No protection for ancient cave fossil
on Wild Asia's Message Board
In a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, Malaysia, there is a fossil of a mammal embedded in the cave wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or other cat, and may date to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP.
Even though the Dept of Museums and Antiquities erected a sign board at the base ofthe steps leading up to the cave, no stringent form of protection has been enforced. From her very first visit to the site in 1996, Liz Price was disheartened to see that pieces of the fossil have been unscrupulously removed over the years in her subsequent visits.
In Oct 2008, Liz went back to the cave again but discovered that the signboard had completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were not to be seen. Also a factory has encroached right up to the hillslope.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Original URL: http://www.wildasia.net/main.cfm?page=msg&messageID=2405
Published: 22 October 2008
© 2008 WILD ASIA
All Rights Reserved
sign in a cave in Laos
26 October 2008
Isaan area, Thailand - Star
THE STAR
Lifestyle > Features
Saturday February 12, 2005
Life in Isaan
Story & Pictures By Liz Price
THE village street consisted of about 10 houses, and yet there was a hive of activity about the place. Women were going about their daily chores, which included making handicrafts. Animals lazed around.
The men were conspicuous by their absence. Obviously, they were taking time off, leaving the womenfolk to do all the work. Maybe they were working in the fields, although from what we had seen earlier, it seemed to be mostly women who were planting padi and attending to the corn. The men were sitting on the tractors watching!
This area of Khon Kaen is in the heart of Isaan country, Thailand. Isaan is a general term for north-eastern Thailand, from the Sanskrit name for the medieval kingdom “Isana”, which encompassed parts of Cambodia and north-eastern Thailand. The area is less developed than the rest of Thailand and has comparatively fewer tourists. There are many archaeological sites scattered around the 18 provinces which form the region, famous for its silk and cotton.
Among the work women do here is spin cotton.
The best silk in Thailand is said to come from the north-east, especially around Khon Kaen, Khorat and Roi Et. There are several silk-weaving towns and the finished products are cheaper than in other parts of Thailand. As we travelled round some of the villages in the rural area, we stopped at one small village where we could watch the whole weaving process. One lady was spinning the cotton, teasing out the knotty strands and winding them neatly onto a large spool. Although the cotton is still grown locally, and they still harvest silk from the silkworm cocoons, much of the materials used nowadays are bought from the town of Loei.
Other ladies were weaving the yarn on looms. The white cotton thread was wound around the large framework of the loom, and coloured yarn was woven in, according to the pattern. It was a laborious process requiring much patience and concentration. I was surprised to see one lady using green string to form the pattern of her material. This looked like the plastic string used so commonly in Malaysia and Thailand. I imagined this would give a rough feel to the finished product.
There are actually two methods: tie-dye, and ikat, in which the cotton is tie-dyed before the weaving. Many of the ladies wear the traditional skirts and blouses as part of their everyday attire. It reminded me of the Indonesian ikat. Most common is the geometric, diamond-grid pattern.
Some women were laying out chillies to dry in the sun; others were attending to the livestock which were relaxing under the stilted houses. It was all very peaceful. The children were obviously at school as there were none to be seen.
One villager came out with some sticky rice wrapped in leaves for us to try. I was still full from breakfast but I had to be polite and sample the offering. I enjoy trying the rice packets in Thailand as you never know what you’ll find inside – sometimes it’s sweet, and sometimes savoury . . . so it’s a pot luck affair.
Open stalls selling desserts.
We wandered down to the nearby river and it was quite busy with traffic, mostly of the non-vehicular kind. White ducks were paddling quite hard in an effort not to get swept downstream. The river was swollen from the previous night’s rain, and the water was brown, darker than kopi tarik. I wondered how the ducks stayed white.
Ladies were crossing the river with empty baskets on their way to the fields. Then a man came to the water’s edge with a small herd of cows. At first the cows looked reluctant to enter the water. They obviously knew it was deeper than usual, and were unsure of their footing. The one leading was persuaded into the swirling water and the rest followed suit. They looked quite comical swimming diagonally against the current.
Next to entertain us was a tractor with a few workers onboard. The tractors in these parts consist of a wooden platform which forms the trailer body, and then 2m-3m long handles lead to the tractor with the engine. It reminded me of the long-tailed boats so commonly seen in Thailand. We were in the heart of farming country.
By now it was time for lunch. Luckily, the Isaan have good food, the specialities being chicken and sausage. In fact, Isaan food is known for its pungency and choice of ingredients. We stopped at a series of roadside stalls, which were all selling spicy chicken. The chicken pieces were flattened and stuck onto bamboo skewers and grilled by the roadside. One enterprising lady had some skewered pieces of chicken and was standing at the roadside waving to entice passing motorists.
