My Birding field trips: 2017

10/6/2017

My family received 3 wreaths, however this two are very specials. In Funeral rituals flowers from wreath is then use to put inside the coffin. As I put flowers inside her coffin, this are the words i utter from the depth of my hearts..

Ah 妈...
我是楚敏 aarh. 我长大了，我知道照顾自己 lah..
look at this 黄色 flowers and 白菊花. There are very beautiful flowers aren't there?

You know there are from that two wreaths that was send to us by those spine doctors that I went for my scoliosis surgery. The one with 黄色 flowers that wreath is send to us is from my spine doctor - the 1st surgeon and his wife. Yes you always says you are in the 黄 family. It is so thoughtful of this doctor and his wife carefully chose the colour of the flowers, cause they know that my surname is 黄.

Ah 妈.. you need to always remember that this daughter of yours is no longer have crooked posture and deformed due to scoliosis. The spine doctor that send the wreath with 黄色 flowers and his team has corrected my spine..
I will take care of my new spine. I will obey all the instructions that given to me by my doctor cause I don't want to have crooked posture and looks deformed any more.

Yes I know in your heart you might just loves me a bit lesser than my siblings, However thank you for being my mother, brought me up under your care. I turned out to be a decent person. Do you know how hurt I am when I saw you growing weaker and weaker by weeks? My heart ache cause I really wanted to get good doctors in the hospital to help you managed your lungs disorder. Each time you refuse my help. But when the time you finally agree, I have to send you by ambulance.

你知道吗？Your funeral's big photo is actually I took about 5 years ago. I never expected that time when I took this photo that 5 years later It turn up to be use for sending you off. This photo is actually taken when we went KK for holiday. Every guests that turn up to pay respect to you said yes this photo is very nice and beautiful.. You looks beautiful Ah 妈.

You did told me before, after you left us, I need to continue my routine of my saturday evening to go back to the house to have dinner with my father. Yar ... you saw it with your own eyes before you left us that I do as per your advice.. In fact I cooked some dishes back as well. I will do my part to honor and take care of him. I will also bring him for holiday.

Ah 妈. I want to make you very proud off having me as your daughter.. I will continue to use my life to help people that GOD has put in my life path. I just wish those who has crooked posture and deformed due to scoliosis can also get their scoliosis under control like mine.

Your journey of life dealing with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) that happen in front of my eyes, It will not let it go in vain as well. I will tried my best to let people know and aware what is COPD cause I watched it with my own eyes .

Notes:-

My heart is overflowing with gratitude for all the heartfelt condolences that friends and relatives had send. Your sincere condolences and financial support that you have rendered warmed our hearts.

For the few of you that have even take the trouble to pay your respects. It really means a lot to my family.

Specially to
Wong WaiKeng Wk, Wong Pui Yan, Wong Wai Hung, Wong Wai How's in laws family and Joanne Fui Lin siblings from the Yap family,
My father and my siblings are also overwhelmed off your time, emotionally support us and your loves extended to helps us during our time of bereavement.

With great enthusiasm I bought the flight ticket on 7th June 2016, will land at Colombo in the morning 15^th of Oct 2016.

Was being informed that I might not reach Sinharaja on the same day as I landed. The reasons is because I choose public transport as my mode of traveling. I looked at the sri lanka railway map network. I looks worth to go to Galle. So Galle is my first destination and it can be reached within a day

Galle

Galle pronounce as Gaar Lah or Gaul is situated on the southwestern tip, 119km from Colombo, Sri Lanka. This city is facing laccadive sea, Indian Ocean Due to the locality it was the main port on the island for the sea routes that connect Asia with Mediterranean.

“It had gained importance in the Indian oceanic trade network at least by the fourteenth century. The Moroccan traveller Ibn Batuta who arrived in Sri Lanka in 1344 A.D. states that he was entertained at Galle by a Muslim seafarer named Ibrahim. He further states that Ibrahim had a residence at Galle.

The Chinese junks that came through the straits of Malacca on their way to Malabar or the African coast and ships from the Middle East plying to Malaysia or the Far East touched at the Port of Galle for purposes of trade as well as for repairs and replenishment of food and water.”

I extracted the paragraph from here

In year 1505 Lourenço de Almeida a Portuguese explorer and military commander accidentally after a storm, the winds blown him to Sri Lanka coast (Galle). It was the first contact for the people there to have white people.

