Cambodia: Here we come

The end of November is coming and it can only mean one thing, the Rotaract Club of Universiti Teknologi Petronas is going to  make their way to Angkor, Cambodia soon for their annual international Goodwill trip.
This year, a total of 15 participants will go to Cambodia. The goodwill programme will include activities such as teaching, donation of old clothes, donation of food, simple repairs and most of all, donationn of water filters to the village nearby as mortality rate amongst young children in Cambodia is very high due to the lack of clean water. We, from thte Rotaract Club of Universiti Teknologi Petronas, would like to say a big thank you to our university residents for their kind donations that have allowed us to donate 10 water filters to the village.



Ok, so we will be going on the 13th-20th of December. We're getting excited and will be back to tell you loads of stories.

2010 Goodwill Trip : Cambodia

Year after year , our beloved Rotaract Club of Universiti Teknologi Petronas extends a helping hand to countries in need in the way that we can. Last year we had a great trip in India. This year, we're heading for Angkor , Cambodia.

Come this December, we're targeting to have the participation of 20 members in a Goodwill Trip to Angkor, Cambodia. An eight day program that will surely allow the members to reap lots of benefits from the trip.

With goodwill at heart, our main aim will be helping a primary school , Ta Phang primary school. A school situated in rural Cambodia. The school has no electricity or clean water. In Cambodia, 1/3 child does not live up to the age of 5 because of the absence of clean water. If funds permit, we plan to help them obtain a pump to pump water into a sand filter. The sand filter of course is not like the ones we have in our water treatment plants but a simpler version that is better than not having any filtration at all.

Activities would include teaching, simple repairs, mural painting and such at the school. Don't worry, we'll get to see some wonders of Cambodia as well. A remain of the great Khmer Empire, the Angkor Wat and it's temples will be on the itinerary list. Tonle Sap is also in. Tonle Sap, Asia's biggest lake.

The trip promises to be an eye opening experience for all the participants. Don't miss out on a chance to help other people in need.


Start saving , start thinking. You can be the change you want to see in yourself. Ask not what others can do for you but what you can do for others. Join in the fun while doing goodwill in Cambodia. For enquiries, please mail

ham19902008@gmail.com.

:P A more thorough post will be up soon regarding the trip. Stay tuned.

RACUTP IN NST NEWSPAPER!!!!!

INDIA!! part 1

Xiao Ci did a great summary on our trip to India,

and so she has asked me to a detailed one complete with pics and all,

so here it is :)

and sorry for the delay...

DAY 1 : 10 Dec

AK 203. 2.50p.m. Malaysian time. The historical flight that would carry 10 eager souls from our humble LCCT to Kochi Airport in India. They were Rtn. Arthur, Ms. Hellina, Jerry, Xiao Ci, Izzah, Liang Yi, Chin, Graham, Jonathan and Eric. There we would be greeted by Atif as well as the Rotaractors from the Rotaract Club of Saibaba Colony D3201, with Sandeep joining us from Chennai at night. Chin, Xiao Ci, Izzah, Liang Yi and Rtn. Arthur took the Skybus from KL Sentral while the rest went straight to the LCCT.

After a slight expected delay we boarded and left Malaysian ground at 3.10p.m. The flight being roughly 4 hours, we had the chance to savour AirAsia's really cheap meals.

Pak Nasser's Nasi Lemak anyone? RM9 only!

After filling the customs froms and reading the inflight magazine from cover to cover, things started to get dull and so we slept, only to be awoken an hour later by Mr. Pilot "Rise and shine, we're travelling 20,000 ft above the air and we'll be landing shortly, make sure you are seated, thank you for flying with Air...(etc.)..." Then we peeked out the window and what lovely scenery met our eyes. Rocky mountains engulfed in snowy clouds and if you peered close enough, you could actually see fields sprinkled with windmills.

After touchdown, 4.45p.m. India time, we peered out and saw Kochi International Airport, different from Malaysian stereotyped airports. Quaint as it was on the outside, it had a modern inside. Passing through countless security checks we walked out of the airport and were greeted warmly by our India counterparts. They eagerly crowned us with 'malai', introduced themselves, obliged to several cam-shots and off we went on the 1 hour + journey to our accommodation for the night. Oh the exitement!

