This One Time, On Tioman...

Home Sweet Home:
Melina Beach Eco Resort

It feels a bit strange returning from my fourth trip to Pulau Tioman (Tioman Island), located about 30 kilometers off the southeastern coast of peninsular Malaysia, and have yet to mention it here. Perhaps it's because each trip, though busy and full fascinating encounters with local flora and fauna, have also felt about the same.  I've come here each time with biology and environmental science students to engage and support them in a required lab or field study investigation for their coursework. So, while I've gotten to know certain parts of the island very well - the intertidal zone of the western coast or the modest resort and fishing village of Genting, for example - I know there are other points on interest on this outpost of natural treasures.

The pier at Genting on Tioman's west coast.

The mangrove swamps at low tide are fascinating places. These highly salt-tolerant
trees produce "knee roots," or pneumatophores, which take in oxygen from the air,
due to the anaerobic qualities of the mud they grow in.

A smallish water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator) soaking up some sun.

This place is a bug-hunter's dream: some brilliantly-colored Hemipteran.

This Anglehead Chameleon (Gonocephalus chameleontinus) let me get really
close for this photoshoot. The blue around its eye was stunning.

This hammerhead flatworm (Bipalium sp.)  is one of few
terrestrial platyhelminths around the world.

Meet the trilobite beetle (Duliticola hoiseni) one of the few known beetles
without the typical domed carapace characteristic of their kind.
(Also, one of the coolest insects I've ever seen!)

Related to the noxious "corpse flower" this species of Amorphophallus was a
surprise to see along the trail into the highlands of the island. 

This terrible blurry photo attempts to capture a "colugo,"
or Sunda flying lemur, of which it is neither.
Endemic to only a few locales in Southeast Asia, these
nocturnal are arboreal and clumsy, but they sure can glide!

Pulau Tioman is home to many animals and plants endemic to its forests and coastlines, including a handful of protected species.  Of course, it's not all rainforest hikes and tide pool exploring.  Most of the time is used helping students develop research questions, design a methodology, and collect data.  After four trips, I've learned more about the relationship between the size of a crab hole with regard to it's distance from a mangrove tree or where the abundance of rock oysters is greater (leeward or windward side of a boulder) than I ever cared to know.  But, watching these burgeoning scientists get excited watching their data take shape is a reward within itself.

With the abundant reefs and snorkeling opportunities, in addition to other old-growth parts of the rainforest to explore, perhaps I'll end up back here without a troupe of students and little agenda other than exploring.  Hopefully Malaysia recognizes the importance of such natural treasures and continues to support and protect them for the unique places they are.

Tour de Korea

One of the perks of living abroad with a growing network and international friends and former colleagues is the ability to easily jet off to another new locale and have "experts" on the ground, ready to show you around.  Long Weekend in South Korea it is!

Starting off with a quick visit to Jeju and capping it off with a whirlwind tour of Seoul, made for a packed and entertaining few days!

Jeju: location of easily one of the spiciest bowls of noodles I've ever eaten.
NOTE: The proprietor of this establishment creeping in the background over
my left shoulder, likely judging us for a) wanting vegetarian fare and
b) requesting a low spice level. She delivered on one of these two things.

Samseonghyeol
A small green park in the center of the city of Jeju, site of three holes in the
ground where, according to local folklore, three demigods emerged as the
founding fathers of the island.

Gyeongbokgung Palace
Personal Opinion: I think all historic sites should have the option
to dress up in period costumes to walk around. 

Top of the World
Looking out over Seoul from the observation desk of the Lotte World Tower,
the 6th tallest building in the world at 555.7 meters in height.

That One Time...In Japan

Sometime in the middle of my university years I was accepted to become a swimming lesson instructor at a US military base in Japan for the summer. It was a program a few of my swimming teammates had taken part in and I was looking forward to the opportunity to broaden my horizons while still procuring the same employment I would be likely doing anyway.  So, to best prepare, I enrolled an introductory Japanese language course to fulfil a language credit and round out a schedule that was already chalk full of some pretty intense science classes - organic chem and molecular cell biology, I'm looking at you!

It should be noted that an introductory Japanese language class in a mid-size, university town in quasi-rural Wisconsin is a mixed bag of characters.  Its safe to say you're either a huge fan of anime, dating an Asian girl, or planning to study abroad (usually because of one of the aforementioned reasons.  Regardless, halfway through the semester, the program supporting the job opportunity was cut, as were my motivation to prioritize studying dialogue phrasings for Japanese class.

I ended up taking the class pass fail and walking away with my academic integrity intact.  However, my intrigue in visiting Japan has always remained.

It's nice having friends who have to travel for business. My university friend, roommate, and fellow international superstar, Peter was passing through East Asia and had a weekend to kill in Osaka.  And, really, whats a six hour red eye flight and a personal day between friends?!

Definitely not the same ramen we ate in university...

