Months ago, I was triggered by my time at M3ru camp for my BiTieN to write about forest. It wasn't something particularly witty or funny, or anything like that. It was more of an observation I had. During the camp, we had this 'Kembara' time (which I think would translate into 'Adventure'), whereby teams are sent out to go through a course and come back alive (ok, so it wasn't that dangerous, but muck, thorns and leeches are kind of in that eww zone for some people).

My group went along fine. We were counting ourselves (shouting ONE! TWO! and so on until the last member, 16!), or some of the guys were singing (badly) a Hawaiian song (one of the facilitator taught us during the 'ragging' session).

Thing is, as I was walking, or climbing rather, I couldn't really help but think that I have very different ideas and ideals about forests in Malaysia and forest elsewhere (elsewhere would likely be some western countries), and it isn't the temperature mind you.

It made me think about how I would picture forest when someone says the word 'forest'. Malaysian forest in my head would be dark green, dark, wet, scary, full of stuff you have to be careful about (be it physical or spiritual...yes, we have a lot of that being shoved in our minds don't we?), and generally not a place I would say romantic. That Commonwealth forest and park resort thing, that gave me the same vibe. I didn't feel a touch of fond romanticism in that place at all. Duk baca ayat kursi banyak-banyak ade la.

Now then, western forest to me has joy and skip stamped all over it. I know its a skewed image of it all, but that is how strong childhood images have carved its way inside my head. I have been reading books after books since I was a child about fun things that happen in forest. And when you watch some old movies where they have it in the forest, they're bound to show really pretty scenes, with the sun shining between the leaves and the birds gaily chirping. Its like watching Bambi. Haha.

I blame the bad stereotype on television. I don't think I ever saw a Malaysian story or movie that features the forest in a good way. There is always some sort of bad things lurking when they use wild green areas to shoot movies. Be it ghost stories in pitch darkness, or people getting killed or taken hostages, or people running around scared and wild eyed from some bad men. Its all negative. Orang kena tangkap berduaduan pun dalam hutan. Mana tak nya kita nak kaitkan hutan dengan shadiness?

I think it is a bit too late to change my mindset on thinking about forests this way. Malaysians should have more stories like The Magic Faraway Tree.


Going through swamps

Hehe.