Our guide, Jaya, was an enthusiastic caver who provided us with a wealth of knowledge on the cave history and the various highlights within the caves, such as stalagmites, stalactites curtains, straws and flowing stones. When we first entered the cave, we had to put on the provided hard hats, and collect head torches.

The ladies had been told to wear good strong walking shoes before hand, which was well worth the hint, as often the ground was damp with the dripping of water from the cave walls or ceilings and somewhat slippery.

The Educational tour consisted of one hour walking mostly on concrete paths, looking at the various stalagmites rising from the floor and stalactites jutting from the ceilings that formed intricate formations such as curtains, flow stones, cave pearls and scallops which took thousands of years to create … with some joining to form huge columns. The Dark Caves have been closed to the public for a number of years, as the tourists had broken many of the thousands of years of mineral collections when they had been allowed to travel through freely. With the MNS (Malaysian Nature Society) now having control of the tours, everything is protected and the history remains with those who listen on the tour. Everyone in our group went on this tour.

There were plenty of bats flying overhead and the smell of the guano all around was something we learnt to deal with upon entry into the caves. It was interesting to note that the Chinese workers mined the guano for fertilizers in the valleys years ago, and you could see the lines of where it had once been and how it was so much lower today – 5 or more metres below! it!
Those doing the Adventurous choice waited for Jaya to return before moving off the concrete and dirt track and onto steep inclines and declines and through tiny crevices, where they had to lay on the ground and crawl through small chambers, wallowing in the puddles. It may have been a blessing that they couldn't see in front of themselves at times… but the creepy crawlies were not seen anywhere in close quarters. The noise was muffled and only heavy breathing could be heard within our own ears at times, as we strained and stressed our way through the tiny chambers, with our hard hats having to be moved on an angle to get through the holes! Some in our group struggled with enclosed areas while being separated in the tiny chambers, but with coaxing and encouragement, came through unharmed and more enriched by the experience of being able to come to terms with a fear… this experience is not for the faint hearted!

Others found the climb down dreadfully scary, but overcame the trauma and managed to survive. I would highly recommend this trip… particularly to visitors who are keen to try out caving. Please make sure you wear long pants and long sleeves, as when crawling… they protect the skin somewhat. Expect to get wet and very dirty.. but the thrill of the hunt is overwhelming and well worth the intimidation. If you want to try it you need to contact the MNS office on 7782 5754, or Jaya on 012 310 3464 to book the tour.

Jenny Savage

Amita Shah opened the program with an explanation of how her family celebrates Deepavali. She helped us to understand the regional variations in the Deepavali festivities across India but emphasized that the same themes – light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance – pervade all of the festivities. Whether it is in lighting rows of oil lamps, painting a picture of Hindu Goddess of wealth Laksmi, adorning an altar with sugar toys or reciting mantras, the spirit of family and community are most important. Amita explained that over several days of Deepavali festivities, different relationships are celebrated.

celebrated. Children receive money from their fathers in return for expressions of respect, businessmen and herds of holy cows share a day of worship and there is a special day when women thank their brothers for their devotion and care throughout the year. Of course, the women do lots of cooking and everyone eats well! Our thanks go out to Amita for sharing her personal stories and enthusiasm.

Following Amita's presentation we were treated to some Indian music, performed by two very talented artists, sitar player Kumar and tabla player Ganesh. Kumar introduced us to some basic elements of Indian classical music, helping us to understand the traditions of raga, its rhythms and melodies and the interaction between the musicians. They played a beautiful raga for us (in 16 beats), then a folk tune in a more contemporary style. We were so honored that these young men took the time to educate and entertain us.

For the finale, the lead dancer at the Temple of Fine Arts, made a special presentation. In honor of Krishna's birthday, Shankar danced a traditional dance in the character of Krishna's foster mother, Yasoda. Shankar was preparing to dance this same dance that evening, so his energy was very high and his love and respect for Krishna were very contagious! He patiently explained the main actions and positions in the dance so we could better understand the story that was being acted out. The dance was very entertaining, some might say enchanting, and except that lunch was awaiting us, we really could have watched him dance again and again!

