The Eurasian Expedition

Annie's parcel is clearing customs in Kuala Lumpur, so it won't get to Ipoh until the end of the week I reckon. As you may know, I can't just twiddle my thumbs, so I head out for a morning hike every day.

Last Sunday I borrowed my host's mountain bike to ride to 𝗨𝗹𝘂 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹. It's only 15 km far from where I'm staying, so it was an easy 30 km ride combining smooth sections and false flats, with a couple of short grinds at the end that made the route more interesting.

Ulu Kinta waterfall is a scenic spot near Ipoh, featuring cascade rapids along the Kinta river within Bukit Kinta Forest Reserve. Admission is free, however you may need to request a permit to camp. It costs RM 15.00 and must be arranged in advance through the Perak Forestry Department.

Motor vehicles must be left in the carpark. Bicycles are permitted in the hiking trail, so I took the pushie directly to the riverbank. The facilities beside the carpark are closed, so I got into my wetsuit under the wooden deck by the river.

The highlight of the day was spotting an specimen of 𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢, known as the 𝗥𝗮𝗷𝗮𝗵 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴, which is the national butterfly of Malaysia. I also found what I think is a trumpet snail, probably from the genus 𝘔𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴.

There is not much information about freshwater snails in peninsular Malaysia. I haven't found any gastropod field guides other than the MyBIS online resources, so I sent an email with the photographs I took and my closest guess according to the morphology and colouration.

I'll let you know when I get a response! 🙂Read more