It worked, because we stopped. The chicken looked no different from the chicken sold at street stalls all over Thailand, but the taste was good. We ate it with glutinous rice and chilli sauce – simple, but delicious.
Later that day, we tried the som-tam, a spicy salad made with grated papaya, lime juice, garlic, fish sauce and fresh chillies. As the combination of tastes hits the palate, it is a shock to the system and makes the mouth tingle. But soon you warm up to it and tuck in.
That afternoon we found ourselves driving along the Wang Saphung to Udon Thani road. My guidebook mentioned a famous cave, and as it was only 2km off the road, we decided to have a look. There are signboards at the turn-off, but in fact you can clearly see the cave from several kilometres away. A large seated Buddha is at the entrance, which is high up the cliff face. Tham Erawan is one of the most famous caves in this area.
It is located by a wat (temple) of the same name. Having seen how high up the cliff the cave was, my two friends decided to stay in the car, leaving me to tackle the steps alone. Of course there was no mention of how many steps there were. The signboard only told of the legend of the lady with scented hair.
I began the climb and found that the flights of steps were interspersed with gentle slopes. As the trail wound around, it was impossible to see how much further I had to go as the cave was hidden from view. After much huffing and puffing I was relieved to reach the entrance with the huge sitting Buddha. Buddha gazes out over the plains and across to the other limestone hills in the distance.
The men here seem to take things easy, while the women do all the work.
The cave is huge, and there is an enormous chamber which slopes downwards. Luckily there was some electric lighting as I had stupidly left my torch in the car. There were a few very large stalagmites, and the roof was some 30m above my head. It was worth the effort of the climb as the cave size was so impressive. I wondered how many foreign tourists come here? Not many I imagine.
After we left the cave, we drove through very heavy rain, almost monsoon-like. Once the rain stopped, we were treated to a spectacular sight of a double rainbow. We thought this was wonderful. Later we were able to see the entire arch of one of the rainbows. We stopped the car and took many photos, but we were too near to get the whole arch in the viewfinder. It was quite a spectacular end to our day in Isaan country.
No reproduction without permission
Lifestyle > Features
Saturday February 12, 2005
Life in Isaan
Story & Pictures By Liz Price
THE village street consisted of about 10 houses, and yet there was a hive of activity about the place. Women were going about their daily chores, which included making handicrafts. Animals lazed around.
The men were conspicuous by their absence. Obviously, they were taking time off, leaving the womenfolk to do all the work. Maybe they were working in the fields, although from what we had seen earlier, it seemed to be mostly women who were planting padi and attending to the corn. The men were sitting on the tractors watching!
This area of Khon Kaen is in the heart of Isaan country, Thailand. Isaan is a general term for north-eastern Thailand, from the Sanskrit name for the medieval kingdom “Isana”, which encompassed parts of Cambodia and north-eastern Thailand. The area is less developed than the rest of Thailand and has comparatively fewer tourists. There are many archaeological sites scattered around the 18 provinces which form the region, famous for its silk and cotton.
Among the work women do here is spin cotton.
The best silk in Thailand is said to come from the north-east, especially around Khon Kaen, Khorat and Roi Et. There are several silk-weaving towns and the finished products are cheaper than in other parts of Thailand. As we travelled round some of the villages in the rural area, we stopped at one small village where we could watch the whole weaving process. One lady was spinning the cotton, teasing out the knotty strands and winding them neatly onto a large spool. Although the cotton is still grown locally, and they still harvest silk from the silkworm cocoons, much of the materials used nowadays are bought from the town of Loei.
Other ladies were weaving the yarn on looms. The white cotton thread was wound around the large framework of the loom, and coloured yarn was woven in, according to the pattern. It was a laborious process requiring much patience and concentration. I was surprised to see one lady using green string to form the pattern of her material. This looked like the plastic string used so commonly in Malaysia and Thailand. I imagined this would give a rough feel to the finished product.
There are actually two methods: tie-dye, and ikat, in which the cotton is tie-dyed before the weaving. Many of the ladies wear the traditional skirts and blouses as part of their everyday attire. It reminded me of the Indonesian ikat. Most common is the geometric, diamond-grid pattern.
Some women were laying out chillies to dry in the sun; others were attending to the livestock which were relaxing under the stilted houses. It was all very peaceful. The children were obviously at school as there were none to be seen.
One villager came out with some sticky rice wrapped in leaves for us to try. I was still full from breakfast but I had to be polite and sample the offering. I enjoy trying the rice packets in Thailand as you never know what you’ll find inside – sometimes it’s sweet, and sometimes savoury . . . so it’s a pot luck affair.
Open stalls selling desserts.
