The tree with a face

Pix from Jeff Ooi

This is the in thing in Kampung Payar, Kepala Batas at the moment - The Tree With A Face.

It has attracted droves of visitors and the area has become like a pasar malam. I bet that most of the visitors are Malays. The Malays just love this kind of "paranormal" thing although scientists claimed it's just a freak of nature.

"Such an incident, known as “inflorescent” in botany circles, is an arrangement of flowers on a stem, and due to folding, could branch out in the form of a face or other forms." [The Star]

It seems that village elders advised onlookers to "just look" and not to make comments.

Apasal lak? Takut dia bagi salam ke...?

The ugly side of Malaysians surfaced too when some of the visitors cut some of the tree's exposed roots.

Apa kena korang ni?

However, the good thing about The Tree With A Face is it has led to economic spin-off.

"...the village has taken on a carnival atmosphere, with enterprising residents setting up stalls to sell food, snacks, drinks and photographs of the tree to visitors.

You can sit outside the kampung houses to enjoy a bowl of sup gearbox made of ox parts, a plate of chicken rice or some cool ice-cream." [The Star]

Now what would you do if this tree is in your own backyard?