Small towns are sometimes a lot more special than we give them credit for. A visit to Sungai Lembing a few months back, for instance, is like a journey back in time. Located about 42km from Kuantan, Pahang, Sungai Lembing was known as the El Dorado of the East in the early 20th century. A lot of people lived and worked here in its heyday. One old man told me this place is now an old folk’s town. Most of the youngsters here will venture to the city once they finished the secondary. For a small town, Sungai Lembing is certainly draws in quite a number visitor numbers. It’s hard to believe that out of the handful of guesthouses and resorts strewn across this former mining outpost, most of the room are fully occupied during weekend.
Luckily for us we managed to get our stay at Country View Inn. It’s decent, cheap, clean and comes with air-conditioning. You will be surprised by the decoration inside when you are judging the old wooden house look from the cover. One of the owner’s sons of this guesthouse is an architect. That’s why. Just one advice from me, try not to get a room facing the Java Street. Youngsters here don’t like to sleep early. They would like to come out to mamak stall especially during weekend. If you are facing the street, chances are you will be awakened by the 60s motorbike-owned by their parents era revving sound.
My first stop was the Sungai Lembing Museum, where written records and rusty relics evoke images of a prosperous era when tin was king. Back then, people did not know where Kuantan was. They only knew Sungai Lembing and Singapore. Actually, nowadays too I guess. Many of the neighbours who stay here are former miner themselves. Many of them moved out when the main tin mining company, Pahang Consolidated Company Limited (PCCL), shut down. Here you will learn the history of tin mining. Their method is different to the on in Lembah Kinta, Perak where they utilised dredging method. In Sungai Lembing they utilised mining shaft to get to the underlying layer of tin. It is scary, dark and unhealthy to the lungs. Pictures on the wall showed group of workers in their underwear and safety helmet hassling to get into the tunnel. Luckily there are no sexy ladies around working that time
Like the typical Malaysian small town, Sungai Lembing town is just one stretch of tree-lined road, flanked by a handful of decrepit timber-and-brick shacks. There are several grimy coffee shops, a food court, a Hakka community hall, and, of course, rest houses for the weary traveller like us.Across the street, shops depicting the crunchy coconut biscuits the town is famous for is clearly displayed neatly on an aluminium table. Tomato noodles is one of the dishes that is well-known here too. Don’t be misled that they blend tomato paste into the noodle making. Actually it’s just pirated version of Chinese spaghetti fried with tomato sauce.
I made a detour to Gua Charas, a 1,000m-high limestone cave that rises majestically from swathes of oil palm trees. It is a place where religion and mysticism collide. I was told that people from as far as Singapore come here to pay their respects. During our visit, we saw one entourage of Indians congregated for a ceremony here. Inside, the smell of burning incense and guano hung in the still air. Bats screeched and flapped their wings; tourists made spiritual offerings. Further in, a garishly painted Buddha waited. An Indian lady sat in front of some effigies stringing together garlands of perfumed flowers. She even pointed to us that there is stalagmite formations resemble the Chinese goddess Kwan Yin.
“If you want luck, pray here,” she instructed.
Most visitors end their visit with the first cave, but what CY brought us the second complex (a further 10m climb) is even more fascinating. Although there wasn’t a single soul around, it was evident that the cave was once used for purposes other than religion. No comment.
Remnants of joss sticks littered the place. Numbers were scrawled all over the walls in red, like some ancient hieroglyphic art. Punters. And you know what? Idiots like to scribble down their name on the wall to inform the world that “Muthu wuz here”. Come on? How many Muthu are they in world? Unless you are Michael Jackson, nobody is interested to know you are here.
So for those vandals out there, your scribble on the wall makes my photos look bad, OK?!
Since you won’t get a Starbuck or Mc Donald’s or any well-known international brands besides Shell inside Lembing town, we made a decision to visit Teluk Cempedak, a bay located down south of Pahang. Here they have this Mc Donald’s which is facing the South China Sea.
By the way, talk about Shell, they have this one dilapidated petrol kiosk in the town that worthy to take note. And it's unleaded fuel some more. Open from 7.30am - 6.00pm only with 2 hours break between 12pm - 2pm. Sunday off. It's man operated. No credit card and please no Bonus link points.
For those who are worried that they can’t make it to the top, please be rest assured. Let’s gauge it like this. If you can walk 5 rounds of stadium in one hour then you are certified to be able to hike this hill. I saw kids reached the peak and still energetic to scurry around.
Unluckily for us, the sunrise was not beautiful that day. The cloud is not low and vast enough to give you the feel of standing afloat the cloud. Anyhow, we can still view it from afar. Getting down is not as tough as Mount Kinabalu. Upon reaching the bottom, we headed directly to the so-called famed “yong tauhu” (bean curd stuffed with fish meat) noodle. All thanks to Axian again, it packed with people. Sungai Lembing is known for making “tauhu” (bean curd) because of their self-acclaimed pure water from the river.
Naughty rascal out there, please don’t pee on the river, OK?! We don’t want any Lembing “chau tauhu” (smelly bean curd).
After some heavy breakfast, we went to one of the few hanging bridges there. It is famous because it span over the Sungai Lembing and they don’t have TNB cable crossing underneath it.
After cleaning up and also a quick nap, we moved to this place nestled within a plot of private land off Jalan Sungei Lembing near here called Lao Zi temple. The main attraction of the temple is a sculpture of the Golden Dragon, reputed to be the longest in the world.
Visitors are taken on a guided tour inside the dragon, going in through its tail and coming out from its mouth. On why we enter from the butt and out from the mouth, it’s like depicting that you are spiritually reborn. Written on the walls are scriptures, known as the “Book of Tao and its Virtues”.
