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This blogspot is a medium to share my thoughts and adventures apart from promoting my books. Below are the books which have been written or authored and published by myself.


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Mencari Diri dan Erti".

ISBN 983-42031-0-1, Jun 2006


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Membela Syiar yang Asal"

ISBN 983-42031-1-x, May 2007


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Sirih Pulang ke Gagang?"

ISBN 978-983-42031-2-2, November 2007


It is interesting to note that while these books were written in Malay it has gained enough attention to merit being part of the collections of the American Library of Congress and National Library of Australia. Look here and here.


While the first three books were published by my own company, the fourth titled "Rumah Azan" was published in April 2009 by a company called Karnadya with the help of the Malaysian national literary body Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. It features beautiful pictures along with stories behind selected mosques which could be related to the history of Islam and the Malays alongside the formation of the Malaysian nation. Look at the article A collaboration of old collegemates - the book "Rumah Azan".


My fifth book "Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and Malay Sultanates", an English translation and adaptation of the Malay book "Ahlul Bait (Keluarga) Rasulullah SAW dan Kesultanan Melayu" authored by Hj Muzaffar Mohamad and Tun Suzana Othman was published early 2010. Look here... My 5th book is out! Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and the Malay Sultanates... . For more information check out my Malay blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU.



Like my fourth book "Rumah Azan", the sixth book "Kereta Api Menuju Destinasi" is also a coffee-table book which is published by the company Karnadya with the cooperation of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (the main Malay literary body in Malaysia). Coming out January 2011 it features pictures and stories on the adventure travelling by train to all of Peninsular Malaysia along with the interesting places which could be reached this way.


My seventh book "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" in turn is a coffee-table book which is written, editted, designed and has pictures taken by me. Coming out of the factory October 2011, this book which combines family history with history of places such as Singapura, Johor, Batu Pahat, Muar and in fact the history of the island of Java and England has been reviewed with me interviewed live in the program Selamat Pagi Malaysia at RTM1. Look at the article Siaran langsung ulasan buku "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" dan temu ramah di Selamat Pagi Malaysia. Some selected contents have been featured in Sneak peek "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah".


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The "Berpetualang ke Aceh" series of novels could be obtained in e-book form. Enter http://www.e-sentral.com/, click general novel and go to page 4. You can also type the word "Aceh" at the search box. Or click straight Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3.


Thursday, December 17, 2009

The tight winding road down to Tapah

We soon reached the state of Perak...


A little further down the road we could see that the town of Tapah which is situated at the foothills leading to Cameron Highlands is still 48 km away...



One could see stalls like these selling stuffs from the jungle by the roadside... stuffs like the tasty but smelly petai picked from its wild tall trees...


Mind you with the many tight bends one have to face, the trip down from Cameron Highlands could be daunting for many...



Thank God for the greenery which offers some respite...




Hmm. This marking stone shows its 191 km to Kuala Lumpur. Luckily the tight bends only last up to a point near Tapah. By the way I also have a liking for the number 191. For me it signifies the end of a phase and the beginning of another....





As we negotiated more bends, memories of a childhood trip up Cameron Highlands through the same route crept to mind...






I remember telling myself. When I get up there I would try to catch the clouds with plastic bags so that I can bring it home...







Apparently I've watched too much cartoons. I remember seeing one where a small cloud followed a character back to his room and on to his bath. Then it started letting out rain along with a little thunder and lightning.

I thought I could have this experience myself when I finally catch those nasty little clouds I often saw lingering up the the hills from far away. Little did I realise that the minute I am actually up there, there are no such things as solid fluffy clouds which one could grab at, what more catch or drag around... just plenty of mist and fog and that is what clouds are actually made of! :]


Anyway we soon came across a decent straight...










Down the route one could also find a number of settlements like this...







Here's the first one I saw with a rather modern shophouse...








For the record, there are many Orang Asli settlements along the way go Cameron Highlands, natural homes for the Malaysian aborigines or indigenious tribes.









Another 24 km to go to Tapah...







We were getting close to a famous place called Lata Iskandar...







What makes this place famous? You think you can figure it out from this pix?





There it is, Lata Iskandar. Lata is a Perak word for waterfalls. Iskandar is the Eastern equivalent of the name Alexander. So Lata Iskandar is the Alexander Waterfalls. Which Alexander are we talking about? Well, I leave it up to your imagination...






The river which flows down Lata Iskandar...



And another view of the mountains that are part of the main range of Banjaran Titiwangsa...



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