The long and bumpy ride broke all the ice and we were chatting like we'd known each other for years. There were 5 of them, Vishnu, Barathi, Abdul, Sethu and our dear Vignesh. We were also given a sneak peek of what Indian streets and traffic looked like.

We arrived at Ambady's Palmgrove Club, where we'd be staying for the night, hosted by the Rotary Club of Cochin. We had an introduction meeting, where they welcomed us, and treated us to a lovely typical South Indian buffet dinner (which we thoroughly enjoyed). There we learned that using fork and spoons was somewhat taboo. After the late dinner caused by different time zones, we had a small informal meeting with the RC of Saibaba Colony regarding our itinerary ahead.

DAY 2 : 11 Dec

We awoke to find Rtn. Arthur swimming in the pool, and while waiting for breakfast to be served we were treated to a spectacular all-round view of the backwaters of Kerala and its peasant-life. Breakfast was lovely with the irresistable poori and idly, and we left for the beach of the famous Fort Cochin. Around 10am, we stopped by The Dutch Cemetery where the Dutch soldiers were buried. We managed to snap several shots of the renowned Chinese fishing nets alongside the shore; they were made of teak and bamboo poles. Then we visited St. Francis CSI Church and the magnificent Santa Cruz Basilica.

Then we embarked on another arduous journey to the boathouse located in Allepey. Vignesh had booked 2 boathouses for all of us to stay for the night. On the way there, we stopped by to buy drinking water, and we managed to drop by a roadside stall selling nanarusarpert, water mixed with root essence powder, blended with soda. Surprisingly quenching as it was, we gulped down at least 2 glasses each, 7 Rs. for a glass. 7 / 13 = RM 0.53. Cheap? Hehe.

After a total of 4 hours, we finally arrived at the boathouse and we were thrilled with what lay in for us. The boats were no ordinary silly rafts floating, waiting for you to trip and fall in the water; they were long and big boats with 4 A/C rooms (each with attached bathrooms), a kitchen, and a spacious lounge with a flat-screen and dvd player with subwoofers. Who would expect this? The most important thing of course, was that there were electric sockets to charge our extra limbs. ^^

While waiting for lunch, we enjoyed the breathtaking scenery and played games in the open-air lounge. We played charades and taught them to play Big 2 and what better time than now to play Xiao Ci's Indian Poker? Of course we played it, with everyone esp. Barathi laughing their bums off. As we played, many other boathouses passed by and we waved, and they waved back, and Sethu, having lost at one round of Indian Poker was sporting enough to shout "I love you" to an Indian boatman who passed by us, making him happy.

Night saw us having fellowship with the mosquitoes with everyone in the lounge area, with stories being told, and mosquito repellent being rubbed on our hands and legs. Then we exchanged pendants with our Indian counterparts. After chapati and several curries for dinner, we watched Vertical Limit from the DVD player. Then it was sleeping time. :)

INDIA!! part 2

DAY 3 : 12 Dec

The next morning, we played cards and took more photos of the backwater and its community, while waiting for our boats to dock back at the place we started. Next on our itinerary was the renowned Athirapali Falls, which was on the way to Tamilnadu. The falls were located deep inside the country and away from the city, and the journey through the rubber and palm oil estates had adrenaline running through all of us and pale-faced xiao ci was seen clinging on to the chair for her dear life (she asked me to include this) hehe. But really the journey to the falls can be compared to Genting's corkscrew just that it had nicer scenery and lasted 100 times longer~

Anyway upon arrival, we had to hike down to the base of the waterfall, and at first sandeep and gang refused to hike down because they were scared they could not take it (hehe) but in the end it was sheer willpower that dragged them down. But there were no regrets as we were greeted by a stunning and flabbergasting view as the water came pouring down the cliff, creating a majestic fall.

