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Auf der Suche nach dem Hirschferkel

oct nov 2025 - UNDER PROGRESS - unfinished

Expats on arrival

After arrival at Kuala Lumpurs airport, 60 km to the south, there was big cew of volks and it took about nearly two hours after the 9hrs flight to get through teh customs with was only 5 or 7 of them.

During satnding and waiting time I started talking to an expat fromteh US and I asked him imediatly on my job, the headhunt for Dick and Rumsfeld but he had absolute no idea aboiut tehir whereabouts, but said maybe quale hunting, what was really shicking news for me then. As many peole know they shoot each otehr on a daily and weekly base there.

OK airport procedures went wall after all. The expat told me as well hed have some women, or wife in KL nd that before he was working as be soem NGO over ten years in nrotehr Iraq, teh Kurdish prrovinces. Once or twice over teh two hours waitning and standing time he tried to get some special passer permit but did not happen in thazt long cew.

But even so I got nit surprised that some two or more volks from India where in teh cew and in specific even two from Goa whom I knew from Goa where I used to live over soem 2 or 4 years. Indians may know it by hindustan times or goamantak. The next weeks in Malaysia I even managed to get in reach of some english newspapers what was fine. On the nice islands you d have problems to get some, it is usually two or three tv channels as during grandpas time, and that was pretty enough. The Goanese knew me and I knew them well, we did not speak about my mission.

Auf der Suche nach dem Hirschferkel

From Kuala Lumpur I took a bus to Kuantan along Malaysias Eastcoast. Kuantan is a medium sized city along a seariver junction, the guidbook said it is a conservative muslim province.

In first Overland Bus

During the first day after arrival in a bus heading south to Mersing from Kuantan I had a conversation with a malaysian women and during that I told her of my headhunt mission and that I wanted to improve my skills in Sarawak as they had the tradition of headhunting there. The headhunt was for Rumsfeld, ones name was Cheney and teh otehr ones Powell. Early morning we reached Johor the border city to Singapur. The destination should have been Mersing from where the boats would go to Pulao Timoman, teh beautifull island, but during the night on the bus nobody told us when passing Mersing.

Three Pagoda Pass Episode

I also told her of my adventure missing the right street at a junction in northwest Thayland near the Three Pagods Pass out from Lobpuri, the border area to Burma, Myanmar. Where the buzzards were then sailing over me and should live some 300 Tigers in the area. It was a djungle track gravel road steep upwards a sections, some wild bananas growing here and then, I took a few onway as it was hot and a was sweating. Before passing teh last border villages without knowing it.

Sometime later a Borderpolice Pickup came after me and they told me that I can not hike further as I would enter Burma then. I was surprised on teh infos and glad to have some proper dressed men and equipment close lately. They took me back on the Pickup and dropped me at the next village where I had some snack with a drink at the very simple but friendly local house with garden.

It is very common there that people serve some small snacks with rice and a drink. That was my short episode once at the Three Pagodas pass not far from Tigers and Buzzards, if not vultures circling overhead watching that rarely seen naughty creature down there.

Pulao Tioman

Back to Tioman island in Malaysia I had good days for acclimatisation, time to relax and consolidate timechange with the inner watch.

I got mostly impressed by these Djunglegiants standing there not far on the hillsides covered totally with dense vegetation, showing these huge stams reaching high, double and three times the size of old houses somewhere in towns, fourty fivety and sixty meters of hight.

These djungles must be saved forever.

Auf der Suche nach dem Hirschferkel

Peace got delivered

During I was on my headhunt mission on way to Sarawak, which I did not reach yet, peace got delivered on the geopolitical stage by the support of a US president between Thayland and Kambodia which had a border conflict, partly with heavy weapons. The Peace Deal got publicly sigend on TV and it was quite a ceremony of importance. Deescalation is a good Tugend.