After three such lucid and inspiring presentations, we were left to enjoy an absolutely delicious lunch prepared by Annalaksmi Restaurant and served by the ladies of the Temple. The restaurant, located in Mid-Valley Mega Mall, serves vegetarian south Indian food on a "pay-what-you-can" basis - delicious and spiritual. It was well into the afternoon when most of us went on our way, looking forward to Deepavali celebrations in October and a return trip to the Temple! Thanks to the organizers and the Temple of Fine Arts for a wonderful morning.

Cheryl Hoffmann

Rimbun Dahan means "laden branches", presumably so named as the area was a fruit orchard when purchased by the Hijjas family – Mr.Hijjas Kasturi, famed local architect and his Australian wife Angela, a nature lover and conservationist and much more. When you first come into the property, you can see the passions of both have had a very strong influence on their surroundings. Angela was to lead the tour of the property but had to take an overseas trip, so her daughter Bilqis very kindly agreed to take over, and she was charming and knowledgeable with a very easy manner. Bilqis explained to us that her father's designs had the environment in mind, all buildings made of steel, rock and concrete only; open air living, combined with an abundance of greenery mean they are able to live nicely without eco-damaging air-conditioning (apart from the art gallery of course). Initiated by Hijjas Kasturi in 1994, their residency programme invites artists from Australia and Malaysia to live in the compound and concentrate on their practice.

Today's tour included a special art exhibition entitled Art for Nature 2006 – Feed Me! An Exploration of Appetites. Rimbun Dahan's curator, Laura Fan, chose the concept for the artists to follow, from the sadness at the passing of her father and her embarkation on a tremendous eating spree. Once she realised what was happening, the subject of food and Malaysia became a seed and germinated, growing with the idea that in Malaysia this topic is so strong – all emotions and conversations are expressed though food; and "on a deeper level the theme of this exhibition forces us to recall how uncontrolled appetites have led to tremendous destruction of natural resources and the oppression of peoples. Under the guise of development and modernisation, we have inflicted irreversible ecological damage to the forests, oceans and hills that surround and support us. Why has our hunger been allowed to run unchecked?" (Quoted on the WWF website .)

The artists responded to the concept with gusto. Bilqis took us through most of the pieces, describing the artist's idea when it was not obvious. Half of the proceeds of the sales will go to the WWF-Malaysia group, as will the door entry paid by MCG members.

After viewing the exhibition, Bilqis took us on a tour of the gardens, explaining that Angela was very much of the opinion that a native Malaysian garden was more in keeping with the environment, which was an unusual concept in this country, where the national flower, the hibiscus, is apparently not indigenous to Malaysia. We visited the herb and spice garden, passing by the Balinese guardian statues. Angela's criteria for selecting plants were that they either be Southeast Asian in origin, or of some culinary or medicinal significance in the region. This area also provides organic vegetables.

We then passed by the amazing collection of antique vehicles belonging to Hijjas Kasturi, two resident artists workrooms and residences, through part of the 14 acres of land, to see the 1901 traditional village house from Parit in Perak, Rumah Uda Manap. It was lovingly dismantled, moved to Rimbun Dahan and restored, with just a couple of changes, i.e. changing over the painted window shutters to have the paintings showing on the inside when the shutters were closed, rather than the outside; and the addition of carvings around the rooms in areas that would normally be left far less ornate than the front of the home where visitors would be entertained. The back half of the house was a new addition to enable "mod-cons" such as a kitchen to be included. Resident artists who are with a family are usually housed here.

Begun in 1991, the garden is evolving and not yet complete. Angela or a family member are happy to take groups through the property, and all proceeds go to the Malaysian Nature Society, where Angela is a committee member. Refer to www.rimbundahan.org for information on this and detailed information on the gardens and Angela's hopes and aspirations for them.

I was interested in the how and why of Angela being here, so checked the Internet and discovered from the Monash University website that " she was born in Melbourne, and graduated from Monash in 1971, having completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in geography and economics. After marrying her Colombo Plan Scholar husband, who studied architecture in Australia, her life took a path that reflected her commitment to the arts and the environment. Angela Hijjas chose adventure over convention when she headed to Malaysia on an Australian Volunteers Abroad assignment soon after graduation. More than 30 years later, she's still there", write Rahmah Daud and Allison Harding.

"The couple see their residency program as a way of repaying the benefits they have enjoyed from being part of both cultures -- although the motivation was partially triggered by a 1983 political spat when then Australian prime minister Paul Keating labelled his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad a "recalcitrant". Aware the incident could worsen bilateral relations, the couple felt something positive needed to be done.

