LANGKAWI BIRDING & FOTOFEST 19 TO 21 NOVEMBER 2010.

The Langkawi archipelago is made up of 99 magical islands offering 6 different ecological zones that include lowland rainforest, insular mangrove forest, forest on limestone , reed fields, mudflats, riparian ways, rice fields and scrubland. 


This diversity in habitats has allowed for a wide diversity in flora and fauna especially in its bird species with over 226 species recorded to date. The Langkawi Birding and Fotofest 2010 makes for a most unforgettable outing! 


Join the celebration of all things birds and other wildlife set within one of the world’s most beautiful group of islands and indulge your passion for wildlife.


This is the event of the year if you’re into birds and wildlife. There are lectures and workshops on conservation, photography, eco-tourism and stands selling the latest products for wildlife enthusiasts. You’ll find everything, from cameras to field guides, scopes to artwork, binoculars to eco-holidays! There are plenty of things for the kids to do too.

19 NOVEMBER 2010 (FRIDAY)

09:00 – 17:00       Booth Exhibitions at Langkawi Fair
08:00                       Arrival of Participants & Registration for Workshops
08:30                       Launching of the Langkawi Birding and Photo Fest

09:00am – 1:00pm       WORKSHOPS
Session 1
Title: A Purposeful Approach to Photographing Birds (09:00am – 11:00pm)
Speaker: Mr. Choo Tse Chien

Title:Digital Videoscoping (11:00pm – 1:00pm)
Presenter: Mr.Tee Lian Huat

2:00pm – 6:00pm       WORKSHOPS
Session 2
Title: Macro Photography Techniques – A Bugs Life (2:00pm – 4:00pm)
Speaker: Kurt (aka Orion Mystery)

Title : Birdwatching Tourism (4:00pm – 5:30pm)
Speaker: Andrew Sebastian

5:30pm – 6:00pm       Birdrace and Photo Competition Briefing and registration
6:30pm – 8:30pm      Guided Nature Walk – Rainforest Afterdark  (Media)

20 NOVEMBER 2010 (Saturday)

07:30am – 08:00am     Official flag off of Birdrace and Photo Competition
09:00am – 05:00pm     Activities and Booth Exhibitions at Langkawi Fair
05:00pm – 08:30pm     Guided Nature trip – The Great Hornbills of Gunung Raya (Media)

21 NOVEMBER 2010 (Sunday)

08:00am – 09:30am      Guided Nature Walk – Langkawi Awakening (Media)
09:00am – 05:00pm       Activities and Booth Exhibitions at Langkawi Fair
12:00pm                               End of Bird Race and Photography Competition
04:00pm – 07:00pm       Exhibition of Participants Competition Photographs
and voting  for Peoples Choice
08:00pm                              Dinner & Prize presentation

For further details , please visit http://birdfestival.wordpress.com/

i-City Shah Alam, City of Digital Lights

i-City Shah Alam, City of Digital Lights

i-City is the latest tourist spot in Shah Alam, Selangor. Dubbed the City of Digital Lights, it is reputed to be the first lightscape tourist destination in Malaysia.

Showcasing state-of-the-art LED technology, i-City is an exciting and fascinating place to visit, especially during festive seasons such as Chinese New Year. The combination of the LED lights technology and traditional element presents a strong selling point for i-City.

As visitors stroll around the colourful forest that resembles a four-season park, they get to see dozens of wonderful sculptures. Besides that, many beautiful red and yellow lanterns can also be seen. The sculptures and themes, as well as the lighting decoration in i-City are changed periodically. Hence, there will always be something new for visitors to see and enjoy.

With beautiful scenery and unique display of dazzling digital lights, it is not a surprise that i-City is a haven for shutterbugs. It also provides a beautiful setting for wedding photography.

With numerous bulbs lighting up i-City nightly, some people might be concerned about their effect on the environment. i-City is quick to assure that the digital lights with total power consumption equivalent to about 4 shop lots, are environmentally friendly.


i-City has hosted various large-scale events and programmes, such as Malaysia's Independence Day Celebration on 31 August and the Mid-Autumn Festival. During the 2010 World Cup, i-City also screened the matches live from Johannesburg on its 6.5m x 8.5m video wall, the largest video screen in Southeast Asia.

i-City is "open" 24 hours a day as it has been approved as a technopreneur campus, where cosmopolitan lifestyle outlets can operate on a 24-hour basis. Under this concept, i-City will be a "gated but open" zone where security, traffic management, landscaping, rubbish management and other township services will be the responsibility of i-City. This is in recognition of i-City as a night tourist destination and a knowledge hub.

Getting There
Car:
From PJ/KL, use the Federal Highway heading towards Shah Alam. Exit at the Batu Tiga Toll Station. Look for the BP gas station, and then turn left at the UiTM/i-City signage. Drive onwards till you reach the traffic lights and turn right. Drive on the left lane until you see Shell gas station and KFC. Turn left before the traffic lights. Go straight again and when you see a chrome ball turn left, and you will be able to see i-City.

KTM Komuter:
Take the KTM Komuter to Batu Tiga Komuter Station. From there, take a bus or taxi to i-City.