Fresh from the spa in Arima.

(We can forget about getting lost in the woods getting there...)

The famous Gilco Running Man billboard.
Installed in 1935, this ad for a candy company (right?!) is located 
in the heart of the Dōtonbori canal and shopping area.

View from the top of Osaka Castle.

Above all, I was impressed with how clean Japan was.  A"Fear Factor" stunt of eating off the sidewalk would not have been a challenge. This becomes more impressive when one takes note of the lack of trash cans on the city streets.  Anywhere else, a sidewalk would double as a garbage dump. 

Perhaps they covered this in the pass-fail portion of the semester I studied Japanese in university... I'll definitely need to return to investigate more.

Don't Ruin It! (Indonesia Spring Break Part II)

Indonesia is full of so much natural and historical beauty, it's mind-blowing.  On the south side of Central Java alone, within 20 kilometers of the city center of Yogyakarta lies two impressive temple complexes, both dating back to the 9th Century.  

The first is Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage Site consists of one large structure, nine "layers" tall; constructed like a wedding cake, the first six are square and the top three are circular, with large central stupa in the center. Surrounding main peak, set on the circular layers, are 72 smaller bell-shaped stupas. The resulting effect is right out of an Indiana Jones movie.

Sunrise over Borobudur Temple.

Happy because no one was in the background or asking to take a photo with me.
If you have ever want to know what its like to be Hollywood famous,
spend a morning wandering around the temples. It's not glamorous.

Another short drive to the east is Prambanan, a Hindu temple complex consisting of a collection of temples in honor of Hindu Gods Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva. The central Shiva temple towers at 47 meters tall. At one point abandoned and overtaken by the jungle (as well as looted, including locals who took statues for decoration in their gardens), the  complex has been slowly renovated since the mid 1950's.  Other than earthquake damage in 2006, this ornate UNESCO World Heritage Site has, thankfully, been given new life.

Prambanan is the tops! And these are the tops of Prambanan.

While most travellers come to Yogyakarta as a jumping off point to visit Borobudur and Prambanan, "Jogya" has a few impressive and unique hidden architectural relics of its own!  

The Taman Sari Water Castle, built in the last half of the 1700's, was a place for the Sultan of the region to relax, meditate, and enjoy the company of his concubines. Consisting of what can only be described as walled, water-filled courtyards, the complex has a peaceful aura to it, as long as you watch where you step; there are no railings here!

Water Castle of Yogyakarta, where the Sultan got his swim on in the 1700's.

A short walk from the private pools of the sultans, down some narrow and unmarked alleyways, lies the mysterious and easy-to-miss "underground mosque."  Known as Sumur Gumuling, this donut-shaped building is only one nondescript story above ground, but three below. The open center contains a platform with three staircases leading, like spokes, to the lowest floor, and one rising to the first.  Underneath this platformed staircase is a small pool used for various cleansing rituals. The outside is a gently sloped, spiralling ringed hallway with periodic windows looking into the central staircased area.

Worth the labyrinth:
The "underground mosque" looks like the movie set for every secret-society initiation scene.

Without a doubt, Yogyakarta and its surrounding area are a historian and architecture lover's Disneyland. It's an easy place to get lost in both time and space.

In Search of Dragons (Indonesia Spring Break Part I)

The island of Komodo has forever been one of those fictitious-sounding place names that are so often thrown around in conversation - like Timbuktu or Sheboygan - that  people don't know if they're actually real or not.  This one takes on an additional mystical feel, as it's associated with the large lizards that share its name.  Regardless, Komodo was one of those imagined places I never dreamed of being able to visit, and I made it my mission to get there when I realized I could!

Located west of the island of Flores in the Indonesian archipelago, Komodo National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, devoted to the conservation of the unique and enormous monitor lizards (Varanus komodoensis) that inhabit it.  Easily growing to lengths of more than 2 meters, these giants can reach speeds of up to 20 km/hr for short distances and are know to hunt small deers that also reside on the island.  For these reasons a guide and permits are required to visit the island.

The only way to get there is by boat and the best jumping off point (and nearest airport) is in the town Labuan Bajo, on the northwestern edge of Flores. Many tour operators run day-trips out of offices along the main road so booking in advance isn't a necessity, especially on a flexible schedule.

On the way to and from the island, stops at Padar Island - with it's unique topography and beaches of three colors - and snorkelling hotspots are beautiful detours on the long over-sea journey.

Pulau Padar with views of the pink beach, black beach,
white beach...and my developing sunburn.

It's alive. I know this because it lurched at the guide shortly after taking this photo.
Thankfully my phone was okay.

As our group was preparing to depart from the beach, this beast demonstrated
the dragons' impressive land speed by chasing after a small group of deer grazing
on the grass near the shore. In situations like this, its not uncommon to size up
your fellow travel companions to ensure you're not the slowest one...