It made me think that once they called it Making Peace what sounds different to Delivering peace. The deal got brokered as usual with head of states from Thayland, Kambodia, Malaysia and the US president which got sigend in Malaysias capital KL. It was good to see peace times ahead, what was mostly the case last decades, excempt from the last short conflict, but that region has seen very bad times during last cenrtury allready. (Khmer Ruge in Kamdodia, Vietnam war and N Laos)

No Issues in medias

But the more interesting that there was never ever a story from Europe or Russia on TV, that was never a topic. It was mostly on ASEAN, regional Expos, meetings, artifical intelligence, robotic, apps, mega corporations, railway connections and the more, but never a hint on Europe, Russia or Ukraine, and I did not miss it really.

Some 18 soldiers will get released from captivity next weeks

This all has nothing to do with me, trieing to improve my headhunter skills, a job, on way to Sarawak to get the bounties for Rumsfeld and Powell, also Cheney possible as some told me they are on holiday from farming in Texas.

Anyway early morning then I took the first bus to Mersing. Beside improving headhunter skills I wanted to enjoy the nice islands, the sea and djungles.

Local people were mostly friendly and quite polite. Southeast Asians have a kind of formal etikette, a bid reserved with respect, mostly friendly with a smile. So not immediatly talking and shouting loud of exitement, but also curiouse and interested. It is part of muslim traditions not to show too much of emotions.

Trieing to leave Kuantan

From Kuala Lumpur I took a bus to Kuantan along Malaysias Eastcoast. Kuantan is a medium sized city along a river delta.

After arrrival I went the way to the river which is joning the sea not far. The map in the guidbook was a bid rediculouse as it only showed a small stretch along the river and not areas around which lokks totally different then with coastlines and beaches not far. So then I tried to reach some of the beaches some kilometers out of Kuantan, after a small chicken with rice meal, but the majestic Seaeagles welcomed me, four nice Eagles not far direct over the river and its muddy banks with mangroves in the tropical sun.

I asked some people about the taxis and they tried to call me one, which did not happen finally, teh guidebook said only good things about Kuantans busses and teksis, also not the good busses got seen as mentioned in the stupid guidebook. So a bid puzzled and after the unsuccessfull hotelsearch I went out of the city yet in a good mood. It was hot and evening not far. The grab.app did not work and later angry I asked some shopkeepers along the way out for a taxi, because the fantasy to see it without the relevanth taxi sign oncar would need much imagination power. I was not ready and there to use that specific brainpower on way out of the city.

Finally I ended up in a big nice Barbershop and asked them if they could call me a taxi. That got finally brought on way with support of some app and the friendly and freshly shaved customer. The anger was gone then and I ended up in the cities big busterminal coverd under massiv concrete roofs as it started to rain heavily later in teh night mixed with huge thunders under the thudnerdome.

Days later on Tioman I could watch every evening during sunset and dinner the huge thunderdome tower over the mainland some 60 kilometers with impressing lightnings every minute.

The taxi.apps name was grab which showed the drivers face, name, the total route covered to the customer and the latter route so thatfor the customer was really in a pistion of quite total contraol with face and route recognition preempt. I was not impressed as I do not use cellphones neither any apps, it was a guidebook and nice stories around many places in the stile between a book and an app, which did not fit my needs and info appetite too much. Colorfull cols and some old egypt kartushen stile on sides even.

Somewehen before midnight I got into one of these very comfortable overland busses and could relax then. Started talking with a young women who was sittingclose and onway south to Singapur. But what surprise when I did not get out in Mersing but in Johor Baru which was the neighbouring city to Singapur in the far south. The driver told nobody when we were passing Mersing, which I paid for to get to Palau Tioman. So then the same morning back north by bus the way to Mersing which only needed roughly more than one hour. The bus was comfortable again and no app or barber shop was needed.

The hardship whithout a cellphone and that app for a taxi was forgotten fast (bitch of a cellphone) The city Mersing, also located near a river delta, whith some boats and small jetties, made half of concrete and wood got reached before noon the same day.

