Murni’s Mee Raja Special in Tom Yam Flavour. The name is derived from the Chinese ’emperor noodles’ used. If you patronise Murni’s at night, you probably have not seen this dish in all its glory. The roadside dining area can be really dark, especially when the street lights fail. This was photographed at night at Murni Discovery Aman Suria with Litepanels lights.
Olympus OM-D, ISO 500, f3.5, 1/60 sec.
Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f8, 1/1600 sec.
If you are a Malaysian aged 30 years and older, you probably wondered about the only theme park that existed in its time. Now closed for more than 20 years, the park is in a decrepit and sad state. A sign on the zinc door says Welcome, No Entry, Danger.
The then popular Mimaland was famous for its giant dinosaur and prehistoric figures, all conceived before Crichton’s Jurassic Park book was even written. Besotted with all kinds of problems ranging from deaths on the water rides to landslides, it was eventually shut down by the authorities. What lies now behind the locked gate?
Olympus OM-D, ISO 800, f11, 1/1000 sec.
I shook the gate and two silent dogs raced towards me. They look like Orang Asli (aboriginal people’s) hunting dogs. Lean and mean. The sight of Mimaland’s entrance archway sucked me in like a time tunnel.
All of a sudden, I recall the big waterslides, paddle boats on the lake, people frolicking on the shady lawn, the crazy maze, the chalets and the dinosaurs. A strange guy looking like Norman Bates from the movie Pyscho appeared out of nowhere. He claimed to be the caretaker. According to him; vandals, thrill-seekers and ghost-hunters trespassed over the years, damaging the place further. It is now mostly overgrown with tall lalang (blade) grass.
He said he can’t let me in. I told him I’ll be back with a court order and search warrant for the dinosaurs. Haha. Just kidding. That was a line I borrowed from the movie Holes. Since he mentioned the current land owner, I’ll try to obtain permission to explore the place. Google’s satellite map shows the large pool area drained and the boating lake all muddy.
Bentong policeman Rashpal Singh (of previous pic) suggested visiting a scenic but remote spot since I was in a 4-wd vehicle. It is accessible via a long and winding dirt road. Surrounded by rolling hills and lush green meadows, this hidden reservoir and dam is indeed picturesque.
There are not many places in this country where one can get so close to a dam. According to the Department of Irrigation & Drainage, the reservoir is 1.05 square kilometres and the catchment area is about 125 square kilometres.
Olympus OM-D, ISO 400, f11, 1/2000 sec.