After hiking back down, we treated ourselves to the irresistable coconuts sold there for Rs. 15 each. How quenching. Then we embarked on our journey to Tamilnadu. The trip there was a long one (4+ hours) but the indian guys entertained us by singing and showing off their dance moves. Yup. Inside the van. As we entered Tamilnadu from Kerala and headed towards Coimbatore, we could feel the vast change in temperature. Coimbatore was experiencing (snowless) winter at that time and the air was really really cool, unlike Kerala's which was hot and humid (far worse than tronoh's). And we looked at our finger nails and they were all filled with dark grey dust. Anyways, the Indian guys all came from Coimbatore, their home-town.

Finally, we reached Udumalpet (a town in Tamilnadu) where we would spend the night. Being offset by almost 3 hours, we went straight for a pre-planned meeting with the Rotaract Club of Udumalpet Ghandinagar and the Rotary Club of Udumalpet at a school that was sponsored by the mentioned Rotary Club. RC Udumalpet Gandhinagar was a club which achieved lots of great awards and we managed to have a look at their achievements. Later, we had late dinner at Sun Anaappar Hotel, treated by one of the Rotarians. The splendid dinner, more like a banquet comprised of naan, purata (their version of roti canai), mutton, chicken and lots more. Carrying a stuffed stomach, we headed for Anamalai's Hotel and slept there for the night.

DAY 4 : 13 Dec

Next morning, 7a.m, Jonathan and Eric followed Rtn. Arthur for morning mass at a local Catholic church and met up with the rest of us at Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Pollachi. There we would spend the night at Topslip, at the peak of the reserve. The road towards the reserve was breathtaking, and we saw a vast field of windmills. Our acting tourguide of the day, Rtr. Naga claimed that each windmill costs around Rs. 100-200k, and was privately owned, each by a separate company. On the way, we stopped by New Modal Crematorium which was built with an expense of Rs. 1.5 million without funds from government and other NGOs. It involved 6 Rotaract clubs in which 5 were college-based and 1 was based in a community. This crematorium was being built because the people in Udumalpet would have to travel uo to 40 km to Pollachi or Palani to burn their dead, so building this crematorium would serve to be more convenient for them.

We reached the entrance of the reserve and after getting tickets, we set off inside. We had to pass through multiple security checkpoints, as they checked our passports. The drive up was humbling, as we got to witness the virgin forests of India. Unlike our tropical forests, India's had many bamboo trees growing in the forest with scarce undergrowth, which made it easier for trekking. We were told that if we had kept our silence, we would be fortunate enough to see wild panthers roaming about. But our van was nowhere near to being quiet, special thanks to our entertainer Vishnu. hehe. The red-earth roads were bumpy, filled with hair-pin bends, and once again, xiao ci and liang yi could be seen clinging on to dear life. We even passed by 2 wild boars and waved to them and they waved back.

Our first stop would be the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary which belonged to the Kerala government. At the same time, Rtn. Arthur and Miss Hellina and spouse went elephant-riding. After taking approx. 1000 shots in the nice and chilly weather, we set off for a large water dam, owned by Tamilnadu. Another 1000 x 2 shots and we left, being able to catch glimpses of a pack of deer and peacocks nestling in the grass. The buffaloes were even lucky enough to see us.

Then for lunch we went to Lakshmi Hotel and were served the best chicken 65 that we'd ever tasted! Far better than KFC, even Atif who hails from Kerala said that he had never fancied chicken 65 until coming to this sacred place! hahaha. The chicken is a South Indian style of cooking a chicken dish which is fried until crispy, and served with onions and curry leaves and etc... There are many theories on how it got its name. According to Vishnu, the chicken that they use to cook the dish must be 65 days old, while others say that they use 65 ingredients to cook up the dish. So which is the true one?