I left the app world, highways and modernity behind me, what was good.

Reaching Tioman

Had a breakfast not far from the ferry jetty yet in Mersing where I met a french women who was on way to P Tioman as well for making holiday from Singapur, where she said she was working to Earn her Living.

Not much later the ferry took us to the nice Island and the same day I ended up on a paradise beach. Smooth granite rocks, teh warm sea, a nice brise and palms along the beach, the djungles in back and a niec room from where I could here the clse sea, fantastic. Before I took some food in the connected restaurant and got in sight of the first scubadive station. By chance I met a fourhead group of Austrians at the close bungalows restaurant but they never made it far further out teh next days from that area.

I rent myself the first days a cycle and the last two days a scooter as the hot cyclerides in the tropical sun had its sweattoll cycling out of Tekek village and beach areas onway passing the Flieing Foxes roosting trees, with each single hot brise some of them starting to scream.

Pulao Tioman

I arrived to a tropical island, not yet acclimatised.

At Pulau Tioman you meet locals and often see dark frogmen walking from coast into the sea, often halting and explaining tricky things on way into the deep. And that happens day and night, groups of frogmen usually in slow motion walking into the sea and hours later out again.

Scuba diving is big biz and takes the foreigners into tropical waters, close to corrals and all kind of colorfull to poisen fish, usually the have guides but also experienced groups who do it on routine. I had never the intention for scuba diving as I hated all the equipment, neopren suit, tube, fins and the more which would make me dependent on this stuff in a very powerfull element, if not themost powerfull at all !

Most Locals are not obsessed with scuba diving, they follow their daily routines, it is more these exotic extravagant wish and vison keeping foreigners who get all that red signs and marks on their faces from the masks and snorkel.

Elements

Single waves are much bigger than any huge aquarias anywhere in the world. So you need to know the power and your class not getting into troubles suddenly. I loved the sea and the djungles but getting deep into it was of another story. People from other hemispheres have mostly no idea of whats waiting for them there. I got the glimpses allready in some 80s of last century when snorkling at the adratic coast over years.

Tropical djungles were a class of itself, not often reached before, huge giant stams over centuries hardly impressed of anything whats crwaling around down there near its roots, spending shade and atmosphere to so many creatures over ages and multi etages.

In the specific areas close you get to see many foreign frogmen who get instructed on scube diving by local frogmen. Tioman had also a small airport with a tower but it seemed to be out of usage since a while.

Mixed Silkroad Routs

The guidebook told that the island would be big enough for all people of Malaysia and that they found archeologic artefacts from earlier times, some got hidden on flightroute north from Singapur one story told. That reminded me of my white and blue chinese ceramicpiece which I found last summer along the greke coast some 60km from Athens, but closer to the Poseidon temple.

The ferries reaching Tioman usually move from one beach and village area to the next during arrivals what is mostly comfortable and as there ar not many streets it is the best way to drop people. Djungles in back are dense and huge rocks along the coast block walking ways.

The main coastal area on the westcoast is Tekek town, to its north ABC beach, Monkey beach and Monkey bay to Salang, to the south is a street reaching a ressort with a gate and some two more beaches and villages to the south and west, which have all accomodation as bungalows or rooms, from simple and basic to very comfortable with double beds, a hairdrier, waterboiler cups etc, tv and shower. I had daily Milo.

Cycles and scooters can be rent at Tekek village up to ABC beach with about 5 km the way north, cars get blocked from ABC area as there is only a narrow concrete street over the sea leading around some huge cliffs the way to ABC beach, no cars there. Most equipment for diving or jetskies looked as in standby mode as season was gonig to be finished soon when nearly all locations get closed over that time of the year till chinese Newyear (Oct -Feb), it was the Year of the Snake 2025.

Seasnake hunting Seaeagles got seen on a daily base when at coastal areas, mostly impressing for Birdwatchers and astonishing how close they live there near human settlements, they like djunglewoods near coasts.

