Malaysia
Dodiesdreamworld
EQ Strawberry Farm, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
Posted:
04 Aug 2009 10:03 AM PDT
Being a tropical country, it’s not easy to grow strawberries in Malaysia.
Cameron Highlands is probably the only place which mass produced the juicy fruit
in the country thanks to its higher altitude and cooler temperature.
BEFORE WE TRAVEL TO MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA,
LET US TAKE A LITTLE DETOUR TO
JAVA AND BORNEO
FIRST, WITH A STORY THAT IS TOLD THROUGHOUT ASIA.
This tale told by
the Ilocano is well known among both the Christianized and the wild tribes
of the Philippines, and also in Borneo and Java. However, the Ilocano
is the only version, so far as known, which has the explanatory element:
the reason is given here why monkeys do not eat meat. The turtle is accredited
with extraordinary sagacity and cunning. It is another example of the
type of tale showing the victory of the weak and cunning over the strong
but stupid.
The
Monkey and the Turtle
(Ilocano)
A Monkey, looking
very sad and dejected, was walking along the bank of the river one day
when he met a turtle.
"How are you?" asked the turtle, noticing that
he looked sad.
The monkey replied, "Oh, my friend, I am very hungry.
The squash of Mr. Farmer were all taken by the other monkeys, and now
I am about to die from want of food."
"Do not be discouraged," said the turtle; "take
a bolo and follow me and we will steal some banana plants."
So they walked along together until they found some nice
plants which they dug up, and then they looked for a place to set them.
Finally the monkey climbed a tree and planted his in it, but as the turtle
could not climb he dug a hole in the ground and set his there.
When their work was finished they went away, planning
what they should do with their crop. The monkey said:
"When my tree bears fruit, I shall sell it and have
a great deal of money."
And the turtle said: "When my tree bears fruit, I
shall sell it and buy three varas of cloth to wear in place of this cracked
shell."
A few weeks later they went back to the place to see their
plants and found that that of the monkey was dead, for its roots had had
no soil in the tree, but that of the turtle was tall and bearing fruit.
"I will climb to the top so that we can get the fruit,"
said the monkey. And he sprang up the tree, leaving the poor turtle on
the ground alone.
"Please give me some to eat," called the turtle,
but the monkey threw him only a green one and ate all the ripe ones himself.
When he had eaten all the good bananas, the monkey stretched
his arms around the tree and went to sleep. The turtle, seeing this, was
very angry and considered how he might punish the thief. Having decided
on a scheme, he gathered some sharp bamboo which he stuck all around under
the tree, and then he exclaimed:
"Crocodile is coming! Crocodile is coming!"
The monkey was so startled at the cry that he fell upon
the sharp bamboo and was killed.
Then the turtle cut the dead monkey into pieces, put salt
on it, and dried it in the sun. The next day, he went to the mountains
and sold his meat to other monkeys who gladly gave him squash in return.
As he was leaving them he called back:
"Lazy fellows, you are now eating your own body;
you are now eating your own body."
Then the monkeys ran and caught him and carried him to
their own home.
"Let us take a hatchet," said one old monkey,
"and cut him into very small pieces."
But the turtle laughed and said: "That is just what
I like, I have been struck with a hatchet many times. Do you not see the
black scars on my shell?"
Then one of the other monkeys said: "Let us throw
him into the water,"
At this the turtle cried and begged them to spare his
life, but they paid no heed to his pleadings and threw him into the water.
He sank to the bottom, but very soon came up with a lobster. The monkeys
were greatly surprised at this and begged him to tell them how to catch
lobsters.
"I tied one end of a string around my waist,"
said the turtle. "To the other end of the string I tied a stone so
that I would sink."
The monkeys immediately tied strings around themselves
as the turtle said, and when all was ready they plunged into the water
never to come up again.
And to this day monkeys do not like to eat meat, because
they remember the ancient story.
Another Wonderful Story from the Surlalune web site.
