Merapoh 2012 Nov, Pt 1, Gua Tekong

After the Croatian caving expedition to Merapoh, Pahang, in Sept 2012, Laili Basir (from Merapoh Nature Guides) and I went back 1-3 Nov to look for more caves. Laili is working hard to try and protect the Merapoh caves from quarrying and we are keen to continue looking for caves.

We were successful and found 14 new caves. Some were spectacular with formations and interesting geological formations and one was a river cave.

On the first afternoon, we went to Gua Tekong, although the locals call this Gua Panjang. On the map, Panjang is the hill to the west of the road, and the hill to the east is not named. I will follow the map names. Also, the locals use the word "gua" instead of "bukit" for hill.

We started near the south end of the hill.

In a few hours we found 9 caves. First was Gua Manik Emas -

 The manik emas -

 caramel sauce on ice cream!

 This stal has fallen

 Our guide, Sazman

Next was Gua Empat Tangga. Passage sloped to a climb down to a dry but very muddy river passage. A crawl led to a rift passage with entrances. The climb down -

 I wondered if this is a siphon in wet weather

 signs of an old river

 The 4 steps

 One entrance

Saw some interesting millipedes in the forest

 Monophyllaea

The next 2 caves were very small but we saw a cave racer -

We then moved closer to the north end of the hill. Walking to the caves we passed 2 bomb
craters and then found a stal resembling a bomb head in the cave! We named the cave Gua Kepala Bom.

 Scorpion

Tree with large thorns

We saw a small cave Gua Kepala Belut and went on to the river cave, Gua Putera Mandi. It is a resurgence cave -

but we went in the large dry entrance.

Inside the entrance chamber were many sacks of guano and also elephant droppings.

We went down to the river passage. It was quite small and the 5 of us almost blocked
the flight path for the bats.

We soon came to a duck, where the roof lowered almost to water level.

Juki took off his shirt and went through. He came back, took the camera and went back in again, with Rosni. There is a small chamber but no dry way, so the water must come from below the rock level.

We didn't actually check the downsteam end, although it can't be far to the entrance.

Next cave Gua Karang, was short but with some nice coral -

We found a new species of cave fauna, Juki batuensis .

------------
See also Day 2, Gua Kubang Rusa and Kalong, and Day 3, Gua Panjang etc.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Nam Thean Tong Buddha image

As soon as I saw this article in the Star 27 Oct 2012 about the Buddha image on the cliff face, I had a look at my photos. And yes, I found the Buddha image.

Saturday October 27, 2012

Wonder over Buddha visage near temple in Ipoh

By IVAN LOH ivanloh@thestar.com.my

Uncovered: The image of Lord Buddha (circled) at the hill near Nam Thean Tong temple in Ipoh.

IPOH: A face, said to resemble that of Lord Buddha, has appeared on a limestone hill overlooking the Nam Thean Tong Temple, rousing great interest among tourists and locals.

Jade seller Chan Yew Ming, who runs a shop at the temple, said the face was first spotted by tourists recently.

“I saw them pointing at the limestone hill above my shop and snapping photographs. I was curious and was surprised to see what looked like Buddha’s face there,” the 53-year-old woman said.

According to Chan, none of the temple workers or committee members had noticed the “face” previously because of the trees and plants surrounding it.

She claimed that people had also seen other “manifestations” on the hill, such as that of Buddha’s palm and the face of Hindu deity Ganesha.

“Just above Buddha’s face, there is an elephant-like face, which many people believe is Ganesha while several dark spots on the rocky surface of the hill resemble Buddha’s palm.

Chan added that news of the manifestations had reached as far as Thailand and Singapore with many visitors from the countries coming in droves to see the amazing sights.

Temple committee chairman Chan Kwai Hoong said heavy rainfall and strong winds in recent times had caused tree branches to break, exposing the face.

“We were surprised by it when tourists pointed it out to us,” he said.

Kwai Hoong, who has been with the committee for about 20 years, stressed that it was impossible for people to climb up the hill to sculpt the face. “The surface is too steep and nobody can climb up there,” he said.

Nam Thean Tong, situated between the Ling Sen Tong and Sam Poh Tong temples, is believed to be one of the oldest temples here, dating back to 1867 when it was first discovered by a Chinese priest.