We wandered down to the nearby river and it was quite busy with traffic, mostly of the non-vehicular kind. White ducks were paddling quite hard in an effort not to get swept downstream. The river was swollen from the previous night’s rain, and the water was brown, darker than kopi tarik. I wondered how the ducks stayed white.
Ladies were crossing the river with empty baskets on their way to the fields. Then a man came to the water’s edge with a small herd of cows. At first the cows looked reluctant to enter the water. They obviously knew it was deeper than usual, and were unsure of their footing. The one leading was persuaded into the swirling water and the rest followed suit. They looked quite comical swimming diagonally against the current.
Next to entertain us was a tractor with a few workers onboard. The tractors in these parts consist of a wooden platform which forms the trailer body, and then 2m-3m long handles lead to the tractor with the engine. It reminded me of the long-tailed boats so commonly seen in Thailand. We were in the heart of farming country.
By now it was time for lunch. Luckily, the Isaan have good food, the specialities being chicken and sausage. In fact, Isaan food is known for its pungency and choice of ingredients. We stopped at a series of roadside stalls, which were all selling spicy chicken. The chicken pieces were flattened and stuck onto bamboo skewers and grilled by the roadside. One enterprising lady had some skewered pieces of chicken and was standing at the roadside waving to entice passing motorists.
It worked, because we stopped. The chicken looked no different from the chicken sold at street stalls all over Thailand, but the taste was good. We ate it with glutinous rice and chilli sauce – simple, but delicious.
Later that day, we tried the som-tam, a spicy salad made with grated papaya, lime juice, garlic, fish sauce and fresh chillies. As the combination of tastes hits the palate, it is a shock to the system and makes the mouth tingle. But soon you warm up to it and tuck in.
That afternoon we found ourselves driving along the Wang Saphung to Udon Thani road. My guidebook mentioned a famous cave, and as it was only 2km off the road, we decided to have a look. There are signboards at the turn-off, but in fact you can clearly see the cave from several kilometres away. A large seated Buddha is at the entrance, which is high up the cliff face. Tham Erawan is one of the most famous caves in this area.
It is located by a wat (temple) of the same name. Having seen how high up the cliff the cave was, my two friends decided to stay in the car, leaving me to tackle the steps alone. Of course there was no mention of how many steps there were. The signboard only told of the legend of the lady with scented hair.
I began the climb and found that the flights of steps were interspersed with gentle slopes. As the trail wound around, it was impossible to see how much further I had to go as the cave was hidden from view. After much huffing and puffing I was relieved to reach the entrance with the huge sitting Buddha. Buddha gazes out over the plains and across to the other limestone hills in the distance.
The men here seem to take things easy, while the women do all the work.
The cave is huge, and there is an enormous chamber which slopes downwards. Luckily there was some electric lighting as I had stupidly left my torch in the car. There were a few very large stalagmites, and the roof was some 30m above my head. It was worth the effort of the climb as the cave size was so impressive. I wondered how many foreign tourists come here? Not many I imagine.
After we left the cave, we drove through very heavy rain, almost monsoon-like. Once the rain stopped, we were treated to a spectacular sight of a double rainbow. We thought this was wonderful. Later we were able to see the entire arch of one of the rainbows. We stopped the car and took many photos, but we were too near to get the whole arch in the viewfinder. It was quite a spectacular end to our day in Isaan country.
Getting there© Liz Price
MAS and AirAsia fly to Bangkok. Within Thailand, there are lowcost domestic airlines flying to Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai. Buses and trains also serve these towns, departing from Bangkok. Khon Kaen is considered the “gateway”.
Driving is easy, as signboards are in English. The highways are also good.
The north-east is one of the drier places in Thailand, and the dry months are from Dec-May.
Compared to the rest of Thailand, the pace of life here is slower. People are friendlier in the Isaan provinces and although few speak English, travelling is easy.
Accommodation is easily available, from budget to top-end in the larger towns.
--------------------
No reproduction without permission
Isaan area, NE Thailand - BT
Published on The Brunei Times (http://www.bt.com.bn/en)
Venturing into the heart of Northeastern Thailand
Isaan country: A woman weaving silk. Picture: BT/Liz Price
Liz Price
KHON KAEN, THAILAND
Sunday, October 26, 2008
THE village street consisted of about 10 houses and yet there was a hive of activity quietly taking place. Women were going about their daily chores, some were making handicrafts. Animals lazed around. The men were conspicuous by their absence. Maybe they were working in the fields although from what we had seen earlier, it seemed to be mostly women who were planting rice and attending to the corn. The men were sitting on the tractors watching!
This area of Khon Kaen is in the heart of Isaan country. Isaan is a general term for northeastern Thailand, from the Sanskrit name for the medieval kingdom Isana, which encompassed parts of Cambodia and northeastern Thailand. The area is less developed than the rest of Thailand and has comparatively few tourists. There are many archaeological sites scattered around the 18 provinces which form this region, which is also famous for its silk and cotton.
