Canopy Walkway @FRIM

Our welcoming commitee as we started on the Rover Track towards the entrance of the Canopy Walk
Tickets for the canopy walk had to be purchased at the Information Centre. More info here.

The trek was pleasant on a Sunday morning.

Ean walked most of the way

The weekend crowd.

Only 5 people were allowed onto the walkway at each interval. And we had to space ourselves 4 feet apart.

We could imagine Emil, the German exchange student, waving his hands and singing his national anthem if he were to see this sign. I shall bring him here one day.

Walked up a steep, narrow staircase

Beginning of the walkway

He checked our tickets and ensured we kept our distance

The view was spectacular. If only we had more time to marvel at the scenery.

Lovely timber decking

We were more cautious on the trail down to the starting point. As there were a few sandy and slippery spots.

We were greeted by a wonderful picnic spot at the end of the trail.

Crystal clear water, shallow, sandy stream, huge boulders, devoid of a crowd......perfect!

On the way back to the carpark, Fai looked upwards trying to spot bird's nests and that was when he saw the trees with the Crown Shyness phenomenon - the kapur tree.
I was so intent on reaching the parking lot (it was drizzling slightly) that I had totally ignored the splendour around me.
Fai informed his sister and she pointed to the sky and said "Look!"
Everyone looked up and went "Wow!"

Tissue culture lab @FRIM 14April2011

What started as a bedtime story escalated into a discussion on tissue culture. Fai expressed lots of interest in this, so what would be better than to visit an actual tissue culture lab. After some searching, FRIM had the nearest lab around that allowed school visits.

30 excited homeschoolers (parents included) some from as far away as Ipoh came for the lab visit.

Sadly, glassware that were prepared for our hands-on activity were quickly kept, when the lab staff noticed that we were not made up of secondary school students.

Dr Hasnida explained the process behind tissue culture in Malay. I hope that impressed on the kids the importance of Malay.

The teenagers were allowed into the clean room. After assuring the lab staff that parents will take full responsibility of their kids and promised that they would not touch anything, the younger kids (above 7 years old) were permitted to go in.

Shoes had to be removed and a lab coat had to be worn. Some kids had to put on lab coats that were so much bigger than them that it trailed behind them. We also had to wear sterilised slippers.

Some moms later told me that their kids were most excited about the lab coats!

Read more about it in JY's blog.

Glass jars with tissue culture plants.

I stayed outside with Han and Ean and took the opportunity to ask Dr Hasnida more questions.

Tongkat ali roots.

Agar medium

Fai didn't want to go into the clean room and didn't like the idea of putting on the lab coat. He was intent on concentrating on his drawing pad.

He didn't draw anything on tissue culture.

However, all was not lost. JY came out beaming with excitement after the clean room tour. She learnt alot that day :)

And I am happy to add that although Fai did not draw anything on tissue culture, he did draw something else that he encountered in FRIM...

Diorama of timber processing in the FRIM museum.

Timber processing by Fai.

I am not sure when he drew this. I stumbled on it today, one week after the visit while clearing up their heap of drawing pads and paper.

Not sure what it was until Fai said that it was the factory in FRIM.

This shows that I will never know what catches their interest.

I should never assume something is to their liking or that it would disinterest them. And give them the opportunity to learn in their own way.

Never should I put my own expectations or preferences onto them.

I am still learning the ropes....

FRIM after the tissue culture lab 14April2011

Arapaima pond. Located next to the Information Centre, Block D6. The araipama has been trained to respond to clapping. We headed for the bridge, leaned over and clapped with all our might.

Our guide told us that it eats bread. WL threw in a piece. We waited a while, saw its orange scales as it swam towards us...then.....

....CHOMP! What big jaws it has. The bread had to be dropped right in front of it. We were told that in its native environment, Amazon river, it can leap up to catch infant monkeys. Its tongue is rough and is used by the indigenous people of the Amazons as a shredder. Here in Malaysia, the Orang Asli uses the thorny rattan instead.

After a brief glimpse of the insides of the museum, we started on our jungle tour. The soil was damp and we were attacked by mosquitoes.

Fai sniffing crushed Kulim leaves that smells like pungent raw garlic.

JY took photos of fungi.

I had to excuse myself from the jungle trekking as Han was beside himself with itching as he had an allergic reaction. He was turning red and splotchy. Oh my.

JY stayed on with Fai. So the rest of the trek was relayed to me by them....

Thick vines. Fai climbed onto one.

What a beautiful sight...the canopy of Kapor trees. Leaves from different Kapor trees do not touch, this is known as 'Crown Shyness'. JY told me that crushed Kapor leaves smells like Tiger Balm.

Aaahhh...I missed out on so much.
Fai said he didn't notice the canopy as he was too busy playing.

Huge buttress roots. JY told me it is known as 'The Toilet"

While waiting for the rest of the group, I headed for the waterfalls. Packed a lunch of rice, fried chicken and omelette from a stall and fed my hungry boys.

I was summoned back to the Information Centre when the group completed their jungle trek. After paying for the jungle tour and saying my goodbyes to the other homeschooling families, I scooted off to the waterfalls once more.