Future Cities and Accomodation

Guesthouse prices are reasonable and vary depending on season, overland bustickets are very cheap, have your passport at ricket counters, and taxi prices depend on area and in K L even on daytime, during rushours they can rise sharply, what counts only for KL.

Main cities are also connected by train from north to south, but not with Singapur, what is since decades a political zankapfel but got finally put on stop. There are many big streets and highways, in KL even up to 5 th floor, all levels can get reached onstreet there from ground. Beneath huge living blocks you first find parking platforms up to 6th floor, above the apartments, flats and verandalofts at top. That counts mostly for KL and Johor.

Merdeka 138 is impressing as it is a huge skyscrapper located at China Town, at night with light effects, where most other buildings look old when seen from jin Petaling (street) its a bid surreal this huge skyscrapper placed and blinking over the many other houses from old and modern times and far not that tall.

I got also impressed by Merdekas facettes, its sharp glassfronts, the Architectural Meisterleistung and Lighteffects seen from far and close. There were also other tall buildings as Petronas towers, for long some of worlds tallest skyscrappers blinking on top by by iron blends in the sun, and living complexes which seemed to have very big glassfront apartments up there. Worlds Big Cities

Tioman island

Going back on island a good seafish book took my attention the next mornings in the djunglebungalows restaurant, with some bookshelves at Tekeks southend. The locations are nicely set and the pensions very dark skinned boss tells you the rules, timings, food options beside menue and in some case he even hands you out some bucks, which puzzled me.

The djungle accomo-dation was mostly fully booked what indicated as well a good hand for moving promos, performance on the internetfront in regard to bookings and food. The place is named after a mideuropean land, for the very curiouse ones. After the first two nights i shifted to ABC beach which could not be reached by cars and I was even wondering whatfor some used big fency Pickups when the island had only some 20 km of streets, whatfor the hell this private cardriving on such a beautifull island when all was so close, even primary djungles and peoples ferry jetties.

Maybe for school children and diving tubes, at a topend restaurant the first day after arrival I set close to a group of men who tried to put a huge plastic pipe around a wood pile which carries the roof close to the sea with others, by the help of a chainsaw. And that short before lockdown on the island.

Tropical djungles always close, giant stams rising high, majestic unmoved over centuries, unimpressed, far too much, keeping their secrets, stories and misteries, unreachable green far over heads. Here and then monkies getting out of the djungles the mornings, taking some food from the day before and moving into the djungles again.

On Djungle Trail

Not many take the way to Salang through the woods, prepared with ropes onway, breathtaking in the heat, stopping every 100m asking myself what s happening, it is not that far, monkies were watching me, hiding then more eyes on me than I coudl figure out, sweating and breathing taking hoild on some branch here and then, stopping and moving up, only 30 m but how was that possible. Never I felt so close to breakdown, finally getting over the hilltop getting in sight fo the huts and bungalows, I got saved from the worms, spiders and centipedes, set down in the jetty hall, knowing food was not far. The few women watching me. We started joking. I knew the way back there was the speedy teksiboat.

It was out there, we started joking after I set down after the short walk between the two ressorts at Salang coming from the djungles, smiling at school children who all had good fun seeing that foreigner who hardly knew what happened over such a short stretch of djungle trail, passing monkey beach and monkey bay where he found the Kowris (kauris) before taking a timeout on the towel on the hot sand near the waves, smooth rocks, totally embeded. Not knowing what hard stretch of trail was waitning for him just some meters ahead covered by the vegetation, fabulouse experiences up and down in the heat of the djungles on a tropical island.

It was a spontaniouse decision for the next day, no drink no food for the walk after breakfast, rediculouse distance on some paper but not to be underestimated. For the ones who try it, take some water, fluids with you, some fruits and cookies will make it much easier, also Rambudan which was ripe at the time. If you are more you can wait for each other, come in the bay with boat, meet here and there, shout or speak, look for the Hirschferkel, or get lost forever.

