Melaka A'Famosa animal world - Star 2006

THE STAR
L I F E S T Y L E Travel & Adventure
Saturday December 16, 2006


Free and tame

By LIZ PRICE


I FELL in love with the otters’ engaging cries, which sounded like: “Feed me! Feed me!”

As I approached their enclosure, they stood up on their hind legs and looked very appealing as they watched me closely to see if I had food.

Once they realised I came empty-handed, they strolled off, but as I walked around the pen, another pair performed the same trick.

I really wished I had a few fish in my pocket for them!

These small-clawed otters are the smallest of Malaysia’s otters and are found in coastal estuaries, rivers and ponds.


I was at the A’Famosa Animal World Safari, near Malacca town. This 150-acre (61ha) park provides an opportunity to see animals in their enclosures without the restriction of bars and cages. There are several attractions in the Animal World, my favourite being the Walk-Thru area.

Here, there are a variety of animals in open enclosures, so it’s quite easy to take good photos. The birds include flamingos, pelicans, ducks and turkeys, as well as peacocks that are allowed to roam free. One male, being the peacock that he was, showed off and displayed his splendid tail.


The mammals are mostly imported, the only local ones being the water buffalo, porcupine and tapir. I’ve seen porcupine in the wild, but here it was good to see them at close quarters and study their clusters of quills.

The tapir is the symbol of the Malaysian Nature Society. One came right up to the fence and I was able to touch its elongated snout, but it was sad to see both animals covered in a number of wounds and sores. The tapir is unusual in that it has four toes on the front feet but only three on the hind.



There are also goats, North American raccoons, and some thin-looking ponies. Most of the mammals had bare earth in their enclosures, with only the rabbits seeming to have the luxury of grass.

I was amused to see one of the camels drinking water, since reputedly they can go for days without drinking. Admittedly, they had small humps, so maybe living in the tropics they don’t bother to store water when it is readily available.

As they only had one hump, these were clearly Dromedary or Arabian camels.

There is an area for rides on elephants, ponies and camels – this is the only camel-riding place in Malaysia. You can also buy sugar cane to feed the elephants, and thereby gain good luck.


From top: you’ll see all kinds of animals at the A’Famosa Animal World Safari, including camels, racoons and pelicans. —Pictures by LIZ PRICE

Beyond the food court and restaurant is the jetty where you can take a motorised barge to Monkey Island. This is a tree-covered islet housing various species such as local macaques and gibbons, as well as squirrel monkeys and capuchins from South America.

Peafowl, chickens and squirrels also share this island habitat.

The chicken farm is home to 80 species of imported chickens including some rare species. It also acts as a hatchery. There are information boards as well as a display of the different eggs.

I was saddened to see a few dogs also on display in the chicken farm, looking very miserable.

The resort claims to be home to more than 100 species of animals, but I didn’t see any signs of the tiger, lion, giraffe or zebra.

To keep guests entertained, A’Famosa holds a selection of shows at various times throughout the day. These include the parrot circus, bird show, multi animal, elephant and Wild West shows. You can see an orang utan that plays golf, a cycling elephant, and a smiling buffalo.

Take a souvenir home and have your photo taken with animals – outside the entrance, a baby elephant and orang utan await you, and inside by the food stalls there are macaws and a tiger cub.

For those feeling more lazy, why not go for a safari truck ride around the complex? W

A’FAMOSA RESORT
Jalan Kemus
Simpang Empat
Alor Gajah, Malacca

If you’re taking the highway from Kuala Lumpur, you will need to get off at the Alor Gajah exit.


Operating hours:
Daily (including public holidays), 9am to 6pm

Admission:
Adult (Malaysian): RM35
Adult (foreigner): RM59
Child (Malaysian, height above 3ft-12 years old): RM25
Child (foreigner, height above 3ft-12 years old): RM49
(includes : safari adventure ride & shows) Car park charges: RM3 per entry

Melaka D-Paradise fruit world 2006

THE STAR
L I F E S T Y L E Travel & Adventure
Saturday September 9, 2006


Passion in paradise

BY LIZ PRICE

D-PARADISE TROPICAL FRUIT WORLD AND ABORIGINAL NATIVE VILLAGE
Dusun Tropika
63 Kampong Brisu, Lubok China
78100 Melaka
Open every Tuesday to Sunday (10am to 6pm)
Entrance fee: Adults RM 49.90, children RM29.90
Website: http://www.d-paradise.com.my/
To get there: From North-South Expressway, take the Alor Gajah toll, head for Lubok China and then follow the signs. There is also a pick-up service from major hotels in KL, JB and Malacca.

