to resemble a small cafe complete with air conditioning and two tables.

I noticed from the outside that they even serve fresh coffee! Didn't remember seeing that last time - either that or I did not pay attention.



As soon as we stepped into the shop, the first thing I asked was whether they have coconut sticky rice with durians. I saw this pot of coconut cream and already started salivating haha!



Unfortunately, the lady boss (I think she's the owner) told me that they had ran out of durians. I could choose sticky rice with mangoes instead (highly recommended if you happen to dislike durians).

Or I could go buy some durians from the fruit stall a few shops away, she suggested. So guess what? That's exactly what we did!

Ishmael and I went over to the fruit stall and bought a box of pre-packed durians in styrofoam container for 100 baht (US$3.20 / RM10.20).



Then we brought it back to Boonsap Thai Desserts where we were immediately served 2 bowls of coconut sticky rice for 25 baht (US$0.80 / RM2.55) a bowl. We placed the durians we had just bought on the table in the middle.



I know Thai durians are not as aromatic as Malaysian durians but I would not let that bother me LOL!



So what did we do next?



After our bowls of sticky rice were slathered and drowned in rich sweet coconut cream, it was time to add in the durians!



With the use of forks and spoons, we managed to scoop out the yellow durian flesh and placed them onto the sticky rice. My bowl of coconut sticky rice with durian ended up looking like this. LOL!



I don't think you will be able to buy a bowl of sticky rice with durian anywhere in Bangkok with this generous amount of durians haha!! Anyway, both Ishmael and I totally enjoyed this yummy dessert! The combination of durians, coconut and sticky rice is totally awesome! If you have not eaten it before, do give it a try!

Warning : If you hate durians, you will hate this dessert!! But you can replace the durians with mangoes and it will taste almost as heavenly!



We did not try other desserts in the shop as we were already quite full. Boonsap has many other varieties of desserts to choose from. I still remember the sticky rice with creamy steamed egg custard that I ate here last year - it was so yummy! But no, I did not touch that this time.

Spotted this dessert and was tempted to try it, but did not.



There were some cakes and cookies on the shelf.



There were many more desserts I did not take photos of. Right outside the shop, there was a stall selling  all the various types of desserts.



I think I must really visit Boonsap Thai Desserts again the next time I go Bangkok and try all their traditional Thai desserts!



Directions to Boonsap Thai Desserts : From Saphan Taksin BTS Station, walk northbound along Charoen Krung Road. After passing Robinson Bang Rak on your left, continue to walk straight and you will find Boonsap Thai Desserts amongst the shops on your left.

Ok, it's time to resume my Bangkok posts. In case you have forgotten, this was my trip to Bangkok early this year. I had stopped blogging about the trip halfway to complete my Hong Kong posts.

So just to refresh your memory, here are the posts about my Bangkok trip thus far ...

1. Landing At Don Mueang International Airport In Bangkok
2. Bangkok Loft Inn : My Favorite Hotel In Bangkok!
3. My Breakfasts At Bangkok Loft Inn
4. The Erawan Museum In Bangkok (Part 1)
5. The Erawan Museum In Bangkok (Part 2)
6. The Erawan Museum In Bangkok (Part 3)
7. My Lunch At Soi Polo Fried Chicken
8. My Visit To Asiatique The Riverfront In Bangkok

On my 3rd day in Bangkok, my friend and I went separate ways. I had planned to visit Wat Arun which my friend had already visited before so he decided to go elsewhere. Besides, I was also planning to meet up with my Filipino blogger friend Ishmael Ahab, whom I met during my trip in Manila 2 years ago.

I suggested we meet up for breakfast at Prachak Pet Yang, a restaurant selling roasted duck in Bang Rak. Located at 1415, Charoen Krung Road (somewhere across the road from Robinson Bang Rak), this restaurant is more than a century old!



I think pet yang means duck in the Thai language. This Prachak restaurant is famous for its roasted duck so I wanted to give it a try. Well, you can't go wrong with a restaurant that has been selling ducks since 1909 right?

At the front part of the shop, we could see ducks hanging like in typical Chinese coffee shops.



Although the restaurant does offer other food like roasted pork, prawn dumplings and noodles, we decided to just order their famous roasted duck. Ishmael ordered a bowl of white rice as well but I did not as I had already eaten breakfast at my hotel earlier.



The roasted duck was pretty delicious! The sauce was different from what I am used to eat back in Malaysia. It was slightly sweet and spicy but definitely tasty. The duck meat was tender and soft while the skin was still quite crispy despite being soaked in the sauce.