“So alien were the Portuguese that the Sinhalese chronicle Rajavaliya described them when they built a fort at Colombo in 1517 as "exceedingly fair of skin and beautiful. They wear boots and hats of iron, they rest not a minute in one place, they walk here and there. They eat hunks of white stone (bread) and drink blood (wine) and give two or three pieces of gold and silver for one fish or one lime. The report of their cannon is louder than thunder when it bursts upon the rock of Yugandhara their cannon balls fly for a gawwa (a gawwa roughly equals 6.5km, so this distance is an exaggeration) and shatter fortresses of granite."

I extracted the paragraph from here

Galle is a world UNESCO heritage site. Being a port with various people stopover that uses the sea route of Asia~Mediterranean and also having the foreign invaders (portugese, Dutch and British), Galle is rich with the blend of the local Sinhalese culture and others as well.

On 26^th Dec 2004, the 9.0 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean near west coast of Sumatra triggered huge massive waves swept inland as far to 5 kilometers over Galle. This has destroyed the coastal fisherman villages and even a train with 1700 passengers.

Accommodation

http://wikitravel.org/en/Galle

Budget range

Paradise Hostel Galle offers probably the cheapest accommodation in Galle starting from 1500 LKR. The hostel is a beautiful converted home with high ceilings, lawn for sunbathing, free internet, coffee, wifi and laundry facilities. The hostel is only 1.6km from Galle Train station and is about 200m from the Mahomodara hospital - Bus no. 383/2 or Bus no. 388/1 (get down in front of the hospital and take the lane to the right till you see the hostel signboard). It is run by Krishan Jayasundara. Address: 9/1 Bope Cross Road, Mahamodara, Galle. Ph: +94 71 143 8533 +94 71 58 58 785 ph:+94 777 73 73 27 or facebook.com/ParadiseGalle/

Pizza Hut and Supermarket are just 10 mins walk from the hostel.

I stayed in this room.

Bathroom attached

I am the only guest, but they laid so much food on the table for me. The house rules is eat what you afford to eat but not allowed to take away. I am glad that I have a tough stomach cause they cut the fruits overnight.

The Yellow House Inside Galle Fort, in Parrawa Street, next to the Buddhist temple. Basic room with outside bathroom. Mosquito nets. No wifi. 1300LKR.

Dutch Villa In the corner of Parrawa Street, inside the fort. 1500 LKR.

Rampart View Guest House (tel. 4389566, 37 Rampart Street) The rooms at the family run have a shared balcony overlooking the ramparts at the southern end of Galle Fort with the Indian Ocean beyond, and it has a small roof garden. The rooms are clean, with air-con, and the owners are friendly and helpful. The breakfasts include lots of fresh fruit, bread, eggs and good rich tea.

They have only two en suite rooms at Mamas 76 Lleyn Baan st,Galle Fort, but the best roof terrace in the fort.morning fresh local food served by a willing local family, fluent english speaking ex tour guide Jerome runs his own business. V. good value. [www.mamas-galle-fort.com] $44/night

Thenu Rest(tel. +94-91-224-6608 / +94 77-3584156, 12 Hospital Street) have four well equipped clean rooms with traditional four poster double beds with hanging net curtains. Two of the rooms have air conditioning and the other two have fans. All rooms are well equipped with electric hot water showers. The main guest bedroom has a large balcony overlooking the main street and two of the other rooms have internal balconies overlooking the terrace. The guest house is located near the ramparts at the southern end of Galle Fort close to the Light House near the beach with the Indian Ocean beyond. The owners are very friendly and helpful. They also provide Dinner and Breakfast. The breakfasts are either continental or traditional Sri-Lankan and include lots of fresh fruit, bread, eggs and good rich tea and coffee.

15^th Oct 2016
I loaded my luggage into the car, locked up my house at 1.40pm.

I have 16 titanium screws.. NO I did not had an accident. It was due to severe scoliosis - abnormal curvature of the spine. After the ops I am much more healthier. This is the amount of luggage I traveled with for my solo back packing holiday.

Went for a mamak lunch nearby. Parked my car arrived at the putrajaya sentral train station at 4pm. Transit train ticket to KLIA2 cost RM9.40. It was my first time board on this train. Gives me the feel of prestige and cozy travel. Sat at P5 since 7pm watching the daily normal scene of an airport after a long walked after I dropped in my bags.

The plane take off from KLIA2 as per schedule.

Finally I touched my feet on Sri Lanka ground.

I work in a bank in Malaysia.

I spend the whole night in the airport. I was amazed they came back from the foreign land with such a big fridge.

I am blessed to be given a special “private” VIP airport transfer to Paradise Hostel Galle. Miles and miles of country-side scenery after we left the airport. I doze off most of the 3hrs journey.

Wildlife in Galle through my eyes?

I just spend about 3 hrs at the guesthouse garden to have this.