Monkey Business - Langkawi

Enjoying the waters on Pulau Beras Basah.

More pictures from our holiday time in Langkawi... and the islands nearby.  We took a boat trip on one of our afternoons to a secluded beach on Pulau Beras Basah. The adventures included watching sea eagles and Brahmin kites and a beachside barbecue.

Tasty flower crabs fresh off the grill.

The island hosts a private beach club used by a few Langkawi resorts and families.  The breezy, wooden buildings on site look as if they are barely keeping the jungle back from reclaiming the shoreline.  Much of the natural habitats surrounding nearby islands have tangled mangroves growing far out into the tidewaters.

Visitors arriving and enjoying the sands on Pulau Beras Basah.

Even as the owners keep the jungle at bay, the wildlife has already decided that tourists make for rich pickings.  Wild boars and their piglets snuffle at the forest's edge.  Macaque monkeys show up to welcome every arriving group in hopes of a handout.  You can see pictures of the troop after the jump.  Click on the link below left.

Champuan Ridge - Bali

The forested interior of Bali, Indonesia.

The Passengers are returned from a weekend on the island paradise of Bali.  This was our first trip south of the equator and the weekend had numerous other highlights, like surfing lessons and big cocktails at Naughty Nuri's. However, we especially enjoyed seeing the interior and countryside of the island around the artsy hangout of Ubud.  Here are some images from our hike along Champuan Ridge and around the villages nearby.  There's lots to see so this post has been broken into two pieces.  Click the link at the bottom left of this entry to look at the rest of the pictures.

Atop Champuan Ridge.

Bringing down the stalks from the ridge.

Unexpected Guest

Here's a picture of the uninvited guest who greeted us on Thanksgiving (26 November) evening after we returned from a pleasant French meal on Club St.  These geckos are everywhere in Singapore and do often make their way inside houses and businesses.  On Wednesday I spied one crawling across the cornice at the aforementioned French restaurant's sister establishment.  Fortunately, the creatures are harmless, seriously shy, and eat lots of pesky insects.  I put on kitchen gloves and bundled our visitor out of the apartment. I didn't put him in the elevator, assuming he could walk his way down the walls from the eleventh floor.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Another exciting weekend in Singapore, on Saturday the Passengers took time to explore the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Its idyllic like an English garden with winding paths and interesting overgrowth, beloved by families, joggers, and those with picnic baskets. The twist starts with the realization that all the plants normally inside a hothouse in Britain are here outside in the tropical air. The National Orchid Garden is the crown jewel of the park. It’s one of the preeminent breeders and cultivators of orchids in the world, probably because many varieties of orchids love Singapore’s natural climate. Here are some highlights, but I am afraid that all photographers when visiting a botanic garden are unable to control the insistent shutterbug perched on their left shoulder. I did try to narrow down the selections.

This variety of Goldendianae below is widely used along the Orchid Garden paths.

Of course, one of the joy of orchids stems from the endless parade of totally outrageous looking varieties. Alien aesthics or evolutionary diversity?

The day's favorite orchid appeared in the VIP Orchid Garden where dignitaries, often in commemoration of a garden tour, have been honored with hybrid orchids in their names: Nelson Mandela, Princess Masako of Japan. Below is the aptly titled Dendrobium Margaret Thatcher.