Travel

Pak Teh relaxing after a honey hunt, 2004 I was saddened by the email I got from Professor Mardan this morning from Malaysia titled, “Pak Teh passes away!” I think Mardan’s note, quoted below,  speak for many people who knew Salleh Bin Mohammend Noor, affectionately nicknamed “Pak Teh.” He was a grandfather, bee shaman, leader … Read More

Two sisters selling JAMBU AIR, or water apples, Malaysia (photo:Paul Mirocha) After 8 years of working on The Bee Tree, a children’s book publishedin April 2007 by Cinco Puntos Press, co-author Steve Buchmann and I, Paul Mirocha,the illustrator, returned triumphantly to Malaysia with printed copies of thebook to hand out to our Malaysian friends, hosts, … Read More

In a new article today in The Star, my question, “What is the bee tree worth in Malaysian ringgits?” that I asked in my previous blog entry is answered. A bee tree is worth about 5,600RM. That’s 1,483.44 US dollars. ___________________________ NationThursday March 29, 2007 Dept. probes illegal logging in Pedu rainforest Story and picture … Read More

Steve Buchmann and I both wrote letters to the editor after reading The Star’s article “Honeyman feels the sting” of March 22. Steve’s letter was printed in the Opinion page of The Star, largest English newspaper in Malaysia, last Wednesday, March 28, 2007. I’ll quote it here: The buzz about Kedah’s bee trees IN FEBRUARY, … Read More

Emails from Steve and I to Tunku Shahariah, the reporter who wrote the Star article “Honeyman feels the sting” about the endangered bee trees of Pedu Lake produced a gratifying response. She had already gone personally to Pedu Lake with the local forestry director, Kasim Osman, and Pak Teh to inspect the damage and this … Read More

The day after our meeting with the Sultan of Kedah, Makhdzir and I were driving together to Alor Star. We dropped “The Steves” off in the forest to do whatever scientist guys do out there. As you might guess by now, Makhdzir and I had another interesting talk. We were on our way to pick … Read More

JUST A FEW WEEKS after our trip to Malaysia to hand out printed copies of The Bee Tree, I received an email from my friend Prof. Makhdzir Mardan in Malaysia saying that he had gotten a worried and upset call from Salleh Mohammed Noor, our friend, the hero of “The Bee Tree” affectionately nicknamed Pak … Read More

I USUALLY WRITE “HOLIDAY” on my immigration card in the blank that asks for the purpose of my trip. It’s not a lie, but it is not really true. I have a secret mission. I’m not necessarily laying on the beach or sitting in bars sipping margaritas. Although I might be. I am there to … Read More

[Note: you can enlarge the photographs by clicking on them. Then use your browser’s back button to return to the blog] Tuesday, February 13, 2007, SunsetThe bee tree: somewhere in the forest near Pedu Lake, Kedah SELAGI ADA HUTANSELAGI ITU ADA PEMBUREAN TUALANG“As long as there is a forest, there will be honey hunters”–Pak Teh … Read More