Optional Tours in Langkawi

Catch exciting movement and magnificent views of how eagles try to get their food skillfully at kilim river mangrove jungle safari visit limestone bats cave and have lunch on floating restaurant.

Price: adult rate RM 160.00/ person child rate (age 3—12yrs) RM 120.00/ person infant (below 3yrs) free

Time: 9:00 am—14:00 pm

Pulau Payar marine park with spectacular corals and colorful tropical marine life is one of the most beautiful and exotic marine parks in Malaysia.

Price: adult rate RM 220.00/ person child rate (age 3—12yrs) RM 150.00/ person infant (below 3yrs) free

Time 8:00 am—17:00 pm

Experience swimming among fishes and view spectacular corals and exotic marine life.

Experience the amazing sunset scenery around the Andaman sea while having cocktail and dinner.

Kazakhstan announced plans to bring wild tigers back to their historical range in the Ili-Balkhash region, and signed an agreement with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to conduct a tiger reintroduction program. “It will not only bring wild tigers back to their ancestral home, but also protect the unique ecosystem of the Ili-Balkhash region,” said Askar Myrzakhmetov, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

If the plans are successful, Kazakhstan will be the first country in the world to bring wild tigers back to an entire region where they have died out for nearly half a century. Tiger reintroduction projects can only be achieved within national borders and in areas that are considered current tiger habitats. Kazakhstan’s tiger reintroduction program is unique and it desperately requires the restoration of a vast forest that is part of the wild tiger’s historical range.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, wild tigers have lost over 90 per cent of their historical range. Wild tigers have completely disappeared from the region since the late 1940s, due to the loss of the habitat. To prepare for the return of wild tigers, Kazakhstan will set up a new nature reserve in the southwestern Ili-Balkhash, in order to restore (使恢复) the unique forest habitat. This will include the protection of existing wildlife, and reintroducing important prey (猎物) , such as the endangered wild Bactrian deer.

Restoring tigers will also help protect Lake Balkhash and prevent it from repeating the fate of the Aral Sea, formerly the world’s fourth largest lake and now 10 per cent of its original size. “The hard work remains ahead of us. We have to spare no effort to make this region ready for tigers and involve all stakeholders (利益相关者) to make this happen. That means dealing with illegal activities, having well trained and equipped rangers, increasing prey populations and involving local communities,” said Ekaterina Vorobyeva, Director of WWF program.

Have you ever heard of agritourism where you can experience the farm life? If not, Dr. Cindy Ayers Elliott will tell you the real story of Foot Print Farms.

The original concept of building Foot Print Farms was simple. When Ayers Elliott returned to her hometown after graduation, she didn’t have to look any further than her state’s alarming health statistics to find a mission. Everywhere she turned, there were reports of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and heart disease. “The problem was already identified,” explains Ayers Elliott. “Too many Mississippians were seriously unhealthy and it didn’t do research to see that. And many of the state’s greatest health challenges could directly result from poor diet.”

These days, Foot Print Farms, which started with a few raised beds of herbs and vegetables, is making fresh , naturally grown food. “Speaking of the key to my success, the co-op(合作商店) model works because we share the work and rewards,” notes Ayers Elliott. “A perfect example is the Wingfield High School football team. To earn the money for equipment and other items, players committed to working five hours a week on the farm, and by the end of the summer they produced 1,000 melons and the profits from their sales helped to buy weights, T-shirts, sweatsuits and pregame meals. But the lessons they learned about the rewards of hard work and working together to accomplish something were even more valuable products of their efforts.”

“It’s a model that can easily be learned in other places and I’m looking forward to seeing some of our current partners do just that — to take what they have learned here and spin it off in other communities,” Ayers Elliott remarks. She is now looking forward to developing an agritourism area, where visitors can experience the farm life, learn new skills and take with them seeds of inspiration they can sow in their own communities when they return home.

