Family hiking, seaside, fire and wild foods (October 2014)

It's been awhile since I've posted here as I have been posting through Kawanbike Penang Facebook. Now I'm looking at a backlog of blog posts in my draft folder and I thought I should start posting...


Penang island is truly blessed with many natural attractions. Regardless of where you are living within Penang, nature is just a stone's throw away. 

I've been introducing my children to the natural world since their early years and I'm glad I did. I love to see them running around, exploring, getting dirty, discovering seashells, and sampling wild edibles...  

 

As usual, gathering as we hike...  Fishtail Palms are abundant along the trails. The core is edible and the fibrous bark on the tree makes extremely good tinder for fire starting.

 

Children are natural foragers... 

They enjoy wandering in nature, collecting and gathering. They are so good and 

took no time at all gathering up these wonderful shellfish from the sea as I was 

busy building a fire.

The ultimate wild finger food...  

Foraged shellfish cooked in the embers of a fire at the beach itself. Simply natural!

 Sea Almond... 

One of my favourite wild foods. The nut is very delicious, tasting almost like almond. 

Most people don't realize it's edible, but I've had this since I was a child.

Sea Almonds are often quite easily gathered in large numbers with very minimal effort. 

They are often found littering the ground beneath the tree.

DIY Superlight Wood Stove

Ooops!... I did it again. 

For whatever reason, I just can’t get enough of stoving...

 

 Click here to see more!

Wild Camping_The Lost Golden Beach Re-explored

With 1181 hectares of forest and 1381 hectares of wetlands, Penang National Park’s ecosystem is a diversity of habitats with hills, sandy and rocky beaches, streams and coastal forests. Despite being the the world's smallest national park, the Park offers vast opportunities for some truly wild experience if you're willing to go one step further... Off the beaten path!

 

Click here to photo album...

 

Wild Camping, Bushcraft & SurviVacation

Just got back from holiday...

 

 Hours of gruesome treks through overgrown jungle on a mission to explore the most isolated, wildest and least visited part of Penang National Park. The "Golden Beach" a.k.a. Pantai Mas.

More photos here...

Let's climb trees

Did you climb trees? I bet you did. Do you remember the fun and the fear of climbing higher and higher for bird's eye view, or swinging from branch to branch to reach for fruits and eat them straight from the tree? Climbing trees is an activity that seems synonymous with our childhood. Unfortunately, the reality is very different for today's children. Most of them have never climbed a tree.

Why does this matter?

Climbing trees not only helps children develop physical and mental well-being, it also helps children to form connections to nature... After all, who is going to be bothered looking after the planet if there's no one left with any understanding of, interest in or connection to their natural environment?

 

 Let them climb trees...

Wien & Iwen (not pictured) climbing their first tree in Pantai Kerachut.

When was the last time you climbed a tree?

Bikepacking "Tour de Jungle" (Part 1)

Self-supported, lung bursting climb/push on a fully loaded mountain bike. Dark, wet, and cold night in a blood sucking leech infested jungle 550m above sea level. Sheltered only with tarps and hammocks hanged above slippery, muddy slope. Creepy night sounds, and constantly keeping our fingers crossed for no “surprise hello” from a red headed krait (nocturnal venomous snake) when out for a midnight pee...

Despite all of the mentioned challenges, three of us unanimously agreed this was one hell of a ride. We’re lovin it!

Bikepacking differs from traditional bicycle touring. Lightweight and rackless bag systems are the key ingredients, thus making trail like this manageable.

Pondering... as i ride without racks, panniers and the kitchen sink...
  
If the ultralight and rackless bag systems work in a wildland tour. So why not use it for traditional bicycle touring? (If i ever do one day) Travelling light is often better, covering bigger distances, and freedom to roam... almost anywhere! 

Yeah... Almost anywhere! Over the rocks, roots, and unleveled terrain...

To a place with nothing but pure nature spa and retreat in an exotic jungle hideaway...

Paradise!

 

Bikepacking "Tour de Jungle"... Kayuh Lasak 2012 ala Kawanbike

Ride... Explore... Dream... Repeat... 

more than just an ordinary Kayuh Lasak...





Update soon!

Custom wood handle for my parang

The “Tour de Jungle” bikepacking trip is just around the corner. Just when i thought everything was ready, something falls apart. My parang’s handle finally cracked after more than a decade of loyal service (not bad for a plastic handle). For some reason, this parang is one of my personal favorite. So with a help from a blacksmith, a custom full tang wood handle has given my parang a new life.

With custom full tang wood handle, my favorite parang  is now stronger than ever before and it definitely feels and looks better than the old plastic handle (pictured above). So nice... Even the housefly can't resist it.

