SPRING FESTIVAL 2026 - HUAT RU 马

Pot of limes from Pudu Ria Florist HQ in KL-bursting with Vitamin C

Pots of Tangerines which Chinese establishments such as restaurants would purchase for the upcoming spring festival

Cherry blossoms - symbol of spring and renewal

Limes, Kumquats and Tangerines - such a soothing sight within the city of KL

KL Gateway Mall is one of the many spots which I stop by on workday weeks on my way home from Cyberjaya, Selangor. The Mall's CNY banner is as depicted below where the last day to catch the acrobatic lion performance is on the 26th February 2026 afternoon. The traffic jams in the city are an unresolved issue which is compounded by the unpredictable rains, increasing number of vehicles on the road (EV or not), unplanned road closures, accidents et cetera. The Malaysian Government has announced 50% discounted toll rates on 14th and 15th Febuary 2026 only, which can be read HERE.  

CNY 2026 Facebook Banner from KL Gateway Mall

PLUS Highway authority (a member of the UEM Group) Time Travel Advisory are now in their app and is apparently powered by AI. A banner promoting their MyPLUS app is pictured below:-

Mandarin oranges which is pronounced as “KAM” in Chinese dialects (Hokkien & Cantonese), can be interpreted as GOLD with each orange representing a precious piece of gold. A major Malaysian-based distributor of oranges which are imported from Southern China, explains about their brand of oranges HERE. Huat Ru-Ma (Chinese character for horse pronounced as "Ma" is 马) means Prosperous House is a clever slogan from IKEA Malaysia (as printed on their banner pictured below). Their CNY 2026 campaign webpage can be viewed HERE. 

YEAR OF THE HORSE - GALLOPING INTO 2026

Acrobatic Lion Dance at Pearl Point Shopping Centre

Fruits & Lettuce which the Lions had "munched" on earlier

Pink Lion delivering little pieces of happiness in the form of Mandarin oranges

God of Prosperity with whiter than white smiles handing out angpows with vouchers

Brought my mum for Sunday shopping at Pearl Point Shopping Centre with Chinese New Year 2026 around the corner. We manage to catch the first lion dance performance that afternoon and it was the acrobatic one, with the pair of red lions expertly jumping, twisting and turning on the poles to the sounds of cymbals and drums. Mandarin oranges "dropped out" from the mouths of the lions and my mum was the happy recipient of one Mandarin orange:)  An interesting article entitled "Chinese Lion Dance (Wu Shi) History, Symbolism & Traditions for 2026" by Sino Cultural where it was written that the drums represent the heartbeat of the lion, makes me appreciate the traditional culture even more. You can read about it HERE. 

The Lemon Trees are now available for sale since Chinese New Year 2026 is around the corner. Loving the varieties being offered for sale by one of the largest wholesale supplier of flowers, plants in Malaysia, Pudu Ria Florist. Their lemon tree webpage can be viewed HERE.  Their website is kept updated, and the front page of their website has that celebratory look and feel of Chinese New Year, with flowers, kumquats and oranges including the pair of lions (pink and orange) against a red-coloured background, RED being the primary theme colour of CNY. A visit to Pudu Ria's headquarters for whiff of spring blossoms will be featured next.

14 February to 3 March 2026 CNY Lantern and Floral Festival will be held at Fo Guang Shan temple which can be viewed via their banner below:-

Predictions for the 12 Zodiac animals including the mythical dragon are covered in the South China Morning Post article HERE. Genting Highlands CNY festivities and Horse-themed website is also up and running as pictured below:-

WELCOME 2026

Tanjung Tuan Forest reserve signboard at the base of the hill forest. The website of Melaka Forestry visibly displayed on signboard. 

The website of the Melaka Forestry is not accessible as of January 2026. Contact information on the State Forest Department of Melaka can be obtained from the website of the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia HERE. Information on Tanjung Tuan forest park itself is available HERE. 

The walk down the forest reserve

Bukit Batu Putih which I dared not attempt to hike YET...

Cape Rachado (Tanjung Tuan) lighthouse - a welcome sight for me as I completed my uphill walk

Entrance to Tanjung Tuan forest reserve - a long-tailed macaque (one of many) sat on gate

The single lane entry and exit points into Bayu Bay Resort. Drive fast along the main road and one will also miss these points. Nevertheless, despite the school holidays and public holiday on 1st January which saw an increase in visitors to PD, traffic was significantly less compared to KL or Ipoh or Penang. 