I began walking the 9km trail under a canopy of passion fruit trees. I could have hired a buggy, but I knew I would want to stop often to take photos and notes, so going on foot was best.

At D-Paradise, a tropical fruit centre and aboriginal village in Malacca, you will find more than 800 species of tropical, sub-tropical and continental fruit trees spread over 168 acres.

The place is the result of five years of research and development. It was officially opened to the public in November 2005 by the Prime Minister, and cost RM30mil to set up. Many of the trees are old species that are not generally grown anymore, so D-Paradise ensures their survival.


Camp David is a private island consisting of four log cabins.

When I bought my entrance ticket, I saw signs saying visitors were not allowed to take bags into the gardens. This was to stop people from filling them up with stolen fruits!

I was given a map and headed towards Pumpkin Paradise. This is the world's largest collection of pumpkins. Surprisingly, it was quite hard to spot them, or maybe there just weren't many fruiting when I was there. I was amazed to read that the largest pumpkin recorded was 1,140 pounds. That would make a huge pumpkin curry.

Next to the pumpkins were the monkey cup pitcher plants – again it is the world's largest collection. Over the years I’ve seen quite a few in the wild, especially in Bako National Park, but it was good to see all shapes and sizes under one roof.

The space farming method was intriguing. This is a system where plants are suspended from a moving track, and each plant in turn is moved to an automatic spray mechanism where the roots are given a measured amount of nutrient solution. This system conserves nutrients as the system feeds the exposed roots, which increases oxygen levels and improves the plant’s metabolic rate.

It was pleasant walking along the covered pathway and to be sheltered from the sun by the passion fruit trees, which grew over the roof. Quite often several ripe fruit fell to the ground and I must admit I did eat quite a few, as they would have gone to waste anyway! They were sweet and juicy and a nice treat.

My leaflet didn’t give any detail on passion fruit, so I had to Google later on for information.

Apparently, they are a subtropical fruit originating from South America and Australia, depending on the species. This explains why they are not found in shops in Asia.

Around the orchid garden and the small ponds of water lilies, I walked into D-Paradise’s third “world’s largest collection” – this time of cactus. The cacti ranged in size from a few centimetres to more than a metre long. Unfortunately some people had carved their names into the stems of some of the larger plants.

I never understand the mentality of these vandals.

The trail meandered through the fruit trees and bushes. Many of the trees were labelled, which was helpful, as I generally had no idea what I was looking at. If any particular tree was fruiting, there was a notice to this effect.

I saw coffee, noni, Malay gooseberries (cermai), jackfruit and many others, some of which I had not heard of before. There is a small plot of durian trees, but none were fruiting.

One useful tree is the toothbrush tree, known as kesinai in Malay. It was labelled Streplus asper, but in Africa it is categorised under the genus Salvadora persica. The leaves have antibacterial properties and the shoots can be used as toothbrushes.


You can try feeding the deer at the D-Paradise.

First, you chew on the end until it resembles a normal toothbrush, and then you brush your teeth with it, spitting out fragments of wood all the while.

I got a bit confused on the trails when I swapped from red to blue, and somehow missed the ostrich enclosure and quails. I did see some goats as I walked down to Camp David. This is a private island consisting of four well-equipped log cabins with private swimming pool and Jacuzzi.

You can even get a private chef and butler when you stay here.

There is also a small grape vineyard. Somehow I always imagined grapes grew in a drier environment. Nearby is the robber crabs enclosure. These large crabs were all hidden in their shelters, but the notice board said they can grow up to two feet in length from head to tail.

They climb coconut trees at night, hence the term robber crab, but they are also known as coconut crab.

This species of crab comes from Christmas Island, Australia. Their strong pincers can crack open coconuts.

Encik Ridzuan from security later told me that they used to have more robber crabs, but eagles, otters and monkeys had whisked some away. So even the robbers are not safe from robbers!

Next was the walk-in aviary of rare birds. Bright colours darted overhead as the flocks of yellow, blue and green birds flew from one end to the other.

The crocodile enclosure was next. I managed to spot all four of the reptiles, which hid in the shrubs. D-Paradise is hoping to get more specimens from Australia.

The deer enclosure was nice as it is an open section straddling the road.

You can walk around and even feed the deer, although they seemed quite shy when they realised I had no food for them.

After a couple of hours of walking around, I started to feel the midday heat and my legs were a bit reluctant to take me up to the aboriginal village.

However, I knew there was a cultural show scheduled for 1pm, so I headed towards the stage, calling in at the Waikiki Restaurant for lunch.

Surprisingly, the resident aborigines were all from Sarawak, mainly from the western side. Although there were only half a dozen people in the midweek audience, the troop put on a good show of dancing in their native costumes.

