AWARENESS

Antiaris toxicaria

This tree, called Upas or Ipoh, grows in Borneo. It's a large, evergreen tree that can grow to 25-40 meters and it doesn't seem that special on the first look. But the latex in its bark and foliage is in fact highly poisonous. This latex is used as arrow poison. There are many myths about the antiaris tree. It also seems like the seeds from this tree can be used to treat diabetes.


Flowers of the antiaris tree

Examination and frog in a mine

Yes. Tomorrow it's my examination on the first part of the Earth science course - rock geology. I'm starting to feel like a damn rock soon. I'm pretty ok with what I've learned, but I know I can do better. I'm still way too slow to throw myself in. It's still the last two days before the exam that I do like 99 % of my studying. Well, I'm planning to improve.

A cute thing! Me and my class went on a little fieldtrip this tuesday. One thing we got to do was to go down an old mine. It was really cool to stand down there, far underneath the surface, and especially when we all turned off our flashlights. Total darkness, very moist, pretty chilly and really quiet when nobody was talking. It was cool. But another thing was even more cool. When we were looking at some special minerals in the rock face, I saw something moving on the ground. I didn't expect a living being (except for us of course) deep down in the "underground". But there was life!

A young frog had found its way down there someway. Of course I stopped listening to the information that was presented about the minerals in the rock... and went to catch the frog. I took it with me up into a nicer and more suitable environment and set it free in a little pond where there were a lot of other young frogs of different sizes. The underground frog jumped into the water right away. Seemingly happy.

A thing that confused me was that the level of development was very different from frog to frog. Some were very small and still had their tail, some had lost their tail and were a little bigger and "my" frog was like three centimeters long and really developed. Was it one year older? Was it even older and had been in the mine for long and had stopped growing due to lack of food? Or does development really differ that much among baby frogs?

Hmm...

What would we do if we had no questions to ponder? :)


A beautiful frog I found in may

Borneo: Kuching

I thought I'd write a little about the place I will arrive at - Kuching - the capital of the state Sarawak in Borneo. Kuching is also called "the cat city". I'm not that interested in cities at all so I will tell you a little about my arrival and the following days, instead of boring myself (and maybe someone else too) with dry facts about the city.

I will leave Stockholm Arlanda around 12.30 on friday the 13th (!!) of february and fly over the Earth all day and all night. I will land in Kuala Lumpur early saturday morning, leave for Kuching an hour later and - if everything goes the way I've planned - arrive there at around 10.00 on Valentine's Day, 14th of february. I guess I will be a little tired from the journey but very happy to be there! My friend Paulina is going to fly in a couple of days before me, so I hope she'll meet me someplace in Kuching on saturday :)

I guess we will spend the day taking it pretty easy. But then we have one week on our own to explore the this part of Borneo before it's time to meet up with the class in Kuching the following saturday. We will then stay for two more days in the surroundings before we fly off to the other malaysian state - Sabah.

I promise I will tell more about my plans later!


Map of Kuching and surrounding areas // Google


View over Kuching // Google


One of Kuching's cat statues // Google

Borneo, here I come!

My flights are now booked. In february, when it's really cold here, I'm going to the tropics!


My flights

I noticed the day of my departure; friday 13th! Good thing I don't suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia... *knock on wood*

I'll arrive on Valentine's Day. I will sure miss my darling then, and not just then! ♥


Map of Borneo // Google

The arrow is pointing at Kutching in the state of Sarawak. That is where I will arrive at. We will then be travelling in both Sarawak and Sabah, the two Malaysian parts of the island.



Damai Beach in Sarawak // Google

Autumnal sunset

Beautiful. The Earth is so very beautiful.

Whippa the wild dog

She looks kind of like a wolf. Doesn't she?

 Here are some photos of me and three of my very best friends!



The crew



The place


     
The whippie



The photographer




The eyes



The autumn

What they leave behind

The sun is shining on a clear blue sky, the autumn air is cool and the dogs are playing beside me. I'm looking around at the green grass and the tall pine trees which have stood there longer than I have lived. I'm trying to enjoy my experience of nature here and now, but I find it hard. The reason is that just as obvious as the beauty of the grass, trees and the sky, equally as obvious are the dead trees and all the waste and rubbish lying around this otherwise wonderful place.

I know that humanity need its timber, and just like every problem in the human world this is a complex issue, but... thinking this is only a very, very, veryveryvery small part of what they are leaving behind I can't feel anything else than shame for our lack of respect and care for nature.

This drives me... into typing long sentences...