Brought my mum to visit this Taoist temple which is situated next to Yun Long restaurant 

Had dinner at this Yun Long restaurant the night before

Lempeng Kelapa with curry sauce bought from Medan Selera situated in front of Bayu Beach Resort

Goodbye 2025 Hello 2026

2025 has been a very quiet year for me in terms of birdwatching. Family gatherings too have been relatively quiet. Public holidays provide the best opportunity to travel, despite the traffic jam challenge where highways such as PLUS North-South's can literally turn into "parking spots" along certain stretches. Port Dickson holds a lot of dear memories for me, my family and the days when I was a raptor counter which you can read about HERE. Bayu Beach Resort was available for booking on New Year's Eve and off we go for some Vitamin Sea at PD, which faces the Straits of Malacca, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The resort had a private beach and though there were sand flies (recommended to wear long pants/jeans and slather/spray liberal amounts of insect repellant on arms, hands, feet & ankles), one can have a pleasant walk in the cool morning and evening, when the sun sets.   

Speedboat (non-functional) on display at lobby area of the Resort

Spiciest Assam Laksa I've ever eaten at a nondescript warong by the roadside of Teluk Kemang 

  Paid an additional RM4 to Port Dickson City Council whose website can be visited HERE. This sustainability fee was collected by Bayu Beach Resort reception staff on behalf of the PD City Council. After dropping of my mum and helper at Resort's two-room apartment, I had a bit of me time at PD Marina area, in which ZUS coffee outlet has a great view of the Straits of Malacca at their outlet's first level. Unfortunately, that outlet was crowded, with a long queue of people waiting to place their orders. A reminder of the ongoing school holidays. I went over to DEDAUN, a modern coffee-shop style restaurant instead. They had cool Malaysia Slangs plastered all over the brick wall next to their entrance. I ordered their 3-Layered Milk Tea and sipped it slowly whilst enjoying the view of the busy shipping lane at the first floor of DEDAUN.

Mangrove (a very small patch) at this corner of the beach where the water was visibly cleaner. I had seen otter tracks on this sandy area of Tanjung Tuan, years ago.

A piece of dead coral washed ashore

The sandier beach in front of Villea Resort, mangrove and parts of the Tanjung Tuan hill forest in the background - when the tide is low, one can walk right around the mangrove area 

Private beach at Bayu Beach Resort - there were sand flies!

Sunset at Bayu Beach Resort private beach facing the Straits of Malacca

A smaller piece of dead coral on beach of Port Dickson

My mum on her evening walk along the sandy beach of the resort

Goodbye 2025 as waves washed it away

Birdwing of Bukit Tinggi in Bentong, Pahang

 

Common birdwing (Troides helena) is certainly one of the most beautiful species of butterfly I have ever seen. The latin name for this butterfly leads me to think whether it is named after "Helen of Troy", the Greek mythical character known for her exquisite beauty and the saying that it was her face that launched a thousand ships i.e. rival king invading Troy in order to (forcibly) win her hands in matrimony. More about this birdwing species can be read HERE. I had spent boxing day afternoon at the Japanese gardens in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang which lies at an altitude of 3,500 feet. I could hear the calls of the Black-browed barbet as I walked upwards towards the gardens. The songs and calls of the black-browed barbet can be heard in Xeno-Canto HERE. The Colmar Tropicale (as pictured below) and the Chateau Spa & Wellness Resort, both owned by the Berjaya Hills Resort Berhad, are promoted and marketed internationally (as well as within Malaysia) via Agoda, Booking travel platforms etc. 

View of Titiwangsa range as I exited the Japanese gardens

Ryo Zantei Japanese restaurant at Berjaya Hills

Scenic parking at Berjaya Hills

Brightly-coloured facade of Colmar Tropical

A Bodhi tree at the roundabout leading to the hotel & resort.

I visited the Buddhist temple at Bukit Tinggi, Pahang to pray for a good year ahead in 2026. There is a bodhi tree at the roundabout that leads to the hotel & resort at Berjaya Hills. When the wind blew, the sound of the rustling leaves was music to my ears. More information on the Bodhi tree can be read HERE. Managed to use my binoculars later in the afternoon when I birded outside the Ministry of Housing & Local Government training grounds. The incoming rains ended my unscheduled birdwatching session that late afternoon. My eBird checklists are available at https://ebird.org/checklist/S291789212 and at https://ebird.org/checklist/S291789381