Beneath The Sheen

It has been a challenging first five months of the year, during which most of our efforts have been focused on stabilising things and getting them back on an even keel.

La Pari-Pari experienced a change in management at the beginning of this year.  While it was a trying experience for me, I am glad to say that I believe things have worked out for the better.  I am now the sole driver of the business, backed by a new partner, my brother who is assisting me in the background with financial and administrative advisory matters.

The last few months have been mainly spent getting administrative matters in order.  Trademarking of our logo is now almost complete and our financial house is now in order.

Some of you may recall that we began the process of submitting our papers to the Langkawi town council some eight months ago, for the purpose of obtaining a development order that will enable us to construct the resort.  In March, the town council came back to us requesting instead that we submit papers seeking permission to convert our piece of land from its current agricultural status to a commercial one.  While this was something we had on the cards for a later stage, the town council has apparently changed the rules and is asking all developers to submit conversion requests before they release any development orders.

Now, technically, this sort of control mechanism is a good thing.  Many developers in Langkawi are well-known not to adhere to the conversion requirement and develop land arbitrarily.  So, we did the necessary and complied.

A week ago, we received a letter saying that our conversion request had been temporarily rejected as we had not obtained our development order!

Upon further investigation we have now been told the letter was a 'clerical error'.

The level of incompetence we have encountered in acquiring basic services in Langkawi and in relation to both private and public sector providers there has been appalling.  Of course, this presents opportunities for enterprising folk - so if any of you out there are reading this and want to move there - they need all sorts of efficient people - accountants, lawyers, contractors, etc.

What concerns me is how the inefficiencies we have witnessed will impact the further development of the island's tourism sector and indeed its economy as a whole.  Without reliable service providers and a more efficient government, the island cannot prosper.

In other news, one of loyal supporters, Aida has now left Langkawi in pursuit of a new career in Sabah.  While we will miss her presence on the island, I am truly happy for her.  So if any of you are thinking of a spot to go to in East Malaysia, drop by Mantanani Island, off the coast of Kota Belud.  

Thank you for continuing to support us.  Remotely or not, your presence among us and positive thoughts  have been very helpful on days when we just want to throw in the towel.

We will get there eventually.  It make take some time, but we will get there :-)

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.

From A Distance

Managed to capture some shots of the island and its surroundings one a flight once. Thought I'd share it with all of you - especially those who have never been to Langkawi.

And if you're living in Malaysia - what the heck are you waiting for lah?

This is Pulau Dayang Bunting (Island of the Pregnant Maiden) where the famous lake with the same name is located.

Because Blogger is such a pain when it comes to uploading photos, do oin our Facebook Page - La Pari-Pari to see the rest and our other albums.