SKY JUICE OR SKY FALL?

The Kota Tinggi Waterfall



Cooling and refreshing air



The waterfall cascading down with a splash

Brother Yusuf and his wife, Rare Rose





The flight of water behind me

Weak lines caused by erosive power
of the river

Urbanites getting close to nature



A monkey making faces at us



Soaking in the beautiful scenery



The water-theme recreational facilities



Continous flow of water as the backdrop

Crouching tigers on the loose

Beauties by the fall

Breaking out into a Opa Kota Tinggi 
Gangnam style

Fly me to the moon

At the upper part of the fall

At the shallower part of the fall

Making friends with the locals

Many shops are found at the town

Map of the town





Seafood dinner of prawns, crabs and squids

Feasted on these dishes



Firefly cruise as the night drew near


















Kota Tinggi Waterfall


A short retreat to Kota Tinggi was planned a few days ahead. We left Singapore at 8.00am, stopped by at Taman Austin for breakfast before continuing the 62 km journey from Johor Bahru to Kota Tinggi Waterfall. We followed the directional signs along the Kota Tinggi Road and turned left to Kota Tinggi town. Crossing a bridge, we passed by oil palm plantations and headed for another 16km to reach the fall. Cheeky monkeys slowed down our drive as they had mistaken the road for their foliage playground.


Kota Tinggi Waterfall is also known as the Lombong Fall. It is also a favourite spot among the locals and for school excursion trips with its pristine forests and jungle tracks. With a height of 36 metres, the vertical rock-faced cascading waterfall has its source from Mount Panti. Decades ago, the entry to this place was free. Now entrance fee is RM9 per person while parking fee is RM5 per car.


This was my second trip in recent years. But when I was a child, I used to come here for family picnics. Thick vegetation surrounded the area giving it a damp and dank atmosphere. The temperature could leave you shivering to the bone, especially when you leave the pool after having a dip. Sad to say, much of the tropical forest at the lower part of the fall has been cleared now, allowing more light to pass through the canopy. Nevertheless, the refreshing coolness is still welcomed and a great way to beat the heat.

The cool river water drains through a series of shallow pools ideal for swimming. At most the depth of the pool is less than a metre. The natural beauty of some parts of the fall has somewhat been jarringly spoilt by the resort development with artificial landscaping, Almost like a water-themed park, the corresponding stretch of rapid water had been channelled to whisk bathers seeking adventure, down the slide with a huge inflatable tube. These tubes can be hired. Definitely for the thrill-seekers and the children but the untouched upper pools were my favourite location.

Public changing rooms and camping grounds are available for visitors’ convenience. A restaurant nearby was closed on that busy Saturday morning when we arrived. A coffee shop was a saviour to the many picnickers who needed some hot drinks badly on that drizzly day. Burgers and instant noodles were the favourite order from the kids.

Two parts of Kota Tinggi fall are accessible by visitors. The rushing cascading bigger waterfall is at the lower part. Many picnickers prefer this location because it's big and the flat-topped rocks offer a resting perch. Bathers planted themselves at the direct spot where the water falls to ease shoulder pains and for a therapeutic effect.

We explored higher up by climbing the stairs where you will meet with rapids, lower falls and its continuous rush of cascading cool waters that run down the granite more resistant rocks. The surrounding is mainly untouched and in their semi-virginal state. The jungle sounds of crickets, cicadas, frogs, monkeys and birds’ singing received us in an enlivening fashion.

The vegetation gets thicker with ferns, palm and jelutongs up there. I observed  lines of weakness and fissures criss-crossing the rocks because of the erosive power of the water. Abrassion, attrition, hydraulic action and solution are the evident eroisve processes along here. A deep plunge pool higher up is out of bounds. There are signboards to caution you from making any head-down plunges into the pools and it has been barricaded by a net; too dangerous to swim in the 10m drop since a number of drowning cases had taken place there.

We chatted with some university students who were having their term break. We couldn’t resist dipping our feet into the inviting crystal clear water which felt cold and heavy. The undergrads mentioned that there is another waterfall nearby – the Pelepah Waterfall which is hidden by the forest and led by a small stream. However, it’s safer to take an experienced guide for that extra adventure to this second waterfall. Before bidding our Malaysian friends goodbye, we break into ‘Opa Kota Tinggi Gangnam’ style with them.

If you are thinking of staying overnight, you have a choice of two resorts – the Rainforest Resort or the Waterfalls Resort. They are surrounded by forested areas and provide a rustic sanctuary embraced by nature. Kota Rainforest Resort is about a five minutes’ drive to the waterfall, more expensive of the two, but looked better and newer than Kota Tinggi Waterfalls Resort, which is right where the waterfall is located.
Our next stop was at Mini Kelantan where you could shop for scarves, baju kurungs, telekungs and anything a makcik would love to part her money with. Most of the shops are owned by Cambodian refugees who have already settled in Malaysia. We spent some time going around the area before heading for a seafood dinner. The night ended with a boat cruise to see firefly along Johore River. The boarding point for the firefly excursion is at the riverbank near Jalan Tepi Sungai, opposite the row of shops. At the fireflies wonderland, you will find these fascinating insects in abundance on the Berembang trees that line the banks of the river. As it was a night excursion, the blinking lights of the fireflies was breathtaking as they skirted above the water surface.