Later we went to the Parambikulam Tunnel Entry and took even more photos xiao ci and her poses, and then headed to the Kannimara Teak, the largest living teak tree in the world. It has a girth of 6.57m and is 48.5m tall. It is said that it would take 10 people to circle the tree, hand in hand. And so we tried :)

As late evening fell, we moved up to Topslip and stayed over at the Parambikulam house, with 5 rooms. Just before dinner time, and after several ghost stories of spinning leaves and all, the driver called us saying that we could have a chance to see wild elephants roaming in the night, somewhere downhill. Quickly, we scrambled into the van and all of us were forced to be silent and still as the moon. We were discouraged to take any photos, so there won't be any for you to see. We drove on a little and suddenly we stopped, as there were about 30 elephants around our van, some even blocking the road. Thrilled as we were, we were also afraid that the elephants might charge at us. It was quite a scary experience, with so many of them around our helpless van. Then our skilled driver revved his engine in hope to scare them off the road. After about 15 minutes, they slowly walked off and we went for our dinner at Lakshmi Hotel again, not that we minded! So Chicken 65 it was again, until we finished all of the stock, leaving nothing but empty bowls. Some of us were even so hiked up about it that they even made spontaneous videos advertising how awesome the dish was~

After dinner we headed back to the house, and then our dear Jonathan just had to let his disposable underwear be exposed to public view, and the Indians caught sight of it and asked what it was. Then it all began. Jonathan explained to them what it was and our Indian friends here were so excited about it that they even took it and played with it, wearing it on their heads, faces and every part of their body that could fit into those underwears. They even made a song about it and danced to it, but the content may be too explicit for the simple mind to watch so i'm not posting it up :)

Then after more ghost stories by Mr. Naga, we held a meeting with both RAC UTP and RC of the Saibaba Colony. During this time we shared our feelings and experiences so far, and Rtn. Arthur elaborated on his duty and importance as Zone Coordinator. We were supposed to watch Paranormal Activity after that, but everyone was just too tired so we slept and woke up the next morning as fresh as milk.

INDIA!! part 3

DAY 5 : 14 Dec

And so the next morning we woke up to a beautiful sunset and fresh air, despite having to take turns to bathe. Then each of us out of appreciation collectively gave a donation towards the Crematorium through Rtr. Suman, as he had sponsored many meals for us. After that, we left Topslip and stopped by at RC of Udumalpet center to receive the receipt of the donation. Rotaractors from RAC UTP and RC of Saibaba Colony also received souvenirs from RC of Udumalpet. Subsequently, we left for another long journey to Coimbatore, a city inside Tamilnadu, where the RC of Saibaba Colony is based. As we entered the place, we could feel a distinct coolness of the air, as Coimbatore was experiencing winter, as i mentioned earlier. We then paid an educational visit to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, a high-tech public university situated inside Coimbatore.

There, Rtn. Sundra Babu and Dr. Vadivel hosted us, and gave us a tour and briefing about the university. The university mainly does research in agriculture, and the new techniques are passed on to farmers to carry out their work to increase production, etc. Currently, they are researching the use of Jatropat in the biofuel industry. They showed us their university's yea-old online portal, at www.agritech.tnau.ac.in. The portal contained a myriad of information about the types of plants, climates, and even showed a daily list of the prices of vegetables that can be accessed on-the-spot by anyone who had an internet connection. After visiting their conference room, we presented our souvenirs and pendants to them.

We proceeded for lunch at Sree Annapoorna, where Rtn. Arthur's wife, Jessica, joined us. Anil, Santhosh and Udhaya, from RC of Saibaba Colony joined us too. The food there was good, and subsequently we headed for Coimbatore's main shopping street. A few others from another Rotaract Club joined us there. There, we split into several groups, and each group went their own way, each wanting to buy different items. But in the end, almost everyone of us had bought the same items, ranging from sarees, scarves and bangles, to kurtas and elephant keychains of different sizes and colours.

As night fell, we attended a joint meeting with the Rotary Clubs of Coimbatore West and South. We were introduced to them, and were even requested to sing a local song. And so our ever sporting Rtn. sang 'Getaran Jiwa' while we happily hummed along~ It was a thrilling experience, to be able to attend a Rotary Club meeting, all the more in a land far away from home =)

We duly exchanged pendants, politely listened to the speeches, and it was time to end the meeting, before singing the Indian and Malaysian anthems. Dinner was served in-house and we totally enjoyed it, and by now all of us were used to using our hands to eat. That night, everyone slept at different places. Eric slept in Vignesh's house, Graham and Jerry slept in a Rotarian's house, while Jonathan was supposed to sleep in Vishnu's house, but ended up sleeping at the apartment with the girls. heee!

At night, those staying at the apartment helped to pack the materials needed for the next day, which would be our community service.

DAY 6 : 15 Dec

We awoke early as usual, and our van brought us for breakfast at People's Place. There, we stuffed ourselves with typical South Indian poori, thosa and porata. Having enjoyed the food (as always), we left for the Isha Yoga Center, a meditation center, based on the Hindu religion. The place was a peaceful and serene place, with brick and stone domes and marble walls. We managed to catch a glimpse of Sadhguru, the yoga master. We were given a chance to watch some videos that featured Sadhguru being interviewed. Then, we were allowed to step foot inside a pool of water with a huge solid mercury ball in the centre, which was deemed as pure and holy. The water was icy cold to the skin, but we had insufficient time to take a full-body dip into the pool. Shortly after, we were then given a chance to perform a 15 minute meditation inside an enormous brick dome. The dome is claimed to be the largest brick dome in the world, if I'm not mistaken. Later, we visited the gift shop and most of us bought T-shirts, while some bought bags and yoga meditation CDs.

Skipping lunch we headed for our first community service at an orphanage, Jeeva Jothi Trust Children's Home, where we'd start our community service. We were then joined by 2 girl Rotaractors from the Rotaract Club of Saibaba Colony, Sumathi and Vaishnavi. As we arrived, we were told that there'd only be about 10 children there, as the rest were having exams in shool. Anyhow, we started to introduce ourselves, and then gave the children a chance to tell a little about themselves in turn. Then we proceeded by playing selected games with the children. For the first game, we played 'Simon Says' with the children, but we kept on winning. Next, we played a game, where we split all of us into four groups, and the goal was to see which group could make the longest line using items on their bodies (e.g. shoes, hairbands), in the shortest time. Lastly we played a game, where everyone formed a circle, and had to follow the moves of the person next to him. At the end, we presented stationery and smiling cards with inspirational words to the children, which they received with ear-to-ear smiles. And we also presented several trunk boxes to the orphanage. We left the place after taking a photo with the people at the orphanage.

The next home we were to visit was the Douglas Memorial Children's Home, which was situateed nearby. When we reached there, we had to wait about 20 minutes for the children to return home from school. When they arrived home, they rushed in to greet us. But not all were small kids. They ranged from small primary school children, to a few teenagers. As we were short on time, we did not play any games with them, so we proceeded by presenting the stationery to them as well as old clothes and stuff brought by us from Malaysia. After taking a photo with them, we left for the next home.

The next home was Saranalaya, a home for the girls, which was also located nearby. There we also had lack of time, so all we did was hand out the stationery to them and socialise with them and take a shot with them.

Later on, we rushed to the Centenary Hall of Coimbatore Texcity to have a joint meeting with the RC of Saibaba Colony and the Rotary Club of Texcity. The first part was a meeting hosted by the former. There, we exchanged speeches and pendants, and were once again introduced to the audience. The highlight of the event was when Rtn. Arthur gave away a hearing aid to an Indian child, who had lost her hearing ability. Then, the night proceeded with a meeting conducted by the Rotary Club of Texcity.

After all that, just as we thought we were finally going to have our lunch dinner, we were driven to another unexpected meeting by the Rotaract Club of CUG (Corvai User Group). By now, meetings and all its proceedings were a normal thing to us and we sat patiently through the meeting =)

Then came the best part of the day, dinner time. haha. Dinner was by the CUG and they served us nice Indian ice-cream for dessert =)

That night we slept in the same places as the night before. Before we slept, all of us stayed back at the apartment and talked and shared each of our experiences. Graham and Jerry even convinced Arun to join the RC of Saibaba Colony.

DAY 7 : 16 Dec

The next morning, we awoke early, with a heavy feeling of dread in our hearts, as we were going back to Malaysia. We knew that it would be a painful parting as we'd all grown so close, as close as a family, since we had been together and did everything together ever since the first day. They even did a special joint bulletin featuring our trip to India.