For more information, contact:
Ms. Tang Soke Cheng (Corporate Services Manager), email: sokecheng@i-bhd.com
Tel: 03-5521 8800 Fax: 03-5521 8810
Website: http://www.i-city.my
Other Email: pr@i-bhd.com

Background information on Shah AlamShah Alam is a city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. It is about 25km from the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. The city has a number of shopping malls, hotels, medical centres, large hypermarkets (notably Giant and Tesco Extra) and recreational areas (Shah Alam Lake Gardens, Bukit Cahaya Sri Alam Agricultural Park and Alam Megah Recreational Park). Other attractions in Shah Alam include the Selangor Islamic Arts Complex, Selangor State Museum, Wet World Park and the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, which is the biggest mosque in Malaysia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia.

Credit : Tourism Malaysia

Orang Utan Island, Bukit Merah

The Man of the Forest

Far away from the hectic lifestyle of the urban population of Kuala Lumpur, within the confines of the lush green forests of Malaysia walks a different kind of man. Here is the kind of man who takes his time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. He picks his food deliberately, savouring the taste of his feed, fashions his bed out of a nest of leaves, and takes long leisurely swings through the surrounding forest trees to which he considers home.

We call this man, the orang-utan, or literally, the Man of the forest. Unfortunately, despite its passive nature, the orang-utans are endangered, as classified by the IUCN, the World Conservation Union. Latest estimates from 2008 studies show that there are less than 7,000 orang-utans left in the wild, a staggering decrease from the already scarce 12,000 in 1994, their numbers in rapid decline due to the clearing of their natural habitats from human development, mining, and illegal poaching.

While most of Malaysia’s orang-utan rehabilitation efforts are focused in east Malaysia, such as the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre in Sabah, other initiatives are also forming in Peninsular Malaysia toward this goal. One fundamental hub that contributes to these efforts is the Orang Utan Island located in Semanggol, Perak.

Situated within the Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, a resort that houses a three acre eco-park where visitors can closely interact with various other animals such as deer and snakes, as well as an eleven acre water park for the benefit of those who enjoy amusement rides, the Orang Utan Island is a research institution dedicated to the preservation and research of the orang-utan. Founded by MK Land developer’s Executive Chairman Tan Sri Haji Datuk Mustapha Kamal, it was developed to resemble the orang-utan’s natural habitat as closely as possible, its vegetation similar to the rainforests in Sumatra and Borneo. The island itself, formerly known as Pulau Panjang, has dedicated five acres of land as a research and rehabilitation centre for the endangered orang-utan.

The Orang Utan Island project is supported by the Orang Utan Island Foundation, and aims to create a development programme by coordinating and working with government and non-governmental organizations. 

One of the first things to note about the island is its specialised medical facilities that cater to the healthcare of the orang-utans, especially the infants. The facility’s ICU (Infant Care Unit) is equipped with heart monitors, IV drips, incubators, as well as a trained veterinary surgeon to cater to the orang-utan infants that may require medical assistance after birth. Possible complications that commonly occur among infant orang-utans include premature birth, a low birth weight, upper respiratory tract infections, and chronic diarrhoea. To minimise the risk of these complications, expecting orang-utan mothers are closely monitored. After birth, the health of infant orang-utans are assessed and placed in the ICU if necessary.  

Infants who are admitted to the ICU will go through a specially designed rehabilitation programme consisting of 6 stages to ensure the development of their natural instincts such as foraging, nest building, searching for water source, swinging and climbing.  The rehabilitation programme aims to ensure the infant adapts well to their natural environment before their eventual release into the wild.  

Aside from the rehabilitation of the orang-utans, the centre also acts as a research and resource centre for the study of orang-utans and is available for undergraduate and graduate students who would like to conduct their research here.  Detailed educational programmes are also organised for interested school and college students. For a more hands on approach, visitors are able to educate themselves by observing the orang-utans firsthand at the conservation centre, as they walk through a 100m steel caged tunnel that traverses the conservation site. Keen observers also take note of the ironical role reversal; on this island, humans are caged, while the orang-utans roam free.

In addition to this firsthand observation however, visitors are also given a briefing by the Public Relations Assistants on duty to further supplement their knowledge.  For more detailed information, visitors can also arrange for a talk by Dr. Sabapathy Dharmalingam, the research centre’s leading veterinary service manager, to further enhance their knowledge on orang-utans.

Indeed, the Orang Utan Island is the perfect platform for any visitor keen on finding out more about these endangered creatures, as it provides both a hands-on opportunity to observe these animals in their natural habitats, as well as a detailed academic study on orang-utans.

HOW TO GET THERE:
Interested visitors who would like to visit the Island will need to travel a little depending on where you’re coming from. From KLIA, head north towards the state of Perak, roughly about 3 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur. If you’re relying on the road signs to guide you, head toward Ipoh; from there, it is a 45 minute drive further north to the Bukit Merah Laketown Resort. If you’re arriving from the Bayan Lepas International Airport in Penang, head south; it’s a 35 minute drive from the state. The Bukit Merah Laketown Resort is just off the Bukit Merah toll exit along the North-South expressway. 

Upon arrival at the resort, make your way to the Marina Village and take a 10-minute ferry boat ride to the island. Boats are available between 9am and 5pm (also the operating hours of the orang-utan island) every 30 minutes on weekends, and every 45 minutes on weekdays. Admission fees are RM20 for adults, and RM17 for children inclusive of the ferry fees. 


More information on the Orang Utan Island can be obtained by contacting +605-8908888, or visit their website at www.orangutanisland.org.my.

*The information provided is correct at the time it is referred to from the official website, but may be subject to change.


Credit : Tourism Malaysia