Lotus Overload in Paya Indah Wetlands (Part 1)

Posted by shloke 05 October 2009
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Title: Nelumbo nucifera (Latin for Lotus)
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 11:18am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

This plant is an aquatic perennial. Under favorable circumstances its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from that of seeds 1300 years old recovered from a dry lake bed in northeastern China. Source: http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/abstract/89/2/236

Title: Sacred Pink Water Lily or Lotus
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 11:16am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

In Buddhist iconography, Buddha is often represented on a pink lotus. In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of the body, speech, and mind as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelumbo_nucifera

Title: Hand Modelling :)
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 11:18am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

I LOVE THIS ANGLE. Looking at this picture reminds me of hand wash advertisement.

Title: It's MITOSIS
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 12:43pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/9.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

Look like a cell dividing into two daughter cells :)

Title: Hold me GORGEOUS :)
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 11:18am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

The lotus (pink water lily) in Paya Indah Wetlands are simply BEAUTIFUL! I was squatting on the lake side trying to 'pull' this flower closer to me. 99% of the flowers were blooming at the middle of the lake. I was really happy to stumbled upon some lovely lotuses at the lakeside. Not an easy task. I was searching high and low. Wish I had a sampan!

Title: Blooming
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 11:17am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

It seems the petals were opening up in front of me :) The smell is HEAVEN!

Title: Green 'Pizza' Anyone?
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 10:37am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

A lotus leaf as big as my face! Have you ever seen the back of an adult lily leaf? You'll be surprised! Check this out http://myloismylife.blogspot.com/2009/04/green-revolution-in-kuala-lumpur.html

Title: Exquisite
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 11:18am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

It was HOT AS HELL. My face and neck was 'burning'. But, I was momentarily fascinated by the pink lotuses. It was AWESOME standing next to these exquisite beauties.

Title: By The Lakeside
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 11:15am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

Remember to watch your steps. The soil on the lakeside is soft.

Title: EXPIRED
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 10:46am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 160

An ugly dead lotus.

Title: One Big Happy Family
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 10:38am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/6.3, ISO Equiv.: 100

This is not an easy shot. I have to step as close as possible to the lake and exposed myself to lalang (cogongrass or kunai grass). My hands were so itchy!

Title: Lotus Aplenty
Location: Paya Indah Wetlands, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 5th October 2009 (Monday), 10:37am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/7.1, ISO Equiv.: 100

This is another picture captured at the lakeside. Remember to walk carefully. I was stepping on a loose bed of wild grasses floating on the lake.


I always wanted to explore Paya Indah Wetlands. But, the wetlands were plagued with endless problems since it was opened by Tun Mahathir bin Mohamad (former PM of Malaysia) on 13th October 2001. The wetland park was closed in February 2005 due to financial constraints faced by the Malaysian Wetlands Foundation which was then managing it. The three African hippos in the wetlands were not given proper care at that time. The Wildlife and National Parks Department then took over its management and proceeded to rejuvenate it.

The sanctuary was re-opened to the public on 20th October 2008. But, the park is still unable to attract visitors. I LOVE NATURE! So, I decided to pay a visit and see for myself. It was a long trip from Kuala Lumpur to Dengkil. The place lies between Cyberjaya to the north and Salak Tinggi to the south.

I was stopped by a guard manning the main entrance. He asked me "Encik nak buat apa di sini?" (Translation: What are you doing here?) Huh? Duh? He looks at me camera bag suspiciously. I told him I'm visiting Paya Indah Wetlands. He looks at me again (mistrust) and directed me to the registration counter. I was shocked when I parked my car. The parking bay is HUGE! But, it was E.M.P.T.Y! I was the only visitor that day. This place looks like a ghost town. It was eerie and quiet from outside.

I requested a brochure and start my exploration. The brochure looks impressive. I was so excited seeing so many attractions listed on the brochure. The place is definitely BIG in size. But, I noticed many places are closed or barred with metal poles. I was so disappointed! After driving for such a long distance and paying multiple toll fares, I only get to explore some attractions. A BIG LETDOWN. Malaysia Agriculture Park is way better than Paya Indah Wetlands. Paya Indah Wetlands look so 'empty' or 'kosong'.

The only thing worth seeing are the Typha and Rusiga Lakes. These two lakes has thousands of beautiful lotuses. It was a burning hot day. Honestly, the wetlands look like a 'desert' to me. The management needs to plant more trees. Halfway exploring the place, I took out a mini umbrella. It was like walking on a Sahara desert!

More pictures & rambling in Part 2.

10 comments

  1. dreamydolls Says:
  2. nice... i love lotus... i feel like going there too...

     
  3. shloke Says:
  4. Yen Yen a.k.a dreamydolls,

    Malaysia Agriculture Park (Taman Pertanian Malaysia) is way better. The lotus lake is smaller but the place is AWESOME!

    Cheers!
    mylo

     
  5. Anonymous Says:
  6. Lovely lotus!
    We don;t have this type of luts in the UK. Very strange...

     
  7. Roger Says:
  8. The lotus is indeed an exceedingly beautiful water. You certainly made the effort to capture its beauty. No one unfamiliar with the lotus would expect such natural beauty emerging from murky waters.

     
  9. David Says:
  10. Dear Shloke,

    My name is David, and I am a director of The Outdoor Type (http://www.theoutdoortype.com.au). We are currently building a site
    which will provide details of outdoor places and activities across the globe, and we would to offer you the opportunity to
    contribute information on Malaysia to the new website. To discuss our requirements and our payment plan, please email me at: contact@theoutdoortype.com.au
    and I'll send you further details. I sincerely hope you will take up our offer and contribute to our site.

     
  11. shloke Says:
  12. 1ondoncalling,

    The lotuses are BEAUTIFUL! Perhaps the weather in UK is not suitable for them.

    Roger,

    Worth the effort. The lotuses are AMAZING!

    David,

    Hi! I'll revert back to you as soon as possible. Thank you again for your kind offer!

    Cheers to all!
    mylo

     
  13. xplorer Says:
  14. mylo,
    i had been to paya indah wetland when it first opened.from the start it was a dissapointment and i had a gut feeling that it won't last long.

    Congratulations mylo , i guess that mr david had offered you your first assignment as a travel writer.This could be the first beginning of a new journey for you.

    I know that someday you could make good money out of this.have you accepted mr david offer

     
  15. shloke Says:
  16. xplorer,

    Sadly, after the latest rejuvenation process....Paya recovered a bit. To sum it up, I think more can be done to make it more viable and attractive.

    Thank you xplorer for you great support! I can take pictures but I don't think I'm ready to compose travel articles. As usual, I really need to brush up my English. Loads of grammatical errors here and there. It'll be a mockery to submit my wittings to professional columns. Guess I'll defer the offer for now.

    Cheers!
    mylo

     
  17. CathJ Says:
  18. I love this flowers... and thank you for telling what aperture and iso on the photo details.. at least some newbie like me get some infos ther.. ^_^

     
  19. shloke Says:
  20. Cath J

    The lotus in Paya Indah are beautiful! You may want to visit Malaysia Agriculture Park in Shah Alam. A wonderful place with loads of floras and faunas - including gigantic lotus :)

    I rely on AUTO settings for most of my shots. Usually, I let the camera select the BEST settings. Also, look for natural sunlight.


    Cheers!
    mylo

     
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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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