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Title: Meeting My Long Lost Cousin :)
Location: Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati), Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 12th October 2009, 1:37pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 100

Mr. Darwin will be pleased....if he was still alive today.

Title: Almost Human...So What Makes Us Different?
Location: Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati), Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 12th October 2009, 1:38pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 100

You don't have to be a biologist or an anthropologist to see how closely the silver leaf monkeys resemble us.

Title: Safe & Sound
Location: Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati), Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 12th October 2009, 1:33pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

Silver leaf momma was very protective of junior. It was a difficult shot. But, I LOVE the outcome :)

Title: GRRR! I'LL BITE!
Location: Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati), Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 12th October 2009, 1:32pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

Junior was reacting to his first encounter with a human.

Title: Momma....I'm Bored! Can I Play With mylo, PLEASE??
Location: Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati), Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 12th October 2009, 1:33pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

I rely on my basic Nikon D60 camera to capture these close-up shots. I do not have any specialised lens. So, I approached momma and junior discreetly...step by step. I try to gain momma's trust for some paparazzi shots. By the way, silver leaf monkeys are very 'friendly' despite looking fierce.

Title: Huh? Can You Say Cheese Again??
Location: Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati), Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 12th October 2009, 1:30pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 800

This shot reminds me of Brat Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Movie.

Title: I Come in PEACE :)
Location: Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati), Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 12th October 2009, 1:35pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

This baby is growing fast! It is developing the adult silver-black coating. Look at those eyeballs. Can you see my reflection?

Title: Momma, Where Is Papa?
Location: Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati), Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 12th October 2009, 1:33pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

Baby silver leaf monkeys with gold coloured hair and red fingernails.

Title: Papa Is Here
Location: Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati), Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 12th October 2009, 2:21pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 250

It was kind of creepy. Their faces are uncannily expressive, showing a range of emotions that are eerily familiar.


Recently, Roger, (a blogger from Singapore) visited Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary in Sabah, Malaysia. His picture of Harry the orangutan caught my attention. I LOVE monkeys. They are so UNIQUE & INTELLIGENT! But, I am no Michael Jackson. I do not buy or keep them. I rather see them up, close and personal.

The call of the wild was difficult to ignore. So, I drove my car all the way back to Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati) to revisit my long lost cousins. It was AMAZING! There were hundreds of silver leaf monkeys at the top of the hill. I met up an elderly Malay guy and chatted with him. This guy has been visiting the silver leaf monkeys for years. He was able to identify the alpha males from different groups. I SALUTE HIM - A passionate, friendly and cheerful guy!

The population of silver leaf monkeys has tripled since my last visit. There were loads and loads of monkeys. Some of them even pissed from the top of the tree! I was 'targeted' with these sticky liquid TWICE! Strange...the monkey's urine smells like pipe water. I'm not joking! It was weird and stupid being sprayed with their excretion.

I spent two hours trying to capture some decent shots. It was not an easy task. The silver leaf monkeys were climbing up and down and swinging from one tree to another. You might ask..."How does mylo get these exclusive shots??" Well, two words - PATIENT AND TRUST. I waited patiently for these monkeys to calm down. Then, I approached them discreetly (step by step). I also observed them closely hoping to gain some mutual trust before catching some delicate shots. Luckily, the monkeys were all too excited seeing their own reflection on my Nikon D60. One of them sat on my thigh trying to get hold of my camera!

Their facial features and emotions were unique and almost intelligent. At one point, I imagined myself squatting next to a group of 'humans' with silver hair! Overall, it was an AWESOME trip back to Malawati Hill. Bukit Malawati in Kuala Selangor is definitely a MUST-SEE attraction in Kuala Selangor.

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Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati) - Getting There:

By car

Malawati Hill or also known as Bukit Malawati is located in Kuala Selangor, about 45 to 60 minutes drive away from Kuala Lumpur. If you are planning on driving, you can come from Kuala Lumpur via Sungai Buloh (Route 54) or if you are coming through the North-South PLUS Highway, exit at the Sungai Buloh turn-off and follow the road signboard.

Cars are allowed up the hill during weekdays. There is a one way road system that winds all the way up and then down some. For weekends you will have to park your vehicle at the bottom of the hill and walk up.

By Bus

Take Selangor Bus number 141 from platform 23 at the main bus terminal, Puduraya Bus Station in KL. The tickets are bought on the bus. Departs half hourly starting from 6.30am.

Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati) - Things To Do/See:

  1. Silver Leaf Monkeys
  2. A huge light house built in the year 1907. This century old structure is still in use today to guide ships that sail along the Straits Of Malacca.
  3. Kuala Selangor Historical Museum.
  4. Royal Mausoleum. This mausoleum is the final resting place of the first three Sultans of Selangor.
    1st Sultan of Selangor : Sultan Salahuddin (1742-1778)
    2nd Sultan of Selangor : Sultan Ibrahim (1778 - 1826)
    3rd Sultan of Selangor : Sultan Mahmud (1826 - 1857)
  5. Poisoned Well
Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati) - Read More:

a) http://tinyurl.com/ygh4a5j (Malaysia Vacation Guide)
b) http://tinyurl.com/yjdrrtk (Journey Malaysia)
c) http://tinyurl.com/yfxrd3d (My Previous Trips to Malawati Hill)
d) http://tinyurl.com/hcafp (What Makes Us Different From Apes - TIME Article)

Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati) - Location, Google Maps:


Malawati Hill (Bukit Malawati) - My YouTube Videos:



NOTE: I DO NOT & WILL NOT feed monkeys

10 comments

  1. Roger Says:
  2. Aha, Alec, you and I share a love for monkeys and orang-utan. Nice shot of the monkey's hand. Very poignant.Monkeys are indeed intelligent with the orang-utan even cleverer. The latter can make leak-proof shelter of leaves to sleep in the night.

     
  3. Anonymous Says:
  4. Sooo cute!
    It's good to have a good lens that you can use to zoom so closely!

     
  5. shloke Says:
  6. Roger,

    You are right! I've seen an orangutan holding a piece of leaf as an umbrella during heavy downpour. Look silly, but that's SMART!

    1ondoncalling,

    I have only my Nikon D60 - nothing else. The secretS? Patient & Trust.

    Silver leaf monkeys are fierce looking primates. But, no worries. They are friendly and behave like kiddos.

    Cheers!
    mylo

     
  7. dicky Says:
  8. Hi. Kenapa kaler dia orange not like the papa and mama? will it turn to black later on?

     
  9. shloke Says:
  10. dicky,

    Yes. Rambut junior akan berubah warna dari 'orange' ke 'silver black' bila junior makin membesar.

    Cheers!
    mylo

     
  11. xplorer Says:
  12. nice potrait shot , i had a few bad experience dealing with monkey at penang botanical park.I don't dare to go upclose and personal with them

     
  13. fufu Says:
  14. yeah... they are my cousins/uncles/aunties too löl well anyway just give me sometime and i will be back to theis sphere right soon! i real need to catch up alot on this blog... but i gotta get my presentation done by this friday so i could go enjoy the beautiful city of frankfurt on the weekend :)

     
  15. shloke Says:
  16. xplorer,

    No worrries :) Avoid 'beruk' at all cost. Silver leaf monkeys and orangutan are extremely friendly and easily approachable.

    fufu,

    Glad fufu is settling down in German. One more thing...Do you need to speak and present in German?? The language is so 'foreign' to me.

    Cheers!
    mylo

     
  17. Anonymous Says:
  18. Ha ha... So true.
    You do need patience and trust!

    Also, I think "luck" is equally important.

     
  19. shloke Says:
  20. 1ondoncalling,

    Luck is not really necessary :) These silver leaf monkeys are friendly. Loads of photo opportunities. Just need some courage and patient to approach these simians as close as possible.

    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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