The Awesome Elephants of Kuala Gandah

Last Saturday we did one of those things that has been on my To Do list for a while - a day trip to the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary.  Run by the Forestry Department, the sanctuary is part of a national elephant rehabilitation and translocation effort that rescues elephants from areas where they are threatened or a threat to humans and relocates them to forest reserves.

Of course, the main reason this place even exists is because we keep cutting down the forests and turning them into palm oil plantations.  With their severely shrunken habitats, wild elephants often end up ravaging the palm oil estates for food.

I have to say, I came away impressed.  As Malaysians, I think most of us will admit that we generally have low expectations when it comes to locally-run establishments, especially when they are government-owned and operated.  But in the past few years, there have been a few gems that have left me pleasantly surprised and this was one of them.

Apart from having pretty well-kept grounds, which is a challenge in itself given the rather large sizes of its inhabitants, the place is also staffed with people who genuinely seemed to love their charges.  The info center, for those who care to take time and read their exhibits, tell you a fair bit about these amazing creatures.

For instance, did you know that elephants are a matriarchal breed?  And that they mourn their dead, often stopping while on a trek at places where their loved ones have passed away?  These are creatures with long lives and long memories, which I suppose is why the saying "Elephants never forget."

The thing you won't find out while at the center, is the wonderful work really done there.  I wish they had a bit more information about the work they actually do, which, thanks to our source on the trip, Rakesh, turns out to be an awful lot.  The elephants in Kuala Gandah are either being rehabilitated or trained as working elephants.  By the latter, it means they are taught to aid in the capture of wild elephants, especially when the latter cannot be tranquilised due to their health conditions or other extraneous circumstances.  In such cases, trained elephants together with their mahouts ride through the jungle until they are alongside the wild elephant target, hemming it in on both sides and leading it to safety.  The mahout's job is a dangerous one - imagine riding atop an elephant crashing through the jungle at full speed.  Injury, needless to say, is a sure thing.

Yet, these brave men and their elephants persevere, saving more than 300 elephants to date.

If you haven't visited, do go.  It's one of the few things we do right.  And it's absolutely free of charge, which I personally think is outrageous - the experience alone deserves an admission fee.  So, do give a donation instead, as the center can always use the funds.

Bu House

Aida wins hands down when it comes to uncovering gems off the beaten path in Langkawi.

The latest one she's shared with us is Bu House - the home of a man whose passion for bamboo has led to his creation of the Langkawi Carbon Exchange project. Tucked away in a hidden pocket of villages, Bu House is a sprawling homestead whose simplicity veils the important work that is being done there.

The founder, a Mr Chan, is a rotund fellow who didn't hesitate to welcome us onto his grounds and generously spent an afternoon telling us about his various projects. The one that caught our attention was his carbon exchange project which involves both Langkawi villagers and big businesses from around the world.

The idea is a simple one. Sell carbon credits to big businesses who need to pay penance for their pollutant ways by planting bamboo on local village land. The big businesses win and so do the Langkawi kampung folk. Apparently business is so good, Mr Chan can't keep up with the demand!

And the local folk who participate in the programme? Mr Chan tells the tale of how years ago, when the programme began, he only managed to persuade the local menfolk to permit the planting of a handful of bamboo thickets on their respective pieces of land. Now, several years later, some of these old folk have passed on, and their wives upon finding out how lucrative the bamboo have become, berate their late husbands for not allowing Mr Chan to plant more on their plots!

Judging from the figures Mr Chan shared with us, I can certainly understand why. A bamboo thicket nets the land owner about RM1,000 from the programme a year. All for doing nothing except allowing the bamboo to exist on one's plot of land, as all maintenance and culling is done by Mr Chan's team free-of-charge. An acre of land can host up to 270 bamboo thickets.

Anim did the math and almost decided against building La Pari-Pari! :-)

The money aside, we were very heartened to meet Mr Chan. Here's someone who has pursued a passion of his and not only made it pay off, but also figured a way to spread the wealth around. Now that's sustainable business practice.

Oh and the best part of visiting Mr Chan? We also got free reign to wander around his grounds which houses ducks, chickens, guinea fowl, a very playful dog and a clutch of goats from various parts of the world. One of them was even in the midst of giving birth when we were there and another was busy tending to her two-day old kid. It doesn't get more special than that.

To view photos, visit La Pari-Pari's Facebook page.

Building To Last

Last night, for Earth Hour, we turned off all the lights and fans in my parents' house.  Dinner was by candlelight - a feast prepared by the loving hands of Mom and her enthusiasm for a new grilled, butterflied leg of lamb.

The nephews and nieces played in the semi-darkness, the TV off for a change.  Noise was from ambient chatter and the sound of children laughing as they raced toy trains on a double track.

From the start, our intention with our little resort in Langkawi was to create something sustainable.  Something that would leave the lightest possible imprint, or at least endeavour to do so, on Langkawi island.

La Pari-Pari, named after the Malay word for "fairy", will, when it opens, be a magical place.  Built from the ground up with heart, and a goal to incorporate as many ecological conservationist measures as we can.

Already, in our discussions with the architect and between the two of us, ideas have surfaced.

Solar lighting for the outdoors at night, to save electricity.

Rain water catchment pipes, to help irrigate the landscape.

An organically-fertilised outdoors, with edible plants and hopefully fruit that will adron our breakfast table.

A linen reusage policy, perhaps with rewards to incentivise our guests to join in and help us in our efforts to save water.

And if we can, a small contribution from our profits each year to a local cause nominated by our staff and chosen by our guests.

In looking for ways to green La Pari-Pari, we've uncovered some information.  Yet some others still remain unsolved.  How do we find a commercially viable solution for cleaning materials?  Often, ecological cleaning solutions are expensive, mostly imported.  And how do we ensure guests turn off their air-conditioners when they leave their rooms?

More importantly, how do we create a space that makes sense to the community and environment in which it sits?  Building a building is easy.  But building one that makes commercial sense and acts as a catalyst for something greater, something longer lasting, takes time, thought and deliberation.

But, as I've always said, if we don't do it, who will?