Back then to ABC I was astonished to see theree spots of big lights in the sea the same night, from a busy balcony with many frogmen and women, French Kolombien, Tiomese, US guys, sunburnt red, makeup faces, I spoke of plankton, they were smiling, drinking, flipflop off there, we had good fun, not far the torta location before shutdown. She would be there for her wondercake, once a day, they would all move out the next days.

Auf der Suche nach dem Hirschferkel

Thoughts on Frogmen

Local children moving on cycles, no cars, the small paved street, threewheelers and sidecars with scooters were possible. The cleanup troop and when she was there on the restaurants woodbalcony, around 60, he was the best actor with his cleanup trolly, fast curves and smiling over the beach to her. I was laughing laud, next day she was gone. Most would move out the next days, season was going to be over, not far from the concretepool which took 8 frogmen and women at the same time for testing.

They were mostly important frogmen, red burnt faces, and swollen lips from the snorkels, sunburnt, the ferry ticketoffice close and icecold, the only boat would be 6 in the morning from teh close jetty, yet dark then.

This was good for a movie, unbeatable stories of burnt faces, swollen lips from snorkels, red rings around eyes from masks, and if that is the other price for scuba diving.

While other regions had floods and heavy rains sametime some seem to prepare for Climate Change their way, underwater and daily moving fomshores into the sea.

Tropical Beauty alone is not enough for them, the hot sun, beaches, tracks and trails, waterfalls, moods over the day, rainshowers, eagels and hornbills, the majestic djungles in back, some like it extreme and need lots of equipment therefor, moving from one element into the other one.

For me it was enough to see the groups of frogmen moving in and out of the sea over tha day, during nights underwater lights close to the balconies and verandas, out there as plancton but not that sparkling. It all had its price as many looked exhausted, tirde from trainigs and diving often with swollen lips and red eyerings.

For me it was good enough to ride a cycle over some days embeded in that magic areas and climate and last days a scooter on the narrow coastway (max for a threewheeler) which got broader then the way to Tekek, which had an airport with tower, always again passing Flieing Foxes roosting trees which started screeming with each single hot seabrise, they wanted simply hang there, some of them climbing onto the close hanging neighbour with bad face showing its fruitsucker teeth.

Passing the bar which opened from 5 pm, on way to dinner place, I asked the women barkeeper if she had seen Dick or Powell, she was also french and would leave in 3 days, what was sad. Finally I would get them, I thought. Sarawak was yet far away.

Usually at Frydays local children get swim lessons and older ones snorkel instruction with parental controll in the christal clear shallow waters at northend of Tekek where another strong Betonanleger reaches out into the sea.

Offseason untill Chinese New Year

From mid of October most touri locations get slowly closed, what also counts for other islands as got also observed at Malaysias westcoast at Pulao Pankor, and Port Dickson at the southwestcoat north of Melaka, mostly quiet and not very busy. Offseason lasts till start of February when there is Chinese New Year, so over four months from October to February quite silent on many places.

During my headhunt on Powell and the other fellows I got to know that is was the year of the Snake.

Seaeagles

One of worldsbest seasnake hunters is the Whitebellied Seaeagles which can be seen practically along all coastal areas which have primary djungles or good structured bays, beaches with cliff intersections. Also close hotels or villages, small unused airports or towers do not seem to disturb these excellent fliers and beautifull eagles, with white body and black wings. Often screeming on the wing, when got in sight of a prey flieing out swift and straight, then stooping down on the catch, often also roosting on perch and high giant trees, usually during sunset they do their last patroll, first taking hight over coastal seas and then sailing farout on open seas into the red skies, my friend.

They can often be heared screeming over noontimes, but more frequent the mornings before heavy rainshowers and when in courtship display. Pairs can perfom in excellent ways, some dance in heavy coastal hot winds over Lotosswamps, often they can be seen over mangrove coasts or river deltas mixed with djungles and mangroves.









The Whitebellied page




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