I wonder why the name Kota Tinggi (HIgh Town) was given to this town? Has it got to do with the royalty link to Sultah Mahmud Mangkat di Julang? By the way, Kota Tinggi was not high enough to prevent the onslaught of its worst floods in 2006 which covered the whole town and sent it into partial paralysis for several weeks.

ORDERLINESS IN THE LAWLESS FOREST

This fig grows at the MOE Dairy Farm Camp

Aerial roots embrace the host tree tightly



A shelter provider for flora and fauna

You can  rapel down the roots

 

My Roots,  My Home

















Nodules where the fruits used to hang from



  





Fig fruits

 





This strangling fig might encase
 me if I stay here longer

 






















A MURDERER IN THE FOREST?

I spent a whole afternoon and enjoyed a reflective walk at our famous Botanical Gardens. I was wearing my geographical lens and busy looking out for learning possibilities.  Taking the rain forest trail of the gardens, I let the forest immerse and talk to me.  My multi-sensory organs set out to work instantly. I stopped by for a breather and came face to face with this huge strangling fig which is suffocating a tree. In the forest, survival is vital and strategising the right moves is a basic instinct for the eco-system to maintain its balance.

This huge strangling fig encloses the tree tightly, encases it and finally will kill it one day.  Our mental model might conclude that in the lawless forest, the mighty rules over the weak. But wait, don't just write off the strangler fig as a murderer. It does contribute to the forest community like a big brother for it to keep on living.

These strangler figs are tall canopy trees which can grow to a majestic height of 150 feet. Their branches interlock one another, forming an umbrella-like function.  As a result, the wind  below the canopy is still. In order to pollinate, the other trees bear bright and colourful flowers to attract the pollinators as pollination and wind-seed dispersal are limited.

How then from its minuscule-sized seed does the fig reach the canopy stage? The story is not strange when you know that the lawless forest offers survival to one another. The rain forest floor is strewn with a thick layer of leaf-litter. It could hinder seeds dispersal by wind or animals from germinating and anchoring their first roots. There is little light but a lot of competition for water and nutrients from the other rich diversity of species.

Strangler figs have made a remarkable adaptation to avoid these shortcomings. Unlike most plants, strangler figs start out their lives as epiphytes in the crook of a tree or on its branches where old leaves and rain water collect. Epiphytes are not parasitic plants and they make their own food. Animals feed on the fig's fruits. The tiny, sticky seeds are deposited high in a tree by animal droppings. Since these seeds are not affected by the animal's digestive tract, they soon germinate with sufficient light and moisture.

The strangler fig gives no mercy to others and possesses an aggressive growth habit that insures its survival in the rain forest. The seedlings grows slowly at first, getting their nutrients from the sun, rain and leaf litter that has collected on the host. Most epiphytes like the bird nest ferns have similar characteristic on obtaining their own food too.  

The stranglers next send out many aerial roots that cascade or dangle down the trunk of the host tree from its branches. Once the roots hit the ground, they sink deeper and put on a growth spurt, competing with the host tree for water and nutrients. They also send out a network of roots that encircle the host tree and fuse together. At this stage the fig tree reminds me of a bird being caged with no way of escape to taste freedom again.  

The fig's roots grow thicker, squeezing the trunk of its host and severing off its flow of nutrients.  Its canopy grows wider, robbing the host tree of sunlight. The host dies off due to stiff competition for sunlight, nutrients and strangulation. What's left of the host  is just a hollow centre while the fig continues to maximise its gigantic growth with thicker roots. Its appearance like a shroud can give a ghostly appearance at dusk and twillight. 

Besides being a food and shelter provider, the flowers of the fig tree attract wasps.   These insects enter the cyconia of the flowers through an opening at the bottom of the fruit. The wasps get down to work by pollinating the flowers and laying their eggs in the ovaries of the flowers.  These ensures the continuity of seed production and supply of food for the rest of the animal kingdom. 

The weak do find dependence and protection from the strong ones in the natural forest setting. The beauty of such life-line is that some of these strong flora and fauna do not take advantage of the weaklings. Rather they tap the benefits from the relationship for each other's growth and survival. Balancing of the eco-system is important for the forest sustainability and continuity of the various life cycles as this would have an impact on us.

If the micro and macro organisms of the Tropical Forest can sustain their existence and survival in the wilderness, and be able to add value through a symbiotic relationship that benefits both parties, why can't we, homo sapiens?

HONOLULU

THE PINK SPRAYS
I grew up with this graceful creeper wrapping and twining its tendrils onto my grandma's fence. The Honolulu was such a delight to watch because it covered the whole line of fence with its beautiful pink flowers of different hues. It is also known as coral vine or Mexican creeper and is a perennial vigorous climber. The plant has large tuberous roots and several ascending branches of 30-40 feet length. It flowers throughout the year except for a short period during monsoon.

The flowers are white or in attractive shades of red and pink. Known for its dense green foliage and small delicate lantern shaped flower in long trailing lovely sprays, the breeze would sway and make the cluster of flowers dance in the air. A captivating sight and simple pleasure for me to just stare at them!

My chilldhood days were relived when I discovered them at the Dairy Farm MOE Adventure Camp. The Honolulu creeper is a rare sight nowadays.