Anyway, we awoke at 6a.m, normal time, and as we were waiting for the van to pick us up at the apartment, Barathi took out an Rs. 10 note, with a small note of appreciation written on it, and signed by all the members of the RC of Saibaba Colony and presented it to Xiao Ci. In exchange, Xiao Ci took out a RM 10 note and did the same, writing a short note with our names there, and handed it to him. What a nice souvenir to exchange.

When the van came, we all went to People's Place again for breakfast, and it would be our last time together. Even Vishnu, who had initially planned to attend college after skipping so many days for us, finally decided to skip one more day, just to bid us goodbye.

Everyone was hugging and you could see that all the faces had the expression of trying to stifle a cry. We took our last photos together, and welcomed them to Malaysia anytime. We would be going to the airport alone, as it would be inconvenient for anyone of them to follow us there, as the journey would take up to 10 hours to and fro. As we boarded the van, some of us couldn't control our emotions, and tears rolled down from the puffy red eyes.

Finally, we left, and as we entered Kerala, we could feel the vast difference of temperature, as it became much more humid and hot, compared to Tamilnadu, and all of us were sweating. The driver that took us there was such a reckless driver, that almost all of us came out of the van feeling dizzy. We ate at a restaurant opposite the airport, and boarded flight AK 204 at 5.00p.m. India time. On board, we met a guy who claimed to be an Indian actor, and we even took photos with him. We landed at the LCCT around 12a.m, ate at Old Town White Coffee and slept at Starbucks Coffee. Then in the morning we headed for our hometowns.

On behalf the Rotaract Club of Universiti Teknologi Petronas, I would like to thank all the members the Rotaract Club of Saibaba Colony for the perfect hospitality and fun that they had showered upon us throughout the whole trip, and for the months of planning, the sleepless nights and the vast numbers of meetings that they had gone through to make this trip a success, and by that I mean a truly remarkable and awesome trip!

Thank you Rtrs. Barathi, Vishnu, Vignesh, Sethu and Abdul Basith, Rtrs. Udhaya, Anil, Santhosh, Mr. Naga, Rtr. Suman, and all those who had contributed either directly or indirectly in making this trip a wonderful and smooth trip. Special thanks to Vignesh for arranging everything for us, as the itinerary was seemingly flawless! We really enjoyed it thoroughly, and we are waiting here in Malaysia to welcome you and be your host when you come here for your international service~

Thank you once again and see you in the near future!

" They came as strangers, and went back as family "

" The highlight of the trip was when Vishnu gathered everybody to show the malaysian friends the 'touch me not' plant hoping that it would be an unheard plant for them, ironically, Izzah walked away in an instant saying 'hey we do have this plant in Malaysia and we have seen it many times', and you should have seen Vishnu's face at that time! - Priceless! "

Barathi~

" Great is a less word to explain the enjoyment with RAC UTP "

" I dun know why time moves so fast I miss all my bros and sisters of Malaysia :( "

Vishnu~

" Omg though only seven days...!! We have really become one family and now I miss them badly...!! :( :( :( "

" Missing my Malaysian family very badly...!! "

Sethu Raman~

here's a nice tamil song =) go listen

the inner beauty of India ^^

Most people are actually nice if you get to know them, so is India...

On the 10^th December 2009, approximately 4.45pm local time, the group consists of 11 members representing RAC Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS has arrived at Cochin Airport, received by rotaractors from RAC Saibaba Colony (SaiCon) and a few rotarians from RC Cochin Midtown. The immediate interaction was felt when all of us were greeted with warm gesture of RAC Saibaba Colony’s rotaractors who wore us a malai- garland.

The feelings of excitement were non-stopping throughout the journey. The barrier of diverse religion, race, culture and belief did not stop us from getting close to rotaractors of SaiCon. In fact, we were treated friendly by them as if we have known each other for some time. They were very enthusiastic to introduce us about India as well as knowing us and our country, Malaysia. However, we were many times distracted by the traffic. The drivers in India seem to in love with the vehicle’s horn system. The horns were heard every now and then, almost every second…

In Kerala, we were brought to the famous Fort Cochin Beach and the Dutch Cemetery. Besides, we also visited the nearby St. Francis C.S.I Church and Santa Cruz Basilica Church. St. Francis C.S.I Church is the oldest European church in India while Santa Cruz Basilica Church is endowed with its architectural and artistic magnificence.

