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Title: A Happy Day :)
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 2:02pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.3, ISO Equiv.: 200

Best friends captured in photo.

Title: What About ME??
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 2:13pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.0, ISO Equiv.: 280

This boy was not very happy being left out. The group of kiddos were actually looking at my hand phone. They LOVE the video I recorded on them earlier - asking permission to play it again, again and again.

Title: Lean on me
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 2:16pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/4.8, ISO Equiv.: 280

I was sitting on the hillside admiring the scenery when I noticed this kiddo puts his hand on my leg. I took the camera and capture that moment instantly.

Title: Brothers in Arm
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 2:15pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/4.2, ISO Equiv.: 280

A comforting embrace by the elder.

Title: I'm the next MUSCLE MAN :)
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:58pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

This boy is 12 years old. One of the brightest and matured fella I met in the village. He was intelligent and seems to understand lots of stuff. When I asked him about his ambition. He told me he is going to be a fireman. I'm very sure, he can be more than a fireman.

Title: A Candid Shot
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:59pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 180

These two girls were trying out different funny pose. I LOVE this shot! It portrays the happy time they were having earlier.

Title: Brothers & Sisters
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:09pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 100

I was exploring the village and these kiddos were curious looking at me from a distance trying to figure out my intention. Once they understand that I come in peace, they approached me. I showed them the pictures I captured earlier with my Nikon DSLR D60 camera. They were asking lots of questions about photography. Later, they asked me to take their photos. I obliged immediately :)

Title: Here I come! Standstill, OK!
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:00pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/6.3, ISO Equiv.: 100

Three good friends playing. I was a bit worried with the boy who was armed with that 'weapon'. One innocent shot from it will surely spoil the camera lens.

Title: The Fight Club - Junior Version :)
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:04pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/4.2, ISO Equiv.: 200

The boy in red was quite agitated. He wanted to teach the boy in white a real good lesson with his 'weapon'.

Title: Stacked it UP.
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:39pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

Interesting way to keep shoes.

Title: The Mist, the Mountain and the Village
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:48pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/7.1, ISO Equiv.: 100

The weather that day was so uncertain. I was sitting on the hill enjoying the lush greenery on the settlement. In less than 15 minutes, the surrounding area turned cloudy! If you refer to this picture, strong winds and mist was blowing. Faraway, you can see it was still a bright and sunny day!

Title: Hillside Homes, Anyone?
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:13pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 160

It's a big aboriginal village. Once you stepped outside from your car, you'll see lots of huts/houses scattered all over the hill. Some of these huts were built on top of the hill entirely with zinc sheets! I asked a native about the risk of being zapped by a thunder, she answered "SO FAR SO GOOD" No casualty yet.

Title: Clash Between Modern & Traditional
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 12:35pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

Traditional orang asli's hut on the hill and modern day buildings at the main road. The resettlement village has a kindergarten, a primary and secondary school, a sundry shop, community centre, JHOEA office and a clinic. Some orang asli huts were even equipped with Astro satellite dish. Talking about modern day influence!

Title: Life Goes On
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:38pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

It's a simple life for these aborigines.

Title: Cock-a-doodle-doo
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:33pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

There were lots of domestic animals beneath the orang asli's huts. This chicken is one of them. The rooster was clucking away even though it's afternoon. Be careful with stray dogs.

Title: It's Laundry Day!
Location: Aborigine Resettlement @ Kg. Sg. Ruil, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Date: 22 May 2009, 1:31pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 125

Hmmm....strange. Everyone seems to be doing their laundry the day I visited them. It was a dull and cloudy day. I guess the cold and windy condition is helping the clothes to dry.


I lost my way trying to locate Kg. Sg. Ruil (the aborigines resettlement village). I asked around and was informed the village was partially hidden behind an apartment. I followed the direction given and arrived at the community centre.