The only downside is the portion, which I thought was rather small. For that portion as shown in the picture above, it costs us 60 baht (US$1.95 / RM6.10) which was quite reasonable.



The restaurant interior is just like your typical Chinese coffee shop, nothing special. I took a picture of the interior but since it contains Ishamel's face in it, I decided not to post it here since Ishmael requested not to have his face revealed (just like me haha!). Maybe you can have a glimpse of the restaurant interior at his blog HERE : )

After this light breakfast (yes light, because I only ate a few bites of the roasted duck), I proceeded to bring Ishmael to a shop across the street for some lip smacking desserts! Stay tuned : )

Directions to Prachak Pet Yang : From Saphan Taksin BTS Station, walk northbound along Charoen Krung Road towards Robinson Bang Rak. At Robinson, cross the road to the opposite side and find the shop with the number 1415.

Continued from Part 1

According to feng shui expert and world's best selling feng shui writer Lillian Too, there are 3 dimensions to feng shui. They are, as mentioned in Part 1, the Space dimension, the Time dimension and the Spiritual dimension.

Spiritual Feng Shui is all about engaging the beings of the cosmic realms. Who and what are these beings? This is what we are going to delve into in this post.

Basically, there are SIX different realms of existence. We are in the HUMAN realm. We are somewhere in the middle as there are higher and lower realms than us.



The Upper Realms are made up of the God realm and The Asura realm. These consists mostly of the Protectors and Guardians like Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and wisdom beings.

The Lower Realms are made up of the Ghost realm, the Animal realm and the Hell realm.

Within the spirits realm, they have their own different levels and hierarchies. Even the Protectors and Guardians have different ranks of their own. Those of the lower levels are afraid of those from the higher levels, or to put it more nicely, the lower level beings respect those that are of higher levels than them.



According to Lillian Too, the HUMAN realm is the best realm to be born in. It is only in the human realm that one can have the potential to achieve enlightenment, meaning a state where you can truly understand everything about the true nature of your existence, so that there is no more learning.

Also, in the human realm, one can appease and control the spirits, which makes one's life smoother and happier.

It will be most unfortunate if you were to be born into the Animal realm as animals do not have the intellect to understand such profound wisdoms or to achieve enlightenment. And even worse, is to descend into the Hell realm, for you will be one of those hungry ghosts that are only allowed to roam the earth during the Hungry Ghost month!


A hungry ghost image source

As such, the Human realm is seen to be very precious. Lillian therefore advised us against taking our own lives. She even said that people who harm themselves are stupid beyond words! The message here is to take good care of our lives for as humans, for we are indeed very precious and at an advantage compared to the others.

Now there are billions and billions of spirit beings! And they are not just of this world, but of other worlds too, in fact, the whole Universe. So who really are these ghosts and spirits?

According to Lillian, ghosts and spirits are beings that are trapped in the BARDO. What is the Bardo? The Bardo is the in-between world between realms!



This is how it works. When we die, we spend 49 days in the Bardo. That's exactly 7 weeks! This is also why the Buddhists and Taoists pray for 49 days for people who have passed away.

3 things can happen when you are in the Bardo ...

1) You get reborn (either into human, animal or hell realm)
2) You stay trapped in the Bardo
3) You become enlightened and go on to the higher realms

Most spirits get reborn, but some get trapped in the Bardo. How does one get trapped in the Bardo?

Well, when you are too attached to life on earth, you will get trapped in the Bardo. When everyone cries and mourns your death, you may find that you are not able to let go. So it is important to say good bye and not cling to your past life when you die.

If not, you will be a slave to the King of Bardo. But what is worse since you are so attached to life on earth, is that the King of Bardo will tell you to pull in another relative. That's one reason why you notice that sometimes when a person dies, 2 or 3 weeks later, his close relative or family member also dies. This is also why a lot of prayers are needed for the dead so that they do not stay trapped in the Bardo.


Wandering in the Bardo image source

How did Lillian know about all these? You are probably thinking she invented it all right? Well, according to Lillian, she got all these knowledge through lots of research and by learning from the Tibetan lamas and also from reading the sutras, which are the direct teachings of the Buddha.

Personally, I think it's way more complex than what Lillian explained to us during the seminar. But then, I think she did a great job in simplifying and making it easy to digest for the layman.

Lillian's advice is to live in such a way that when you die, you know HOW to die. But in the meantime, those of us still alive have a life to live. We all want a happy, smoother life and one way to achieve that is to have good feng shui. Besides good feng shui, we also need to have good Spiritual feng shui, in other words, we need to appease the spirits around us.