The Making of A Jungle Bike Tour

Kawanbike's “Tour de Jungle 2012” bikepacking is in the pipeline... 

But the fun of planning, making my own gear, and testing out actually started long time before. The key principles of ultralight bikepacking such as minimizing and finding multiple uses for gears always keep me busy in a good way.

Here’s a little sneak peek into some of the new developments.

An improved version of waterproof seat bag.

A modified dry bag with added bungee cords for quick & flexible storage. 

The heavy Brooks has been a loyal companion so far & i'm happy to take him along.

 

 The cockpit...

Complete sleeping system (jungle hammock, tarp, ropes & sleeping liner)

under the handlebar secured with DIY handlebar harness. A fuel tank bag for

snacks, camera, sunglasses, etc.

 

Parangs sharpenend!

My all-time favorite multi-tasking jungle tool is in the list too, despite the slight weight penalty.

More modification and addition for the jungle hammock...  

These netted pockets also doubled as “side pull-out” for the hammock. Creating a larger interior space and increasing overall air circulation.

 

Of course, nothing is complete without a test in the real environment after all the works that are done indoor.

More stuff soon....

Campaign For A Lane 2012...

Mountain biker's way...
 We like the idea of CFAL (Campaign For A Lane), but riding the same old 80km asphalt just a bit too "stereotype". So we decided to alter the traditional CFAL route to better suit our taste & yet without losing the excitement of riding with the big crowd (for the last 20+km). As non-registered biker this time, no finisher medal to take home. But a dirty bike, a pair of sore legs & a big smile on the face are good too :)

DIY Frame Bag for Bikepacking

Since bikepacking is a fairly new sport. Finding a "perfect fit" frame bag in Malaysia that fits the budget can be a long nightmare...

Even if available, i don't usually have a few hundred dollars lying around to spend on a bag. 

So, once again, my DIY mode kicked in. A homemade custom fit frame bag a la Revelate Designs was finally added to my "Rackless Carry Systems".

On the other hand, if you have deep pockets, like to shop online and happy to pay huge shipping fees... hoping for the postman to turn up at your doorstep everyday only to realize that your package has been lost in transit... or stuck in your local customs department... then... get taxed heavily for the bag you've already paid few times more expensive than those bikepackers do on the other side of the planet and... yet you still feel happy about it, then for sure a custom fit frame bag by Revelate Designs or Carousel Design Works seems like something worth pursuing.

  

Custom fit frame bag made possible... Thank goodness for O2's fantastic sewing skills. 

This would be the "home" for the kitchen (Mini Cook Kit) & some hot camping meals.

An unplanned holiday well spent

Naturally, Balik Pulau is the first place that comes to my mind when i try to avoid crowds during the Agong’s Birthday holiday weekend...

...and this is where we ended up. A quiet family retreat in the foothills surrounded by tropical fruit orchards. Thanks to Ah Boon, a super friendly kampung folk that brings us to his favorite childhood playground. It's the "number 1 water" according to Ah Boon. A natural outflow of ground water, the source of the "spring" water stream.

 I'm stuck in a moment of childhood...

There are so many things we can do... and we can do it all day long.

Geocaching off the path

 Thanks to Geocaching. A little piece of paradise was found when we wandered off the beaten path while hunting for a geocache. A lovely quiet little spot with "postcard" view, perfect for the kids to explore and enjoy the abundant wildlife. Watching feeding birds (swiftlets i think) skimming over the water surface was truly amazing. We even spotted our first wild Tiger Barb (fish) in the water with plenty of healthy, beautiful aquatic plants. Wow!

Off the beaten path they go... the boys are really getting the hang of it.

East...West...South... Where's the treasure?

Even though we didn't find the geocache, we found something that was no less exciting than finding a cache.

A good walk...a surprise find...a great day out for the family.

Camping with kids

Nothing brings family & friends closer together than a fun vacation, especially one in the outdoors enjoying nature away from home. Unlike camping back in those (before children) years, camping with kids is a totally new experience. All it takes is a little extra planning, preparation & patience. Camping with children as young as 3 years old can be fun & produce lots of memories that we'll cherish for a lifetime.

We are all kids at heart when it's time to go camping...

Iwen (ages 3) & Wien (ages 5) on their first camping trip. Camping introduces kids to nature & gives them a feeling of freedom as they safely explore the campsite.

The kids get hungry faster because we're always busy with something, swimming... wild foods collecting... shrimp trapping... bushcrafting... & there is no doubt about it, food just tastes better outdoors.

No iPhone or other electronic toys... Just family & friends hanging out around the campfire until the next meal ready to savour. Good food, great company, good time!