Trekking in the Malaysian rainforests in search of the Rafflesia
Malaysia has reputedly the oldest rainforests in the world. More than half of the country is covered by jungle. In fact, one can see forests on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur despite all the development that is going on. Things grow fast in the hot and wet climate as sunshine and water are plentiful. Trekking in the forests on weekends is quite popular with the younger generation and the young at heart. Few people can understand the need by urban folks to trek through thick jungle wearing leech socks and mosquito repellant just to reach a small half-hidden waterfall in the middle of nowhere. We must somehow be obeying a deep primal urge.
The Cilling Falls.
It is somewhere in the northern part of Selangor. To reach it, one has to walk upstream along the shallow river bed, under the shade of overhanging trees, until the falls is reached. |
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 | While trekking in the rainforest, we once came across this unusual flower, the rafflesia cattleyi. The rafflesia species is the largest species of flowers on earth. The bud itself, as shown here, is the size of a coconut. It grows right out of the ground without stems and leaves. |
| When the petals unfold, the flower reveals itself to be quite colourful, quite unlike the drab-looking bud it was before. |
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 | The bloom last only for 3 days. The flower is visited by flies and beetles which are attracted to its scent. Although the smell has been described as that of decaying matter, we did not find it so. We thought it smelt more like preserved dried lettuce. |