I received wonderful feedback about the jungle guide from the homeschooling mothers. Not only was the guide informative, she was also patient and would explain repeatedly when asked. So if you are need of a guide in FRIM, ask for Izwati
She comes highly recommended.

I have to admit, this was my favourite part of the day. Seeing my kids enjoying what mother nature has to offer.

Hands in clear stream water.

Fai noticed a leech on Han's foot. It had latched on and refused to budge. I noticed JY eating cheese snacks and recalled that leeches can be removed when salt is sprinkled on it. The leech immediately released its hold on Han when some crushed salty snack was placed by its mouth area.

So from now on, cheese snacks will be part of our jungle gear.

Camping in FRIM 25-26 Nov 2010

Organised by Laini and Gary, nine rambunctious kids aged between 2 to 7 gathered at Camp Perah in FRIM for a two day camp.


The campsite was well designed with terraced slopes and beautiful shady trees. It would be a great venue for a big gathering.
From the entrance of the campsite, a slope will lead you down to a row of picnic tables overlooking the campfire site. Further down would be the campsite; about 8 to 10 square plots roughly 10'x10' in size.
There were 3 huge barbeque pits, at least 10feet in length ready to be fired up to feed an army.
The toilets didn't have the usual male/female logo but instead they were labelled "Tongkat Ali" and "Kacip Fatimah"

This suspension bridge leads to the circle of A huts. The boys loved running up and down the bridge as it swayed with each step and created a marvellous trip-trap sound.
The huts could easily accommodate me and my 3 boys with lots of space for our luggage. Each hut has a wall fan and a power socket. Sleeping bags are essential for comfort. The temperature dipped to 24C in the wee hours of the morning, it was chilly and I had to switch the fan off.

Gary was great with the kids. He numbered the kids in a fun way and they were made to count off before and after each activity.

The first activity: tent pitching.

Second activity: wood shaving. Ean was very attentive.

Third activity: Scavanger hunt in the pouring rain. Look for something hairy, look for something that looks like a bunga raya; Look! wild boar foot prints.....

After a quick shower, the nice and dry boys yelled to their pal "Hello there!!!!"

Uncle Gary splitting wood with his parang. The kids lined up to add firewood to the fire. It was a first time experience for some of them. Fai being an old hand at this was giving advice freely. Ean once again paying close attention.

Fifth activity: The kids made bamboo rice.

Line the bamboo with banana leaf, take extra care not to tear the leaf. Fill half of the bamboo with rice then top up with water till about 3/4 full. The rice was presoaked with pandan leaves for half a day. Finally, cook over the fire.

Ours was left unattended overnight and was uncooked and rather burnt at the end. So we didn't have a chance to sample the rice.

6th Activity: Roasting marshmallows.

Han roasted this for me.

7th activity: Night walk and frog hunting.

Uncle Gary hid 8 frogs and the kids had to look for them.

Uncle Gary showing a stingless bee hive. He put his ears against the tree trunk and said" listen to the hum" He put his nose by the entrance of the hive and said" I can smell delicious honey in there"

While waiting for Uncle Gary to set up his projector the kids were made to sit in a circle with toes pointing to the middle. Asked to hold hands and to try to get up without bending their knees.

It's Show Time!

Fai and his best friend at camp 'H Chuan'. They made a good team. Fai would do the illustrations and H Chuan did the commentary.

After a roti canai breakfast, the kids walked to the FRIM museum.

We walked past the souvenir shop, over an arch bridge and assembled at the open field in front of the museum.

Uncle Gary giving a lesson on insects.

I was surprised at how good the exhibits in this museum was. It was well kept with good lighting and looked pretty informative. I will definitely come again to have a better look.

The photo on the above right is that of the longest rotan in the world. the one in the museum is only half of it. The other half is kept in the Singapore museum.

An interactive display on paper pulp making. Unfortunately it wasn't working. But Ean and Kiana didn't want to leave the display and spent quite a bit of time touching and looking at it.

Fai's favourite pitcher plant in tissue culture. Liani told me of a good spot in Ipoh to look for wild pitcher plants. Hmmmm....another trip to Ipoh coming soon :)

After the museum, the kids went for a fun ride in the back of Uncle Gary's pickup to the Botanical Gardens. Hidden away, it was a perfect setting for a day out with kids. I loved the big lawn. I looked around and saw a few houses....perhaps I will get a house there :)

The kids running a three-legged race. Fai with HChuan, Vanessa with Johan and Han with Inas. Team Fai and HChuan won. Han and Inas were too busy having a good time tumbling and laughing to be bothered.

Ean noticed a peculiar looking jackfruit. He got his fingers sticky with sap and was caught up in sticking his fingers together and prying them apart.

After a quick snack, we headed back to camp. Packed up, said our goodbyes, exchanged vital information for Facebooking and promised to keep in touch.

The kids gelled together well. And I am looking forward to meeting up with this bunch of mothers and their kids soon.

Home! To Lego and soldiers.

This was a first time for me paying for an organised camp. It was well worth the $$, I didn't have to fret over the details such as food and activities. I just went with the flow and had a great time.

Thanks Liani and Gary.