The Diamond Sutra image source

Now every space has its own local spirits. They are neither good nor evil. KL has its own local spirits, Mid Valley (Lillian mentioned this since we were having the Spiritual Feng Shui seminar at The Gardens next to Mid Valley mall) has its own local spirits, and your house has its own local spirits too. Lillian said her house is a paradise to her because she always keep her local spirits happy.

In Part 3, I will share with you what kind of harm and obstacles these local spirits can do to you, and how you can actually appease them so that instead of harming you, they turn around to protect you from harm!

Possibly also in Part 3 (if the post is not too long), I will share some of these interesting stories like...
- how Lillian's guru, Lama Zopa Rinpoche changed the direction of the fire raging through the forests of California (is it magic?)
- why the Indonesian haze plaguing Malaysia may be spiritually related...
- how Lillian created the rain to wash away the haze! (magic again?) and...
- all about black magic, and which country has the deadliest black magic of them all! Can you guess?

Don't miss all these and more, in Part 3 coming soon! : )

One of the unique things about Putrajaya, a city that serves as the Malaysian Government's administrative centre, is the bridges spanning the man-made Putrajaya Lake.

A total of 9 bridges link the different precincts in Putrajaya, and 7 of them connect the Mainland to the Core Island surrounded by the lake.

Initially, I wanted to cover all the 9 bridges, but later I decided I would just highlight the more interesting ones. So far, I have blogged about 3 of them. You can check them out by clicking on the links below.

Part 1 : Seri Wawasan Bridge
Part 2 : Seri Gemilang Bridge
Part 3 : Pedestrian Bridge

In this Part 4, I would cover one of my favourite Putrajaya bridges - Jambatan Seri Saujana or the Seri Saujana Bridge. 



Looking rather impressive, this Seri Saujana Bridge is located at the main entrance into the Core Island from the South via the B15 road and the KL-KLIA highway.



It links Precinct 4 of the Core Island to Precinct 7 on the Mainland.

If you are still wondering why there is an island in Putrajaya, well, it was man-made. In creating the Putrajaya Lake, the earth was dug up around a piece of land and filled with water. This piece of land is now the Core Island and it is separated from the mainland around it by the Putrajaya Lake.

To reach the Core Island, you would of course, need bridges! And so a total of 9 bridges were built. Ingenious? Or a total waste of money? I shall leave that to you! LOL!



I walked under the bridge. It looked pretty majestic from here, almost like a giant spaceship hovering above my head.

Further ahead is another bridge - the Putrajaya Monorail Suspension Bridge.



Unfortunately, this Monorail Suspension Bridge was left uncompleted. The project was 'suspended' due to financial constraints. More about this bridge in another post.

Can you see another bridge behind the Monorail Bridge? Looks familiar? That's the Seri Wawasan Bridge which I already blogged about in Part 1.



The above photo combines the Seri Saujana Bridge on the left and the Putrajaya Monorail Bridge on the right.



At a length of about 300 metres, the Seri Saujana Bridge is a unique combination of cable stay and steel arch design.



Don't you think it looks beautiful with its unique design? By the way, did you notice those small little balconies for people to stand to admire the view from the bridge?



It was already late evening when I took these photos of the bridge.



Luckily, it didn't rain although it did drizzle a little bit. I was afraid of a heavy downpour earlier while I was at the Pedestrian Bridge in Precinct 5.



Another beautiful view of the bridge spanning the Putrajaya Lake.



I wanted to climb up the bridge and walk on it. But first, I took some photos of the evening sunset scenery. Wonder who lives in this house? Must be great to have such a nice view of the lake!



The sun setting in the horizon.



Before it started to get dark, I quickly went up the Seri Saujana Bridge.



The architectural design looked amazing from here. It seemed kind of futuristic to me.



Look at those cables!



The evening sky with beautiful clouds provided an awesome background!



A magnified view of the structure.



More photos of this awesome bridge to take advantage of the beautiful sunset sky!






I almost wanted to stand in the middle of the road to take photos, but I guess this is good enough. I love this angle! It makes the bridge looks even more amazing.



The bridge is made up of dual three lane carriageways and has a total width of about 32 metres.



I guess covering four bridges in a day is more than enough. It's time to leave Putrajaya, although I should have just stayed on to capture those bridges at night.



Surely they will be colorfully illuminated at night! Oh well, maybe I will do that next time.



I returned to Putrajaya a week later to capture the remaining bridges. Of course, I did not just go Putrajaya to take pictures of the bridges. That would be crazy! But visiting all the bridges were part of my agenda, and it was truly satisfying! LOL!



Don't miss Part 5 where I will blog about the Putrajaya Monorail Bridge.