On the same day (11^th Dec), we made our way to Allepey for a stay at the boathouse, which is very popular in Kerala. On the way to Allepey, we stopped by at some stalls to purchase drinking water. We also had the opportunity to taste the nanarusarpert, which is made of the root essence and blended with soda. Sipping nanarusarpert was a superb moment as it quenched our thirst profusely.

After travelling the unpleasant roads for about 4 hours, we finally reach the port at Allepey where we supposed to get into the boathouse. We were thrilled when we saw the boathouse was nicely equipped. The boathouse is also supporting our ecotour objective because the boat is made of natural resources including bamboos, palm leaves, and woods. The entire journey on boathouse was really amazing, especially the spectacular views along the river, the morning mist, and the breezy weather throughout the boathouse journey.

We continued our journey to Athrapalli Fall after leaving the boathouse on 12^th Dec. Athrapalli Fall is another paradise for ecotourism. The waterfall is approximately 80 feet high. The breathtaking waterfall scene was enticing us to snap ample of pictures despite of the danger of climbing from one huge rock to another. The soothing sounds also brought us nearer to the nature and some relaxation effects.

Kerala certainly deserves the name of “God’s own Country” given by National Geographic Traveller for its preserved nature and environment, which all of us were delighted with.

Along the way to Topslip (13^th Dec), windmills were spotted up to a very broad area. Only at that moment, we realized that India is making good use of the renewable wind resources in such eco way to provide power supply to the local Udumalpet masses. We even stopped by just to capture these 150 feet tall windmills.

Although the way to Topslip was adventurous because the road was extremely narrow, curvy and bumpy, we did have fun enjoying the natural beauty of this reserved wildlife sanctuary. The surroundings that covered by greenly flora and fauna are definitely a heaven for individual that adores the beauty of Mother Nature. At night, we manage to witness the wild elephants and deers. After that, we went for dinner at a shabby hotel where we had our lunch on the same day that serves tasty Chicken 65. Atif, Sandeep and Jerry had even proposed the idea of bringing Chicken 65 back to Malaysia for its exclusive sensation that Chicken 65 offers.

Tamilnadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is another place that has impressed us. Not because of its campus or the architecture, but its university’s technology that aims to improve the lives of farmers. We were introduced to the university’s portal, TNAU Agritech Portal which provides abundant information regarding farming that would allow farmers to obtain expertise from researchers of the entire world by merely using mobile phones.

Another captivating spot of Tamilnadu is the Isha Yoga Centre. It is a place of tranquil and peace for people who wish to escape from the hustle and bustle of city by meditating and practicing yoga. It is founded by a famous yogi named Sadguru who is also a well- known philosopher around the world. The buildings are unique as such that they were built without the use of pillar. It is said that one can attain the peace of mind and perfection of soul through meditation. As we entered the meditation hall, the calm ambience was felt. The rejuvenation was experienced despite of the short meditation session we had.

On the last day (16^th Dec) before we depart to the Cochin Airport, again we had our breakfast at People’s Park. The dishes served include the poori, ghee roast, masal roast, puratta, chappathi, idly, vadai, and etc. All the food taste exquisite, perhaps we have got used to the Indian food and started to savor them by eating with our hands. Not only that, the taste of rose milk was extremely good too, which I still craving for it now.

All in all, the exotic beauties of Indian food, places that we have visited, and the Indian community are truly undoubted, yet it cannot be explained by words alone. To feel it, you have to experience it!

All I have to say is nandri-thank you, especially to Vignesh, Bharathi, Vishnu, Abdul, Anil, Sethu, Udaya, Santhos, rotaractors and rotarians who have put in tremendous effort to bring us such a wonderful memory of discovering India. I believe all of us have created a miracle milestone through this goodwill and ecotour program.

*****Merry Christmas and Happy 2010! =)*****