The road tracklog
From Genting Highlands to Taiping
from 02/12 to 09/12/2007

I left Genting Highlands for Kuala Selangor with stopover in Rawang for purchasing something and for publishing a page of my website. In Kuala Selangor, old capital of the Sultans of Selangor, I visited the hill of Bukit Malawati dominating the mangrove along the coastline with the remainders of Dutch Fort, a British lighthouse built in 1909 and a recent charming small museum recalling  the history of Selangor in dioramas and watercolours. Finally I established the bivouac in Kampung Kuantan at the edge of Sungai Selangor to see, at the fallen night, fireflies, Pteroptyx tener, called here kelip-kelip. The jaunt by boat of a duration approximately 30 minutes starting from 19:30, along the right bank of Sungai Selangor, offers a fairy-like dramatic exhibit of thousands fireflies flashing in unison in shrubs, berembang.

 
English lighthouse 1909 
Kuala Selangor 
the 02/12/2007 

 
Firefly
Kampung Kuantan 
the 02/12/2007 

The 03/12 in the morning was occupied by a long walk in Taman Alam Kuala Selangor Nature Park. Three ecosystems enabled me to observe rare species of bird of which the “milky stork”, monkeys, crabs, snakes and large lizards, varan. It is recommended to go for this walk early in the morning. The afternoon I decided to look for a bivouac on the coastline. Que nenni I drove kilometres without being able to approach the sea due to the mangrove. I stopped at approximately 12 kilometres before Teluk Itan at the edge of Perak River.

 
Taman alam Nature Park 
Kuala Selangor 
the 03/12/2007 

On the way to Tanah Rata in Cameron Highlands, I did a stop and go in Teluk Intan to see the Jam Besar Pagoda built in the 19th century as potable-water tank for inhabitants. I did not visit it due to work, cf the crane truck in front of the building. In Tanah Rata I bivouacked outside the carpark

 
Jam Besar
Teluk Intan 
the 04/12/2007 

The 05/12 in spite of a fine rain I walked on the trail n°9 towards Robinson Power Station. While returning to my truck I observed a water infiltration at the left light spot. I decided to go back to Rawang at SCOMI.

 

Tanah Rata 
the 05/12/2007 

The 06/12 afternoon and the next morning the SCOMI’s workmen worked to clog the supposed places of the water infiltration whose origin was not detected. I left Rawang after lunching dissatisfied not to know its origin and of the non resolution of the problem although with the statements of the foreman there was no more infiltration, to confirm in the future days. I took the E1 motorway to make up for the lost time. It is under work of widening at four lanes with strong decelerations. It has an excellent surface quality. The drivers have a major behaviour. Motorcyclists legally use the left lane. I bivouacked on Sungai Perak Rest Area.

 
Karstic relief in clouds
on motorway E1 
the 07/12/2007 

On the way I visited Kuala Kangsar and the royal enclave dominating the Sungai Perak in a dramatic environment. Buildings of the sultanate are a mixture of colonial art and Art Decor. Unfortunately the museum occupying a wooden building is under restoration and the palace of the Sultan is closed to visitors. Galeri Sultan Azlan Shah exhibits personal collections of the current Sultan in a remarkable scenography. The Ubudiah mosque has splendid gilded onion domes; it is prohibited to non-Muslims. In the afternoon I walked in the old town of Taiping which preserves buildings of the British era. Taiping is known as the city having the most important rainfalls in Malaysia.

 
Istana Kenangan 
Royal museum 
Kuala Kangsar 
the 08/12/2007 

 
All Saints' Church, 1886
Taiping 
the 08/12/2007 

 
Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve 
Kuala Sepetang 
le 09/12/2007 

 
Mantang Mangrove Forest Reserve
Kuala Sepetang 
le 09/12/2007 

The followed week I went to Thailand border.