The best silk in Thailand is said to come from the northeast. There are several silk weaving towns and the finished products are cheaper than in other parts of Thailand. Many of the rural villages have cottage industries and we stopped at one to watch the weaving process.
One lady was spinning the cotton, teasing out the knotty strands and winding them neatly onto a large spool. Although the cotton is still grown locally, and silk still harvested from the silkworm cocoons, much of the materials used nowadays are bought from the town of Loei. Other ladies were weaving the yarn on looms. The white cotton thread was wound around the large framework of the loom, and coloured yarn was woven in according to the pattern. It was a laborious process requiring much patience and concentration. I was surprised to see one lady using green string to form the pattern of her material. This looked like the normal plastic string used so commonly in Asia and I imagined this would give a rough feel to the finished product.
There are actually two methods, one is the tie-dye, and the other is ikat in which the cotton is tie-dyed before the weaving. Many of the ladies wear the traditional skirts and blouses as part of their everyday attire. It reminded me of the Indonesian ikat. Most common is the geometric, diamond-grid pattern. Some women were laying out chillies to dry in the sun; others were attending to the livestock which were relaxing under the stilted houses. It was all very peaceful. The children were obviously at school as there were none to be seen.
One villager came out with some sticky rice wrapped in leaves for us to try. I enjoy trying the rice packets in Thailand as you never know what will be inside, sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is savoury, so it's a pot luck affair. We wandered down to the nearby river and it was quite busy with traffic, mostly of the non-vehicular kind.
White ducks were swimming, paddling quite hard in an effort not to get swept downstream. The river was swollen from rain, and the water was brown, so I wondered how the ducks stayed white; I imagined the muddy water would stain them!
Ladies were crossing the river with empty baskets on their way to the fields. A man came to the water's edge with a small herd of cows. At first the cows looked dubious about entering the water, they obviously knew it was deeper than usual, and were unsure of their footing.
The lead one was persuaded into the swirling water and the rest followed suit. They looked quite comical swimming diagonally against the current. Next to entertain us was a tractor with a few workers aboard. The tractors in this part of Thailand consist of a wooden platform which forms the trailer body, and two to three metres long handles lead to the tractor with the engine. It reminded me of the long tailed boats so commonly seen in Thailand. We were in the heart of farming country.
By now it was time for lunch. The Isaan culture has good food, known for its pungency and choice of ingredients, the specialities being chicken and sausage. We stopped at a series of roadside stalls, which were all selling spicy chicken. The chicken pieces are flattened and stuck onto bamboo skewers and grilled by the roadside. One enterprising lady had some skewered pieces of chicken and was standing at the roadside waving her wares to entice passing motorists. It worked, because we stopped. The chicken looked no different from the chicken sold at street stalls all over Thailand, but the taste was good. We ate it with glutinous rice and chilli sauce as an accompaniment.
Later that day we tried the som-tam, a spicy salad made with grated papaya, lime juice, garlic, fish sauce and fresh chillies. As the combination of tastes hit the palate, it is a bit of a shock and makes the mouth tingle, but soon you realise how delicious it is. That afternoon we stopped at Tham Erawan, a famous cave off the Wang Saphung to Udon Thani road.
You can clearly see the cave from several kilometres away. A large seated Buddha sits in the entrance, which is high up the cliff face. Tham Erawan is one of the most famous caves in this area.
About 600 steps lead up to the cave. After much huffing and puffing I reached the entrance with the huge sitting Buddha which gazes out over the plains and across to the other limestone hills in the distance. The cave is huge, there were a few very large stalagmites, and the roof was some 40m above my head.
Luckily there was some electric lighting as I had stupidly left my torch in the car. It was worth the effort of the climb as the cave size was so impressive.
After we left the cave there was monsoon rain and we were treated to a spectacular sight of a double rainbow.
There were two rainbows, side by side. It was quite a spectacular end to our day in Isaan country.
The Brunei Times
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source URL:
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/travel/2008/10/26/venturing_into_the_heart_of_northeastern_thailand
Venturing into the heart of Northeastern Thailand
Isaan country: A woman weaving silk. Picture: BT/Liz Price
Liz Price
KHON KAEN, THAILAND
Sunday, October 26, 2008
THE village street consisted of about 10 houses and yet there was a hive of activity quietly taking place. Women were going about their daily chores, some were making handicrafts. Animals lazed around. The men were conspicuous by their absence. Maybe they were working in the fields although from what we had seen earlier, it seemed to be mostly women who were planting rice and attending to the corn. The men were sitting on the tractors watching!