--------------------
However I disagree with this comment "Temple committee chairman Chan Kwai Hoong said heavy rainfall and strong winds in recent times had caused tree branches to break, exposing the face."
as I can see the face on my Feb 2008 photos -

When I looked at my 2009 photos, I saw an elephant's head immediately above Buddha. I wonder if this is the Ganesh face -

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Gua Hari Malaysia, Merapoh, video

Gua Hari Malaysia is a great river cave in Merapoh, Pahang. We found it during the Croatia - Merapoh caving expedition, on 16 Sept 2012. See photo album of Gua Hari Malaysia.

The cave has a series of cascades and waterfalls. Here is a video of the guys having fun at one cascade.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Don’t cover graffiti with black paint - Lenggong

5 Sept 2012 I had a letter published in The Star about covering over graffiti in black paint.

Don’t cover graffiti with black paint

I REFER to the report “Preserving Lenggong Valley” (The Star, Sept 4) which says “the authorities have failed to barricade the area, making it easy for people to walk in and out”.

When I visited the area last week, I found that some of the sites had been taped off and there were “work in progress” signs.

I also noticed that in some caves, especially Gua Kajang, the graffiti had been covered by black paint.

I don’t know who did this or when. But it is a very bad practice to try and cover any graffiti with paint or with any other substance.

This is frowned upon by the international caving community, as it can damage the microbes on the wall, apart from the fact that it is unsightly.

If the authorities wish to do something about the graffiti, please research how to do it properly.

Do not simply use paint or mud or whatever.

LIZ PRICE

Kuala Lumpur

Lenggong museum now a gallery

I had a letter published in The Star on 4 October 2012, re Lenggong Museum now being called a gallery. I have already blogged this.

THE STAR
Thursday October 4, 2012
Lenggong Museum is now a gallery

THE Lenggong archaeological museum, Muzium Arkeologi, has changed its name to Galeri Arkeologi.

In other words, it is no longer a museum, but a gallery.

This is probably because Jabatan Warisan Negara took over Muzium Lenggong from Jabatan Muzium Malaysia on Aug 7.

Since this take over, all the road signs and signs at the museum are being replaced, with the word museum changed to gallery.

However, I wonder if anyone has bothered to check the meaning of the word gallery.

It has two meanings, one related to content, and the other related to structure.

A gallery is a room or building for the display or sale of works of art, or for the exhibition of artistic work.

Alternatively a gallery can mean a long room or passage forming a portico or colonnade.

Whereas a museum is a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited.

It seems to me that gallery is an inappropriate word for the Lenggong archaeological artifacts. It may even suggest that the exhibits are for sale!

LIZ PRICE

Kuala Lumpur

Lenggong archaeology museum now a gallery

When is a museum not a museum? When its a gallery!

The Lenggong Museum is now a Gallery!

The Lenggong archaeological museum in Perak, Muzium Arkeologi, has changed its name to Galeri Arkeologi. In other words, it is no longer a museum, but a gallery.

This is probably because Jabatan Warisan Negara took over Muzium Lenggong from Jabatan Muzium Malaysia on 7 August 2012. This came after the Lenggong Valley was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site on 30 June 2012.

Since this take over, all the road signs and signs at the museum are being replaced, with the word museum changed for gallery.

The brass sign on the museum wall, signed by the Sultan has now gone

July (above) and September (below)

The main sign on the outer wall of the museum compound was actually removed earlier, first photo taken in 2003, 2nd photo in July 2012 -

The road signs have been covered over with the new name -

The new Jabatan Warisan signs -

On my most recent visit at the end of Sept I saw 3 new huge posters on an outer wall. Even those had the word 'musuem' covered over

However I wonder if anyone has bothered to check the meaning of the word gallery. It has two different meanings, one related to content, and one related to structure :
A gallery is a room or building for the display or sale of works of art, or for the exhibition of artistic work. Alternatively gallery can mean a long room or passage forming a portico or colonnade.
Whereas a museum is a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited.

It seems to me that gallery is an inappropriate word for the Lenggong archaeological artifacts. It may even suggest that the exhibits are for sale!

See more on Lenggong Museum.

On 4 Oct 2012 I had a letter published in The Star about this change of name from museum to gallery.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission