Chambord, the royal chateau of Francis I

After having written quite a number of things about chez moi here in Malaysia, I figure it is time to space out a bit with things that I still hold on to about France. 5 years and thousands of digital photos later, there's enough to fill a book...and so I am 'time-releasing' them slowly. Not because I wanted to expressly but because I feel the need to record some of my experiences but at the same time not to choke myself with them. So whenever I feel the desire to reminisce about past experiences in France, I will dig into my photo archives and write a few lines.

So this one is about my visit to the fabulous Chambord in the spring of 2004:

This trip was actually planned by the university as part of the cultural learning experience for foreign students learning French at the language centre. We visited 3 chateaux over the span of a weekend (including the Amboise and the Villandry) but personally, this is the most breath-taking of them all-in sheer size, detail and grandeur, befitting its reputation as the chateau the its original bossman(king) Francois I.

From a distance, after some winding route through a forested area, one can already perceive the tall roof of the imposing chateau (which I mistakenly took for the top of a small hill) The chateau reveals itself at the clearing of the forest and it really can make a spectacular first impression for anyone visiting the area. I was.

As all the other tourists foreign and local, we dutifully lined up, got our ticket and were taken on a guided tour around the castle. As said, a picture's worth a thousand words...

At the entrance to the chateau. There's a guesthouse at the chateau's ground for overnight visitors as well as cafes, restaurants and souvenirs shops. This is a HUGE piece of real estate.

An avenue of lime trees (called tilleul in French) leading to the principal entrance of the chateau. The trees have yet to sprout any leaves as it was still very early in spring.

Details of the spiralling stairwell inside the chateau. Minus the tapestries, royal portraits and a few pieces of furnitures, the chateau is practically empty and can be very cold. Ladies of the palace in those days were 'encouraged' to wear thick silk with the induced cold climate (I don't remember who told me this).

Huge portraits of past royals.

The famous spiral staircase designed by non other than Leonardo da Vinci. He was a special guest of Francis I and he was invited to spent his golden years in France at the time when his reputation was embattled in Italy. Ever wonder why the French had the most fabulous Italian treasure?

One can only aspire to have a portrait of this grandeur, even if one can paint...

Another royal, Henry III

Part of the moat surrounding the expansive chateau which flows out to a canal

Inner courtyard of the chateau

The flamboyant Rennaisance styled roof of the chateau.

Tracing the perimeter of the building to the open field behind the chateau.

Who can resist an opportunity for a photo?

The chateau from the end of the field.

Pos Betau by river

The weekend before the Chinese New Year 2010 was quite special: instead of the regular house cleaning activities, I went boating and visiting indigenuos people with friends from afar.

It was the first time at this nook of the country for Stephanie, a friend who works at the Embassy and her parents James and Annie who came visiting. The initial plan was that we would take a boat ride up the Telom River to enjoy the rapids and spend the whole morning and afternoon picnicking at Pos Lanai by the small clear-water tributary of the Telom called Sungai Seluar. As luck would have it, the first 15 minutes up the Telom turned out to be a nightmare: first we were pummeled by rain water as the motorboat has no roof (heavy and roofed boat is not possible for they have to scale series of rapids upstream). After a few precarious turns which seemed like we were actually going full force against the first wave of swelling from upstream, the boatman called it quits. It had been raining upstream the night before and we were boating over the swelling river that carried debris from the rainwater - including rolling logs! For a moment, I seriously thought we might be going for some very choppy ride as the boat felt like a fallen leaf on flowing water but when the experienced boatman calls it quits, he means serious business (real danger). The view of the thundering water really had me worried for a while and I was happy the boatman had our safety in mind.

Plan A bis: Go up the Ulu Jelai Kecil and picnic at Kampung Samut in Pos Betau.

I spied the clearer water of the Ulu Jelai Kecil on the way up to the Telom and was telling my friend that it could be on our next itinerary but never imagined it to be immediate...the sky cleared on our descend from Telom but its water was raging like an angry monster. By comparison, the Ulu Jelai Kecil was calm and serene and most inviting to our weary minds. One turn at the meeting point just before reaching the jetty at Kuala Medang and we were off to our new destination. The ride was extremely pleasant sauf for the painfull derrieres and backs as the boat was devoid of any reclining facilities as well as only rudimentary wooden floorboard for seats. The incredible sight of the virgin jungle leaning over the serpentine river more than make up for the pain(s). Common riverine trees like the Neram in gigantesque proportions gently lean over the river making tunnels and galleries of natural beauty greeted us at almost every corner that the boat made upstream. Ferns, orchids, figs and rhododendrons dangled from branches covered in mosses and lichens and sudden darts of electric blue from surprised kingfisher made the whole scene like a page from Discovery Channel. I felt like an aventurier discovering the New World.

After 1 1/2 hour upstream, we arrived at Pos Betau where the Belida River and Ulu Jelai Kecil meet. We went slightly further upstream the Ulu Jelai Kecil, through the opening of a huge fallen tree that blocked the entire river and voila, we were at Kampung Samut...

At the village's jetty where 2 bamboo rafts were moored, children were enjoying themselves at the river and our arrival was greeted with much curiosity as well as fun. We asked for permission to visit the village and the gentle Semai man who greeted us welcomed the idea. James and Annie had never seen how rubber was sourced and we asked for permission from the man who took us to his plot of rubber plantation adjacent to the village where someone was in the process of tapping the trees. Unlike the more commercial plantations in Felcra smallholders' where modern equipments are employed, the Semai's ingenuity and symbiotic relation with Nature shone and impressed everyone. Instead of using plastic receptacles for collecting the sap, empty coconut shells and recycled tins were used. Instead of the metal tongue used for guiding the flow of tapped sap into the bowls, dried leaves were used. Simple solutions to simple problems. 100% ecological.

We gladly shared our picnic with everyone and were in turn given a special serving of chargrilled tapioca freshly dug from the garden and smoked Kelah. The fruit season was over but a few lingering rambai stalks did not escape the attention of our host. His young son and friends climbed up the incredibly straight and almost branchless tree and in no time, we were tasting rambai as desert. As the day grew warmer, we wanted to finish our trip in the river and we invited all the children to join us, much to their delight...

A cicada at the jetty. When I was a child, I was told that the chant of cicadas signales the onset of the dry season. No surprise then to see them at this time of the year.

The jovial bunch...

Up the rambai tree...

a bunch of rambai fruits

A Semai house

The house of our host...

Dangling plants over the river

Scenic ride upstream

A view of the rapids

A picture of perfect serenity

Semai Cuisine...au naturel and at its best

I had the luck as well as the pleasure last Sunday morning to visit Kampung Samut at Pos Betau in the interiors of Pahang, Malaysia. We packed heavy Sunday picnic in anticipation of a long brunch after the boat ride but did not expect the outcome...as we started offering our meals to the children who came to us as well as their curious parents, we managed to chat up on their way of life and of course, the eating habits of indigenous people (this village is a Semai Tribe of the Sen'Oi that mostly live along the central region of the Main Range). As this place was once known for its Kelah (Tor tambroides), I was curious to know if the recent ban on fishing upstream has had any effect. The gentle Semai man replied that it is still infrequent compared to the good old days but at least it is under check at the moment.

Flashback to present...the parents of the children who shared our meal were actually very gentle and reciprocate as they immediately told us not to rush back as he will prepare us something 'speacial'...and special it was! He dug a piece of tapioca directly from his garden, chargrilled it and surprises of surprises, served it with the best piece of smoke fish he had in the kitchen - a large chunk of smoked Kelah! Needless to say, the taste of the salted and smoked fish goes perfectly with the chargrilled tapioca au naturel washed down with plain water sourced from the mountain. It was a perfect meal on a perfect day.

The fish is first smoked cured and later chargrilled slowly over heat. Heavenly and surprisingly refined. This goes to show that local ingredients without any pretentions makes some of the finest things for the senses...and we were'nt even hungry the time the dish was offered to us.

Une matinée en balade à la campagne (1)...Kampung Chenua, Raub

A morning stroll in Kampung Chenua, Raub 30 January 2010

It was a Saturday morning. I was killing time waiting for my wife as it was her school's "gotong-royong" day. The sky was all bright and blue and birds were chirping everywhere. On previous occasions here, I have been noticing people driving their cars as well as riding their motorbikes across the football field and beyond... through the thickets of what seemed like a patch of jungle and farmland. To kill curiosity, I decided to take a slow walk on that path that morning...

* * *

It was a warm and sultry morning, typical weather that reminded me of Chinese New Year season around the corner. I love the sense of melange between the fresh smell of the morning green, noisy insects and birds and rays of light bursting through the quite densely covered path that was punctuated here and there by grassy patches of abandonned farm. I was almost transported into my childhood days of abandon and carefreeness.

Old charm found commonly in villages - the Periwinkle

A common roadside creeper with flowers en masse

Heavenly bloom...a flower from a common tall tree found sometimes at the fringe of towns and villages. The bell-shaped flowers has lacy edges and falling blossoms always never fail to give an impression of ephmereal feathers.

A delicate ixora-like flower growing in a damp and dark spot

The fruits...

A common creeper introduced into rubber plantation to control weed, now itself a pest. A lesson to learn about biological pest control.

My attention was directed to the heavens by the noise from birds overhead and this sight of a dead tree trunk with a glob of orchids for crown greeted me.

Delicate multi-coloured flowers of the Lantana. We children used to call this common roadside plant "Chicken poop flower" in Chinese because of its pungent odor but really, it has nothing to do with chicken poop.

Unusual flowers dangling from a tree found along the path.

The fallen flowers on the tarmac

A skipper butterfly resting on a leaf.

Pale green flower of the terung asam.

The fruits of the terung asam - an aubergine rarely found in the market and it has velvety hair covering its fruit. The ripe fruit is usually orange in colour and is usually eaten raw as a salad. This one was found growing wild at the entrance into an 'abandonned' farm overgrown with grass, wild aubergines, lantanas, yams and the prickly mimosa.

Une matinée en balade à la campagne (2) ...Kampung Chenua, Raub

continued...

A common grasshopper on the open grassland...well camouflaged

Wild cat's whiskers...a roadside plant that attracts lots of insects especially butterflies.

A caterpillar feeding on a musseron mushroom...just like in Alice in Wonderland.

A peacock pansy, Junonia almana javana sunning itself on the leaf of a wild aubergine.

Hoof mark on the mud.

A dragonfly guarding its post at the entrance to an abandoned farm.

A tiny but attractive butterfly, the Common Posy Drupadia spp., in symbiosis with the ants on a the trunk of a Mahang sapling.

A tiny pink hibiscus-like plant, probably of the hibiscus family. A roadside herb that was very common in the olden days.

Another attractive tiny butterfly, probably a Chilades spp.

The Great Eggfly, Hypolimnas bolina.

A dusky denizen of the thicket sunning itself.

A very tall tree usually found on the fringes of villages and forest - the Terap. Has jackfruit-like fruits but a rather velvety texture with edible flesh and seeds.

The surau behind the school. Observe the dome.