This area of Khon Kaen is in the heart of Isaan country. Isaan is a general term for northeastern Thailand, from the Sanskrit name for the medieval kingdom Isana, which encompassed parts of Cambodia and northeastern Thailand. The area is less developed than the rest of Thailand and has comparatively few tourists. There are many archaeological sites scattered around the 18 provinces which form this region, which is also famous for its silk and cotton.
The best silk in Thailand is said to come from the northeast. There are several silk weaving towns and the finished products are cheaper than in other parts of Thailand. Many of the rural villages have cottage industries and we stopped at one to watch the weaving process.
One lady was spinning the cotton, teasing out the knotty strands and winding them neatly onto a large spool. Although the cotton is still grown locally, and silk still harvested from the silkworm cocoons, much of the materials used nowadays are bought from the town of Loei. Other ladies were weaving the yarn on looms. The white cotton thread was wound around the large framework of the loom, and coloured yarn was woven in according to the pattern. It was a laborious process requiring much patience and concentration. I was surprised to see one lady using green string to form the pattern of her material. This looked like the normal plastic string used so commonly in Asia and I imagined this would give a rough feel to the finished product.
There are actually two methods, one is the tie-dye, and the other is ikat in which the cotton is tie-dyed before the weaving. Many of the ladies wear the traditional skirts and blouses as part of their everyday attire. It reminded me of the Indonesian ikat. Most common is the geometric, diamond-grid pattern. Some women were laying out chillies to dry in the sun; others were attending to the livestock which were relaxing under the stilted houses. It was all very peaceful. The children were obviously at school as there were none to be seen.
One villager came out with some sticky rice wrapped in leaves for us to try. I enjoy trying the rice packets in Thailand as you never know what will be inside, sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is savoury, so it's a pot luck affair. We wandered down to the nearby river and it was quite busy with traffic, mostly of the non-vehicular kind.
White ducks were swimming, paddling quite hard in an effort not to get swept downstream. The river was swollen from rain, and the water was brown, so I wondered how the ducks stayed white; I imagined the muddy water would stain them!
Ladies were crossing the river with empty baskets on their way to the fields. A man came to the water's edge with a small herd of cows. At first the cows looked dubious about entering the water, they obviously knew it was deeper than usual, and were unsure of their footing.
The lead one was persuaded into the swirling water and the rest followed suit. They looked quite comical swimming diagonally against the current. Next to entertain us was a tractor with a few workers aboard. The tractors in this part of Thailand consist of a wooden platform which forms the trailer body, and two to three metres long handles lead to the tractor with the engine. It reminded me of the long tailed boats so commonly seen in Thailand. We were in the heart of farming country.
By now it was time for lunch. The Isaan culture has good food, known for its pungency and choice of ingredients, the specialities being chicken and sausage. We stopped at a series of roadside stalls, which were all selling spicy chicken. The chicken pieces are flattened and stuck onto bamboo skewers and grilled by the roadside. One enterprising lady had some skewered pieces of chicken and was standing at the roadside waving her wares to entice passing motorists. It worked, because we stopped. The chicken looked no different from the chicken sold at street stalls all over Thailand, but the taste was good. We ate it with glutinous rice and chilli sauce as an accompaniment.
Later that day we tried the som-tam, a spicy salad made with grated papaya, lime juice, garlic, fish sauce and fresh chillies. As the combination of tastes hit the palate, it is a bit of a shock and makes the mouth tingle, but soon you realise how delicious it is. That afternoon we stopped at Tham Erawan, a famous cave off the Wang Saphung to Udon Thani road.
You can clearly see the cave from several kilometres away. A large seated Buddha sits in the entrance, which is high up the cliff face. Tham Erawan is one of the most famous caves in this area.
About 600 steps lead up to the cave. After much huffing and puffing I reached the entrance with the huge sitting Buddha which gazes out over the plains and across to the other limestone hills in the distance. The cave is huge, there were a few very large stalagmites, and the roof was some 40m above my head.
Luckily there was some electric lighting as I had stupidly left my torch in the car. It was worth the effort of the climb as the cave size was so impressive.
After we left the cave there was monsoon rain and we were treated to a spectacular sight of a double rainbow.
There were two rainbows, side by side. It was quite a spectacular end to our day in Isaan country.
The Brunei Times
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source URL:
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/travel/2008/10/26/venturing_into_the_heart_of_northeastern_thailand
23 October 2008
Gua Naga Mas letter - NST
NST Online » Letters
2008/10/21
Cave exhibit: A fossil of a cat is going to the dogs
By : LIZ PRICE, Kuala Lumpur
IN a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, there is a fossil of a mammal embedded in the cave's wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or some other cat, and may date back to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP (before the present era).
The Department of Museums and Antiquities erected a signboard at the base of the steps leading to the cave. My first visit to the site was in 1996. On subsequent visits over the years, I could see that pieces of the fossil had been removed. It is disheartening to find that unscrupulous people have been removing these ancient bones, and that nothing has been done to protect them.
This month, I tried to get to the cave and found the signboard had completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were not to be seen. Also, a factory has encroached right up to the hillslope.
This fossil is thought to be the only one known in Southeast Asia. It is really sad to see that the authorities have done nothing to protect this site.
2008/10/21
Cave exhibit: A fossil of a cat is going to the dogs
By : LIZ PRICE, Kuala Lumpur
IN a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, there is a fossil of a mammal embedded in the cave's wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or some other cat, and may date back to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP (before the present era).
The Department of Museums and Antiquities erected a signboard at the base of the steps leading to the cave. My first visit to the site was in 1996. On subsequent visits over the years, I could see that pieces of the fossil had been removed. It is disheartening to find that unscrupulous people have been removing these ancient bones, and that nothing has been done to protect them.
This month, I tried to get to the cave and found the signboard had completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were not to be seen. Also, a factory has encroached right up to the hillslope.
This fossil is thought to be the only one known in Southeast Asia. It is really sad to see that the authorities have done nothing to protect this site.
20 October 2008
No protection for ancient cave fossil (Sun, NST)
This was published on the letters page, p16 of THE SUN , 20th October 2008
No protection for ancient cave fossil
In a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, there is a fossil of a mammal
embedded in the cave wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have
been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or other cat, and
may date to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP.
The Dept of Museums and Antiquities erected a sign board at the base of
the steps leading up to the cave. My first visit to the site was in 1996.
On subsequent visits, by comparing my photos over the years, I could
see that pieces of the fossil have been removed. It is very
disheartening to find that unscrupulous people have been removing these
ancient bones, and that nothing has been done to protect them.
In Oct 2008 I tried to get to the cave and found the signboard had
completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were
not to be seen. Also a factory has encroached right up to the
hillslope.
This fossil is thought to be the only one known in SE Asia. It is
really sad to see that the authorities have done nothing to protect
this site and to promote it's importance.
I hope someone from the Museums or Tourism Depts will read this and
take some action to preserve such an important piece of Malaysia's
past.
Liz Price
The letter was also published in NST on 21 Oct 2008
The Department of Museums and Antiquities erected a signboard at the base of the steps leading to the cave. My first visit to the site was in 1996. On subsequent visits over the years, I could see that pieces of the fossil had been removed. It is disheartening to find that unscrupulous people have been removing these ancient bones, and that nothing has been done to protect them.
This month, I tried to get to the cave and found the signboard had completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were not to be seen. Also, a factory has encroached right up to the hillslope.
This fossil is thought to be the only one known in Southeast Asia. It is really sad to see that the authorities have done nothing to protect this site.
No protection for ancient cave fossil
In a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, there is a fossil of a mammal
embedded in the cave wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have
been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or other cat, and
may date to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP.
The Dept of Museums and Antiquities erected a sign board at the base of
the steps leading up to the cave. My first visit to the site was in 1996.
On subsequent visits, by comparing my photos over the years, I could
see that pieces of the fossil have been removed. It is very
disheartening to find that unscrupulous people have been removing these
ancient bones, and that nothing has been done to protect them.
In Oct 2008 I tried to get to the cave and found the signboard had
completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were
not to be seen. Also a factory has encroached right up to the
hillslope.
This fossil is thought to be the only one known in SE Asia. It is
really sad to see that the authorities have done nothing to protect
this site and to promote it's importance.
I hope someone from the Museums or Tourism Depts will read this and
take some action to preserve such an important piece of Malaysia's
past.
Liz Price
The letter was also published in NST on 21 Oct 2008
NST Online » Letters
2008/10/21Cave exhibit: A fossil of a cat is going to the dogs
By : LIZ PRICE, Kuala Lumpur
IN a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, there is a fossil of a mammal embedded in the cave's wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or some other cat, and may date back to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP (before the present era).
This month, I tried to get to the cave and found the signboard had completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were not to be seen. Also, a factory has encroached right up to the hillslope.
This fossil is thought to be the only one known in Southeast Asia. It is really sad to see that the authorities have done nothing to protect this site.
19 October 2008
Canoeing around Phang Nga Bay - BT 2008
Published on The Brunei Times (http://www.bt.com.bn/en)
Eco-tourism: Let's go canoeing around Thailand's Phang Nga Bay
A not-to-be-missed adventure: Tourists that went canoeing exploring Phang Nga Bay will be rewarded with a great day and a fascinating experience. Picture: BT/Liz Price
Sunday, October 19, 2008
HAVE you ever tried to take a photo of a moving bird whilst you are bobbing up and down in a canoe? It's not easy. The sea was a bit choppy, and as I paddled out of the cave, an egret was wading in the shallows of the cave entrance, looking for its lunch. It was a good opportunity to take a shot of a bird at such close quarters.
The views of the nearby limestone islands were stunning. The karst towers rose from the Andaman Sea like stately sentinels, and the reds and browns of the rocks were quite a contrast against the blue sky and the green sea. It was a picture postcard scene. The National Marine Park of Phang Nga Bay in southern Thailand is full of magnificent limestone islands.
I had a window seat as the plane flew over this amazing bay on its approach to Phuket's International airport, and I saw dozens of islands dotted around, some large and some small, and all surrounded by water of different shades of blues and greens.
Numerous boats take tourists daily to this area, in particular to James Bond Island, Ko Phing Kan, which was made famous when used for filming The Man with the Golden Gun.
I booked to do a sea canoe trip to the cave hongs. "Hong" is the Thai word for "room". These hongs are inland open-air tidal lagoons, surrounded by sheer limestone cliffs. The only way in and out is through the caves. If the cave is quite low, the route through may only be open for about 20 minutes a day, during low tide. Once the tide is high, the cave, or certainly the entrance will be underwater.
I was picked up early morning from my hotel and taken to Por Pier on the eastern side of Phuket. Here I joined the other paddlers and we were given a brief introduction before joining the boat. During the hour's journey to our first destination, we had coffee and fresh fruit whilst being given an explanation of the things we would see during the day. The guide was very knowledgeable and showered us with lots of details, and there was a large file of information and photos which we could browse through at our leisure.
It was surprisingly chilly as the boat sped along and I was a bit dubious about having to get into the water. I needn't have worried as when we arrived at Hong Island the sun was shining to welcome us and the beauty of the place kept me busy with the camera. As the guides launched all the yellow kayaks into the sea, they looked like a lot of bananas which had broken loose from the bunch. My guide manoeuvred the kayak to the steps of the boat so I could get in, and then we were speedily paddling to the cave entrance.
After the initial low entrance, the cave roof rose high above our heads. The water lapped against the cave walls causing an eerie sound in places, and I could see why legends tell of cave monsters. My torchlight picked out some stalagmites and stalactites. Ahead of us the roof suddenly lowered and the walls closed in leaving a gap not much larger than the kayak. I had to lie flat on my back in the kayak to avoid scraping my nose on the roof.
We popped out in to a wang and gasped in wonder. It was beautiful. We were surrounded by sheer limestone walls that rose 100m above our heads, capped by green vegetation. It was like a secret garden, except the floor was covered by sea. Plants clung to the precipitous walls. A few birds called, but otherwise it was silent. A lost world. We paddled around the hong, admiring its beauty, before returning to the pitch black of the cave.
The next hong we visited was possibly more beautiful as there were mangrove trees inside. It was fun paddling around the mangroves with their serpent like roots. We saw a young monitor lizard basking on a rock. It was obviously used to seeing humans paddling around its terrain and took no notice.
The third cave contained some beautiful stalactites, and a glistening white cascade of calcite crystals resembling a frozen waterfall. In the secret lagoon, we spotted a troop of young macaques. They were playing in the branches just a few metres above the water so we were able to paddle right underneath them. This was a mistake as the monkeys let loose a golden shower. I could imagine them laughing to themselves and wondered if they did this to all the visitors. There was no sign of the adults, maybe they were watching from some higher vantage point.
We returned to the boat and had a scrumptious lunch of fresh fish, chicken curry, Thai soup and tempura. I was afraid to overeat in case I sank when I went swimming. We were not the only ones to enjoy the meal, as the cook threw scraps of chicken overboard and suddenly the sky was full of Brahminy kites.
They appeared from nowhere and soon there was a dozen or more, mewing and eyeing up the feast. They began swooping down and plucking scraps of meat from the water. It was an amazing sight to see so many of these birds at such close quarters.
Our next cave was appropriately called Bat Cave as deep inside were a few colonies of insect eating bats. They seem oblivious of our presence, which is a good sign as it means that the human visitors don't seem to disturb them. There are several tour companies running these kayak trips daily, but they all take note of the ecotourism rules and do their best not to damage the environment.
We then had some free time for swimming and kayaking. However most people lazed on the boat, still full from the huge lunch. I tried swimming but the current was very strong. It was fun being swept along with the flow but was hard work swimming back to the boat.
When we got back to Por Pier the tide was out, so we had to walk the last hundred metres through gooey mangrove mud to reach the jetty. Luckily there was fresh water to rinse our legs before boarding the transport back to our hotels. It had been a great day and a fascinating experience.