They even got us all on stage to join them for the last dance.

Walking back to the entrance, I accepted a lift in a buggy from one of the staff members.

D-Paradise sells or gives away fruit which is in season. During my visit, all they had was passion fruit, which were being sold at RM5 for 10 pieces.

I should have gone a week or two earlier as the durian were in season then. I was also slightly too early for the July fruit festival, during which you can eat as much as you want.

As well as Camp David, there is the D-CEO village, which are traditional kampung houses but with 5-star amenities. For those on a lower budget, there is a campsite. New chalets are also currently being constructed. There is also a home-stay programme in the nearby village.

D-Paradise is a great idea, and provides a good day out for the family with fun, entertainment and lots of fruits. W

A'Famosa Animal World 2006

This article was stolen from the Star by Asiaone Travel (Spore) who posted it on their site :




Free and tame

Liz Price
Tue, Dec 19, 2006
The Star

I FELL in love with the otters' engaging cries, which sounded like: "Feed me! Feed me!"

As I approached their enclosure, they stood up on their hind legs and looked very appealing as they watched me closely to see if I had food.

Once they realised I came empty-handed, they strolled off, but as I walked around the pen, another pair performed the same trick.

I really wished I had a few fish in my pocket for them!

These small-clawed otters are the smallest of Malaysia's otters and are found in coastal estuaries, rivers and ponds.

I was at the A'Famosa Animal World Safari, near Malacca town. This 150-acre (61ha) park provides an opportunity to see animals in their enclosures without the restriction of bars and cages. There are several attractions in the Animal World, my favourite being the Walk-Thru area.

Here, there are a variety of animals in open enclosures, so it's quite easy to take good photos. The birds include flamingos, pelicans, ducks and turkeys, as well as peacocks that are allowed to roam free. One male, being the peacock that he was, showed off and displayed his splendid tail.

The mammals are mostly imported, the only local ones being the water buffalo, porcupine and tapir. I've seen porcupine in the wild, but here it was good to see them at close quarters and study their clusters of quills.

The tapir is the symbol of the Malaysian Nature Society. One came right up to the fence and I was able to touch its elongated snout, but it was sad to see both animals covered in a number of wounds and sores. The tapir is unusual in that it has four toes on the front feet but only three on the hind.

There are also goats, North American raccoons, and some thin-looking ponies. Most of the mammals had bare earth in their enclosures, with only the rabbits seeming to have the luxury of grass.

I was amused to see one of the camels drinking water, since reputedly they can go for days without drinking. Admittedly, they had small humps, so maybe living in the tropics they don't bother to store water when it is readily available.

As they only had one hump, these were clearly Dromedary or Arabian camels.

There is an area for rides on elephants, ponies and camels - this is the only camel-riding place in Malaysia. You can also buy sugar cane to feed the elephants, and thereby gain good luck.

Beyond the food court and restaurant is the jetty where you can take a motorised barge to Monkey Island. This is a tree-covered islet housing various species such as local macaques and gibbons, as well as squirrel monkeys and capuchins from South America.

Peafowl, chickens and squirrels also share this island habitat.

The chicken farm is home to 80 species of imported chickens including some rare species. It also acts as a hatchery. There are information boards as well as a display of the different eggs.

I was saddened to see a few dogs also on display in the chicken farm, looking very miserable.

The resort claims to be home to more than 100 species of animals, but I didn't see any signs of the tiger, lion, giraffe or zebra.

To keep guests entertained, A'Famosa holds a selection of shows at various times throughout the day. These include the parrot circus, bird show, multi animal, elephant and Wild West shows. You can see an orang utan that plays golf, a cycling elephant, and a smiling buffalo.

Take a souvenir home and have your photo taken with animals - outside the entrance, a baby elephant and orang utan await you, and inside by the food stalls there are macaws and a tiger cub.

For those feeling more lazy, why not go for a safari truck ride around the complex?

A'FAMOSA RESORT

Address:

Jalan Kemus
Simpang Empat
Alor Gajah, Malacca

Driving there:

If you're taking the highway from Kuala Lumpur, you will need to get off at the Alor Gajah exit.
Car park charges: RM3 per entry

Operating hours:

Daily (including public holidays), 9am to 6pm

Admission:

Adult (Malaysian): RM35
Adult (foreigner): RM59
Child (Malaysian, height above 3ft-12 years old): RM25
Child (foreigner, height above 3ft-12 years old): RM49 (Ticket includes : safari adventure ride & shows)

This article was first published in The Star on December 16, 2006.
All photos by Liz Price.