"That was the catalyst, although we had been thinking about it for some time," says Mrs Hijjas, who adores her life in the tropics and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2000 for services to Malaysian--Australian relations."

There is much more that I could write here, the whole concept of Rimbun Dahan , the Hijjas family and their involvement with environmental groups, is fascinating stuff. Check out their website and maybe you could help out with the WWF or MNS.

At the end of the tour, we were treated to refreshments in the lower living area of the family home building and members had a chance to ask more questions of Bilqis.

Vicki Fennessy

Using slides from her visit(s) to North and Northeastern Thailand, including the village of Surin, Michelle wove a spell of her own and captivated us with her descriptions of the complexity, detail and skill required to produce even one meter of silk. While she focused on silk production and textile weaving in Thailand, she pointed out that there are similarities in the production of hand woven Ikat in Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia.

It's all about women but it starts with the worm

After the rice planting is finished, women in Thailand turn to tending mulberry trees in their gardens.

Seven days after mating, the female silk moth lays 7000-9000 eggs which develop into larvae. Young worms are placed on finely chopped mulberry leaves, set out in flat bamboo trays and fed three times a day. The trays are covered with cotton scarves or sarongs and set on tables. The table legs sit in bowls of water to keep ants, wasps, and other insect predators away as the young worms are tasty morsels in the food chain and are vulnerable. The normal life cycle of the silk worm is between five and ten days. There inherent dilemma of silk production is that the worm dies. The irony here is that according to Buddhist doctrine, and Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country, killing of animals is to be avoided.

There are many types of silk worms, three types are used in Thailand, one produces a creamy yellow cocoon another produces a silvery white one and a third a mix of the two. Commercial cocoons are larger than those produced in village gardens. Michelle passed around examples of each type for comparison. There are also commercially cultivated mulberry plantations (such as those involved in the Jim Thompson enterprise). But nonetheless, silk production remains largely a cottage industry in Thailand involving the women in small local communities.

Producing the Thread

Cocoons (with live pupae inside) are immersed in almost boiling water and a fine, almost invisible filament can be plucked from the floating cocoon. When the filament unwinding from one cocoon becomes thin, the reeler splices in another filament from a new cocoon to keep the strand continuous. Each cocoon produces 1 – 2000 ft of silk filament. Three thousand cocoons are needed to produce one yard of silk fabric. Spent cocoons float on top of the steaming water and are later scooped out as fresh cocoons are added. The entire process is like a rhythmic dance; one gesture flows into the other.

Before the silk thread is ready to be woven, it is subjected to a de-gumming process. The tacky gum is removed from the thread with an alkaline solution of water and coconut husks and hung in skeins to dry.

An interesting side note: after the filament is gone from the chrysalis, they can be stir fried with chilies and served in a spicy sauce. Michelle and her Mum were brave enough to actually taste them. Those of us in the audience were quite satisfied with the photographic evidence!

Natural Dye to Weave and the Weaving of the Mudmee

The weft Ikat weaving process is a dye resist method involving several steps. Beginning with silk weft threads on a frame, the tier establishes a pattern by tying them off with banana leaf string ties (they look a bit like our 'twist ties"). The dyed thread is wound onto bobbins which are numbered in the order in which they will be woven. Michelle presented slides of traditional patterns as well as actual textiles that showed the squid, turtle, peacock and the ever popular bamboo leaf designs.

Michelle passed around bags of herbs, plants and the cochineal that were used in the production of natural dye colors. These colors combine with a mordant that helps the color to penetrate the cloth.

We had an opportunity to handle actual cocoons, touch the 'raw' silk skeins at various stages in the process, see how the threads were tied for the dyeing process and marvel at the details and textures of the finished product….a truly memorable hands-on experience.

Women's work is never done…

These beautiful textiles as works of art though their weavers are mostly unknown and unrecognized. They are all women.

Women cultivate the trees, feed the worms, harvest the cocoons, boil them to release the filament, dye the thread, weave the mudmee and perhaps wear it. (Those of the best quality are sold.) All of this occurs within the village community... a true cottage industry. Their efforts make the difference between existence and subsistence for their families, impacting the quality of life and the future for their children. And then it's rice planting time again.

Carol McKenna Fort