The Brunei Times
The views of the nearby limestone islands were stunning. The karst towers rose from the Andaman Sea like stately sentinels, and the reds and browns of the rocks were quite a contrast against the blue sky and the green sea. It was a picture postcard scene. The National Marine Park of Phang Nga Bay in southern Thailand is full of magnificent limestone islands.
I had a window seat as the plane flew over this amazing bay on its approach to Phuket's International airport, and I saw dozens of islands dotted around, some large and some small, and all surrounded by water of different shades of blues and greens.
Numerous boats take tourists daily to this area, in particular to James Bond Island, Ko Phing Kan, which was made famous when used for filming The Man with the Golden Gun.
I booked to do a sea canoe trip to the cave hongs. "Hong" is the Thai word for "room". These hongs are inland open-air tidal lagoons, surrounded by sheer limestone cliffs. The only way in and out is through the caves. If the cave is quite low, the route through may only be open for about 20 minutes a day, during low tide. Once the tide is high, the cave, or certainly the entrance will be underwater.
I was picked up early morning from my hotel and taken to Por Pier on the eastern side of Phuket. Here I joined the other paddlers and we were given a brief introduction before joining the boat. During the hour's journey to our first destination, we had coffee and fresh fruit whilst being given an explanation of the things we would see during the day. The guide was very knowledgeable and showered us with lots of details, and there was a large file of information and photos which we could browse through at our leisure.
It was surprisingly chilly as the boat sped along and I was a bit dubious about having to get into the water. I needn't have worried as when we arrived at Hong Island the sun was shining to welcome us and the beauty of the place kept me busy with the camera. As the guides launched all the yellow kayaks into the sea, they looked like a lot of bananas which had broken loose from the bunch. My guide manoeuvred the kayak to the steps of the boat so I could get in, and then we were speedily paddling to the cave entrance.
After the initial low entrance, the cave roof rose high above our heads. The water lapped against the cave walls causing an eerie sound in places, and I could see why legends tell of cave monsters. My torchlight picked out some stalagmites and stalactites. Ahead of us the roof suddenly lowered and the walls closed in leaving a gap not much larger than the kayak. I had to lie flat on my back in the kayak to avoid scraping my nose on the roof.
We popped out in to a wang and gasped in wonder. It was beautiful. We were surrounded by sheer limestone walls that rose 100m above our heads, capped by green vegetation. It was like a secret garden, except the floor was covered by sea. Plants clung to the precipitous walls. A few birds called, but otherwise it was silent. A lost world. We paddled around the hong, admiring its beauty, before returning to the pitch black of the cave.
The next hong we visited was possibly more beautiful as there were mangrove trees inside. It was fun paddling around the mangroves with their serpent like roots. We saw a young monitor lizard basking on a rock. It was obviously used to seeing humans paddling around its terrain and took no notice.
The third cave contained some beautiful stalactites, and a glistening white cascade of calcite crystals resembling a frozen waterfall. In the secret lagoon, we spotted a troop of young macaques. They were playing in the branches just a few metres above the water so we were able to paddle right underneath them. This was a mistake as the monkeys let loose a golden shower. I could imagine them laughing to themselves and wondered if they did this to all the visitors. There was no sign of the adults, maybe they were watching from some higher vantage point.
We returned to the boat and had a scrumptious lunch of fresh fish, chicken curry, Thai soup and tempura. I was afraid to overeat in case I sank when I went swimming. We were not the only ones to enjoy the meal, as the cook threw scraps of chicken overboard and suddenly the sky was full of Brahminy kites.
They appeared from nowhere and soon there was a dozen or more, mewing and eyeing up the feast. They began swooping down and plucking scraps of meat from the water. It was an amazing sight to see so many of these birds at such close quarters.
Our next cave was appropriately called Bat Cave as deep inside were a few colonies of insect eating bats. They seem oblivious of our presence, which is a good sign as it means that the human visitors don't seem to disturb them. There are several tour companies running these kayak trips daily, but they all take note of the ecotourism rules and do their best not to damage the environment.
We then had some free time for swimming and kayaking. However most people lazed on the boat, still full from the huge lunch. I tried swimming but the current was very strong. It was fun being swept along with the flow but was hard work swimming back to the boat.
When we got back to Por Pier the tide was out, so we had to walk the last hundred metres through gooey mangrove mud to reach the jetty. Luckily there was fresh water to rinse our legs before boarding the transport back to our hotels. It had been a great day and a fascinating experience.
The Brunei Times
Source URL:
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/travel/2008/10/19/eco_tourism_lets_go_canoeing_around_thailands_phang_nga_bay
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/travel/2008/10/19/eco_tourism_lets_go_canoeing_around_thailands_phang_nga_bay
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