At first glance, it look like any other kampung (translation: village) in Malaysia. There is a kindergarten, a school, a sundry shop, a community centre, a clinic and a JHOEA – Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli Office (Aborigines Affairs Office). It doesn’t look like a traditional aboriginal village to me. I walked out from my car and got to see for myself the influence of modern day development on the community. The houses/huts are scattered all over the hill. I followed some narrow trail to reach the aborigines settlement. Halfway, I was surrounded by a group of CUTE and FRIENDLY orang asli kids. The kiddos were asking lots of questions. I was dumbstruck for a moment. They were speaking in Bahasa Asli (translation: aboriginal language). Fortunately, I bumped into an adult orang asli. She translated our conversation back to Bahasa Melayu.

Chatting with that lady breaks the ice between me and the aborigine communities. She was wearing sarong and hanging out some clothes to dry. She asked me lots of questions “Dari mana ni” (Translation: “Where are you from?”), “Nak buat ape dengan kamera?” (Translation: “What are you doing with that camera?”) I assured her that I’m no journalist. I’m stopping over to see or myself the aborigine village.

Later, I met another young lady (perhaps same age as me). An intelligent and pleasant girl. She answered all my queries about the orang asli. The ONE BIG QUESTION I like to ask her was “Cik, orang asli kat Pulau Carey buat kraftangan. Orang asli kat Cameron Highlands ni buat apa?” (Translation: “Miss, the aborigines in Carey Island make crafts. What about the aborigine community over here?”). She told me 60% - 70% are working as civil servants in government departments. Before I bid goodbye to her, she asked me to consult Tok Batin (Village elder) for detailed facts and figures about the community. Tok Batin is the village’s shopkeeper.

Then, I bumped into a group of teenagers. The moment they saw me, the boys and girls were calling me with all sorts of Chinese names. Well, I just ignored them. The name calling stopped after a while. They decided to sneak behind me following my every steps discreetly. I decided to show them pictures I took with my Nikon D60 DSLR camera. They were so excited and invited me to take their portrait pictures. It was a genuine expression of happiness.

I noticed 70% of the aboriginal population has been modernized. The kiddos and teenagers were fast adapting to modern day culture. Only 30% (mostly elders) were still practicing their treasured native culture. Nonetheless, the people still has distinct physical and facial features that resemble typical aborigines in Malaysia.

Overall, it was an insightful trip. The younger generation is getting compulsory formal education. Some of them were even admitted to reputed universities. I believe in less than a decade, Kg. Sg. Ruil will be transformed into a modern day village – no longer an aboriginal village. I don’t know whether wanton modernization is good or bad in the long run. One thing for sure, the traditional values are slowly dying. The community prefers modernization than living on a day-to-day basis (hunt and collect) for their meals.

Cameron Highlands – Getting There:

Please click this link for more info:

More info?

Read these articles before you travel:


Cameron Highlands – Map

Download FULL PDF MAP listing all places of interests including these townships: Ringlet, Habu, Tanah Rata and Brinchang. [PDF File, 902kb]



Destination [5] Aboriginal Resettlement and [6] Sam Poh Buddhist Temple

3 comments

  1. fufu Says:
  2. i wanna be one of the kids there... too much pressures here... >< lol just rant and rave... i need a break!!! okok still gotta wait for another 4weeks before the christmas break =p

     
  3. shloke Says:
  4. Hi fufu!

    Hope everything is OK over there. Remember to take some time off and relax. Well, there is a quotable Malay quote:

    Susah dahulu, senang kemudian

    Are you traveling again this Christmas? I missed Cameron Highlands A LOT!

    Cheers!
    mylo

     
  5. ⋱ ⋮ ⋰
    ⋯ ◯ ⋯
    ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ ︵︵
    ¨︵¸︵( ░░ )︵.︵.︵
    (´░░░░░░ ') ░░░'. ).
    ... ... .`´︶´¯`︶´`︶´`︶´ 
    From Cameron Highlands
    with
    Strawberry!!!

     
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shloke
Traveling & photography are the most rewarding & enriching experiences in my life. Photography is all about discovery, enjoying myself, having adventure, learning people & nature. The greatest experience for me is the connection I felt with NATURE. If you haven’t seen Malaysia, you haven’t seen the world! My photography works are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.
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