When you’re on a fishing boat, you may see flocks of birds following your tracks, hoping to catch a snack. Now scientists say they can use those birds’ behavior to track illegal fishing boats.

Here’s how it worked: Researchers attached data recorders to the backs of 169 albatrosses (信天翁) in the Southern and Indian oceans. The devices weighed only an ounce and a half, but they included a GPS and were able to detect the presence and intensity of radar signals coming from boats. That information was then transmitted by satellite, so the researchers could track the locations of the birds — and thus the radar-emitting boats — in real time.

The scientists then cross-checked the data against the known locations of boats, gathered from a system that boats use to declare themselves, called the Automatic Identification System (AIS). And differences appeared frequently.

More than a third of the times the birds’ recorders detected radar signals, and therefore a boat, no such boat appeared in the official log — meaning that the vehicles had likely switched off their Automatic Identification Systems — something the researchers say probably happens in illegal fishing operations.

The work suggests birds could be an effective boat-monitoring tool, as long as illegal fishing operations don’t target the birds. Fortunately, such a task would be difficult.

“Around fishing boats, you can get hundreds of birds at any one time that are all flying around. So it’s not really possible to target a specific bird. And the birds with recorders on are not marked in any way. So it’s difficult for fishermen to pick out a specific bird,” said study author Samantha Patrick, a marine biologist at the University of Liverpool.

Patrick’s bigger concern is that albatrosses are often trapped by fishing lines. And though regulations have been established to prevent that happening, illegal boats don’t necessarily obey.

How to Activate Brain Cells

Scientists used to think that your brain stopped growing new cells once you reached adulthood. Happily, current research shows that it isn’t true! As you get older, you can continue to grow new brain cells.

Get regular aerobic(有氧的) exercise.

Research shows that regular aerobic exercise over a long period of time can better improve brain cells’ growth than other forms of exercise. Add aerobic activities such as swimming, power walking, and jogging, to your regular routine.     16    

Do stress-relieving activities.

Activities that reduce stress and give you a sense of well-being can encourage the growth of new brain cells.     17     You can do some yoga, read your favorite books, or listen to relaxing music.

    18    

Antioxidant-rich(富含抗氧化物的) foods can prevent damage to your current brain cells and promote the growth of new, healthy cells. Omega-3 fatty acids may also help improve your brain’s health. Add plenty of brain-boosting foods to your diet, such as vegetable oil, nuts, green tea, blueberries and fatty fish.

Maintain an active social life.

    19     It’s also good for your brain. Socializing helps keep your brain cells active, preventing some of the loss of brain function. If you can’t socialize in person, reach your friends over the phone or on social media.

Get plenty of good-quality sleep.

If you’re an adult, try to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. If you’re a teen, aim for 8-10 hours. Your brain heals itself of the day’s stresses while you sleep.     20     You can improve your sleep by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.

Devote yourself to the work you do, not the prize you might get. Hao Jingfang, an     36    (enterprise) Tsinghua University graduate, is pursuing her passion for writing and education. In 2016, she won the Hugo Award with her novella, Folding Beijing. Later on, the author turned to education. She     37     (set) up Tongxing Academy for public welfare education and WePlanets to foster children’s creativity after school.

Since     38     (found) her company, Hao has been carrying out voluntary teaching programs in rural areas. “We really want these kids to have such quality education resources     39     kids from the cities do,” she said. “We hope that the children from rural China, if one day they manage     40     (live) in the cities, can do more than car maintenance, for example. They will have the skills to take on other jobs.”

Different from the typical Chinese parents so ambitious for their children, Hao suggests giving kids more space for trial and error. “Let the children cope     41     the reality and decide for themselves. If they struggle with     42     (obstacle), you can offer them some     43     (guide) or encouragement,” Hao said.

Being     44     economic researcher, writer and entrepreneur herself, she encourages all women to discover their passions. “When you find the one thing that you want to commit to, you will become     45     (fear) to pursue your dream.”