23 September, 2009

Changing Make-Up and Aerobic Roots

While in Bintulu I took the opportunity today to visit the Sungai Likau, a favourite spot of mine to watch the ecology of a mangrove swamp forest. The Sungai Likau is a small river that delineates the entrance to the Similajau National Park at Bintulu. I was impressed to see the Trail Map details carved into the 'belian' planks. The belian is the hardest wood in Sarawak.
For today's photo taking using my N93i camera phone, I concentrated on the trees, roots and water elements. I'll have more pictures of the mangrove forest in later posts.

My kind of tree. It is called " Selunsor Merah" ( Tristania beccari) and has a peculiar habit of discarding its dark brown bark and thereby exposes a new beautiful layer of red make-up. I would just like to call this tree- the Make-Up Tree !

The aerial roots of this mangrove tree species hangs above the water mark for just a moment before the high tide catches up.

This red-coded trail provides a very educational trekking through undisturbed jungle teeming with wildlife and world of tropical coastal peat swamp forestry.

Notice the planks, posts and handrails of this boardwalk squeezing its way through the mangrove swamp. It's all constructed from Sarawak's hardest timber species, the "Belian" ( Eusideroxylon zwageri ) . Belian timber will not rot in water and lasts one's lifetime( 60 - 100 years).

3 comments:

  1. Very interesting, I sure would love to take a walk in this forest. It seem almost tropical, like a rain forest.
    Thank you for your great comment at my blog yesterday. I also love your new profile picture.;))

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  2. Hi M Yussop,

    Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
    It has been around 10 years that I have not revisit this beautiful place. May I check with you how is the road nowadays? I have a small car.
    Please count this is as my 1st comment to your blog.
    Thanks for this update to refresh me.

    Regards,
    Goh

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  3. Protege,
    My new profile picture was taken at the beach in Sungai Likau when I visited the place the other day.Thanks for droppin' by.
    Goh,
    Thank you for your greetings. Well,Bintulu town roads are one of the best in Sarawak and the trunk roads leading to it from Miri or Kuching are in good conditions and motorable by any saloon car, big or small. So much have changed since the last ten years. Be prepared for lots of surprises.Appreciate you droppin' by.

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