Batu Belah (split stone) of Pulau Besar, Melaka

Dear readers... Today, 13th November 2007 or 13/11, it feels like an auspicious day to make my latest posting which will be the 131th here in this blogspot. So without much further ado, let me present... Something still on Pulau Besar in Melaka...

Right on top the highest peak in Pulau Besar, lies a certain mysterious place... A place highly-revered by those who believe in unseen forces and magical powers especially those who hails from the Silat, Malay martial arts fraternity...

One have to trek a bit into the jungle and up the hill for this... Believe me, it's worth the sweat... Definitely worth the trouble for those who believe in the supernatural. Even if you don't dig such things, consider the wonder that comes ahead as worth an adventure or two...

For there up on top of the hill lies a huge stone split into two! That itself is worth some time to look at. Wait until you know the story behind it...

Now, I might have gained a few pounds over the last few months but thank God, I could still fit into the split. Phew!

For adventurous souls like me, it is not enough to just see the split and fit into it. The huge boulder itself is awesome enough to invite one to climb and have a look from on top...

There...

I must say the split looks very funny from this angle... Looks like something you'd rather keep in your trousers.

Ooppss... Sorry...

Now, that's a much better (and sane) look down the split. One could even see the box put in front down there for well-wishers to contribute money. For what? Well, it's about the same reasoning as why people drop coins inside wells and then wish for something.

I did say I will tell the story behind the split isn't it? OK... Just a brief one ya...

In ancient times, this top of the hill at Pulau Besar is said to be THE place for warriors of old to practice their craft and martial arts. As it is, the island is known for supernatural beings and occurences for ages. Then, the warriors were said to be so powerful that they not only break woods and stones... They could break whole giant boulders just by a stroke of the hand!

The story goes that a certain warrior known as Panglima Lidah Hitam (The warrior with the black tounge) showed his prowess by upping the score. He split the stone seen here just using his tounge! Believe it or not, that's how the story goes!

So there, the 131th posting of this blogspot, a number that has a certain meaning to me... Cheers!

Liliputian midget in Pulau Besar, Melaka!

Look closely at the above picture... Very very closely. See anything funny?

Now, this picture was taken a week ago at Pulau Besar (literally translated as the big island) in Melaka... To be exact on November 4th 2007 at around 10am morning or so. The island is known for its so-called mystical attractions, mainly the tombs of saintly figures, ancient warriors and religious men (even women) believed to be well-endowned in magical powers. It is also believed to house many types of fairy-like creatures.

Me and a friend went circumventing around the island and snapped some pictures along the way for the sake of posturity. One can take a leisurely walk and went around the island in 2 hours time as it is quite compact despite it's name which could be translated as the big island... After all the term big does not always mean big in size but also big in stature and repute.

I took the above picture to signify that we have passed certain points while circumventing the island. We were then passing through some mangrove swamp facing the coast of mainland Melaka. Little did we realise what was in store when we return.

Look closely again... Can you see what we found when looking at the picture back in Kuala Lumpur. Still can't see it?

Let me help. See the figure within the circle marked in the picture above. Look closely and study...

Ta da!!! There... I blew the picture up. What does it look like to you?


And here is a much closer view. As close as we could get before it turns to a total blur...
Unfortunately, the picture taken using a cheap digital camera can't be blown up further without sacrifising its quality... Note how it looks like?
We were totally dumbfounded when we noticed this. Is this really a picture of a man walking? It does look like a typical Malay man wearing a green-coloured shirt with a piece of white clothes or the Malay kain samping (or kain pelikat?) worn across the shoulder and a skull-cap on top the head... Perhaps with a sword dangling out at his side too, at least that's what it looks like!
But if this is truly a man, that how could it be possible? This figure is only the size of an average leaf or so, perhaps slightly more than 6-inches tall.
Is this perhaps one of the creatures hinted in the famous English tale Gulliver's Travel? That of midget citizens from a land called Lilliput? Then again, the Malays do have legends about such midget-sized people... And Pulau Besar in Melaka being a much-touted mystical place could house some...
Skeptics could argue it's just a light-play on some leaves or such natural everyday object. Is it?

Now... This is the best I can do to make the picture any more visible using the programme Photoshop... I don't touch or doctor the picture in anyway. All I did was play with the lighting and contrast to make the figure stands out more against the background...

So you judge. Is this a genuine midget in Pulau Besar, Melaka or is it some sort of illusion cooked up by nature? Go figure...