Biodiversity, an absolute good. Â Maybe I am religious, after all.
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Category: Quickies
Mosses of Kinabalu
At 4,095 meters, Mount Kinabalu’s ironically named Low’s Peak is the highest point in Malaysia. Though the views from the top and the granite surface surrounding the peak are amazing, I was most fascinated by the diversity of mosses growing along the trail. This collage is a mere sampling of Kinabalu’s moss species. Apologies, a couple of lichens may have sneaked in.
Can you pick out the world’s largest moss, Dawsonia superba?
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Organic Donkey, Part II
I mentioned Beijing’s Little Donkey Organic Farm in an earlier post, and it looks like an NPR blogger has visited recently.
I’ll be in Beijing next week, and it’s high time I dropped by the place, Â especially after my somewhat disappointing visit to the Vang Vieng Organic Farm in Laos.
Monster Agave Penis
Technically, it’s called an inflorescence. Â This one is by far the biggest I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot of agave penises in recent months. Â I estimate this one is 40-50 feet tall.
I’m now in Jinghong, the largest city in Sipsongpanna, a minority-majority autonomous area in China’s Yunnan province. Â It is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve seen in China. Every major street is lined on both sides with towering tropical trees that shade the sidewalks, and most of the buildings, street lamps and even billboards feature artistic flourishes inspired by the traditional architecture of the Dai ethnic group, giving the entire city a unique and exotic air.
The people are also warm and friendly, a nice departure from most Han-dominated Chinese cities.
Keep tuned for more posts from Malaysia and Laos!
Landslide
Today’s post is dedicated to Stevie Nicks.
I’m in Laos! Today’s trip from Phonsavan to Luang Prabang should have taken about 6 hours. Instead, it took about 9.5 thanks to this huge landslide. Though they’re not all visible in this photo, there were 5 excavators working simultaneously to re-build the road.
If not for our driver having a friend on the other side of the landslide with whom he could exchange passengers, we would still be stuck there. That road was in bad shape. When we crossed the collapsed area by foot to reach the other van, I took one crazy step that ended with my entire lower leg submerged in mud. Luckily, another passenger was there to help me pull out. The ridiculous thing is, this happens often enough for them to have 5 excavators on hand. There must be a more permanent and efficient solution.
I’m not sure if there’s any connection, but the mountains along the highway show evidence of slash-and-burn agriculture. You can see the huge bald spots (lighter green) all over the mountains in the picture below. I was surprised to see crops growing on such steep slopes. The resulting erosion may contribute to mudslides like this one.