For our supper that night, we went to this place which again made famous from Axian’s blog. It’s renowned for the grilled and roast pork that tourists from Singapore are their regular customers. For me, I think it’s because of the owner’s friendliness that made me impressed. I was lost looking for this location. Thanks to Han Ching’s then-IPhone, we manage to locate the owner’s HP from Axian blog and now my blog too (+6017-909 3580/ +609-541 1975), he quickly dispatched his wife to to look for us.
Day two dawned beautifully. The longer we stayed, the more we noticed the beauty of a town that tends to be obscured by miles and miles of oil palm plantations. If you think this is great, wait till you see the Rainbow Waterfalls. Each morning, a rainbow forms at the base of the falls. The place is special not only because of this, but also because of its remote location. The journey entails traveling by 4WD and then guided trekking for an hour.
Before that, we were told to pack a rice flour roll with shrimp and egg. Believe me, this is the most authentic and delicious roll I ever had. Served with just soy sauce, it’s indeed a must try in Sungai Lembing. Again we were not so lucky with the rainbow formation. On good day, the rainbow can cover the whole waterfall. But that day, it is so small that I have to use camera trick to make it big.
I had a bad day when I sprained my ankle on our trekking back to our guesthouse. I can’t work the next day as the consequences. The guide used to have lorry fetching all the tourists to the waterfall. At times it looks like we are a bunch of slaves being driven to site. But then he told me business was so good, now that he can afford to buy pickup. My advice to you if you were to sit at the back, bring towel to shield yourself. Not only the sun but also the tree leaves!
Sungai Lembing. A town that are frozen in time and taking us back to Saturday night fever.
Luckily for us we managed to get our stay at Country View Inn. It’s decent, cheap, clean and comes with air-conditioning. You will be surprised by the decoration inside when you are judging the old wooden house look from the cover. One of the owner’s sons of this guesthouse is an architect. That’s why. Just one advice from me, try not to get a room facing the Java Street. Youngsters here don’t like to sleep early. They would like to come out to mamak stall especially during weekend. If you are facing the street, chances are you will be awakened by the 60s motorbike-owned by their parents era revving sound.
My first stop was the Sungai Lembing Museum, where written records and rusty relics evoke images of a prosperous era when tin was king. Back then, people did not know where Kuantan was. They only knew Sungai Lembing and Singapore. Actually, nowadays too I guess. Many of the neighbours who stay here are former miner themselves. Many of them moved out when the main tin mining company, Pahang Consolidated Company Limited (PCCL), shut down. Here you will learn the history of tin mining. Their method is different to the on in Lembah Kinta, Perak where they utilised dredging method. In Sungai Lembing they utilised mining shaft to get to the underlying layer of tin. It is scary, dark and unhealthy to the lungs. Pictures on the wall showed group of workers in their underwear and safety helmet hassling to get into the tunnel. Luckily there are no sexy ladies around working that time
Like the typical Malaysian small town, Sungai Lembing town is just one stretch of tree-lined road, flanked by a handful of decrepit timber-and-brick shacks. There are several grimy coffee shops, a food court, a Hakka community hall, and, of course, rest houses for the weary traveller like us.Across the street, shops depicting the crunchy coconut biscuits the town is famous for is clearly displayed neatly on an aluminium table. Tomato noodles is one of the dishes that is well-known here too. Don’t be misled that they blend tomato paste into the noodle making. Actually it’s just pirated version of Chinese spaghetti fried with tomato sauce.
I made a detour to Gua Charas, a 1,000m-high limestone cave that rises majestically from swathes of oil palm trees. It is a place where religion and mysticism collide. I was told that people from as far as Singapore come here to pay their respects. During our visit, we saw one entourage of Indians congregated for a ceremony here. Inside, the smell of burning incense and guano hung in the still air. Bats screeched and flapped their wings; tourists made spiritual offerings. Further in, a garishly painted Buddha waited. An Indian lady sat in front of some effigies stringing together garlands of perfumed flowers. She even pointed to us that there is stalagmite formations resemble the Chinese goddess Kwan Yin.
“If you want luck, pray here,” she instructed.
Most visitors end their visit with the first cave, but what CY brought us the second complex (a further 10m climb) is even more fascinating. Although there wasn’t a single soul around, it was evident that the cave was once used for purposes other than religion. No comment.
Remnants of joss sticks littered the place. Numbers were scrawled all over the walls in red, like some ancient hieroglyphic art. Punters. And you know what? Idiots like to scribble down their name on the wall to inform the world that “Muthu wuz here”. Come on? How many Muthu are they in world? Unless you are Michael Jackson, nobody is interested to know you are here.
So for those vandals out there, your scribble on the wall makes my photos look bad, OK?!
Since you won’t get a Starbuck or Mc Donald’s or any well-known international brands besides Shell inside Lembing town, we made a decision to visit Teluk Cempedak, a bay located down south of Pahang. Here they have this Mc Donald’s which is facing the South China Sea.
By the way, talk about Shell, they have this one dilapidated petrol kiosk in the town that worthy to take note. And it's unleaded fuel some more. Open from 7.30am - 6.00pm only with 2 hours break between 12pm - 2pm. Sunday off. It's man operated. No credit card and please no Bonus link points.
For those who are worried that they can’t make it to the top, please be rest assured. Let’s gauge it like this. If you can walk 5 rounds of stadium in one hour then you are certified to be able to hike this hill. I saw kids reached the peak and still energetic to scurry around.
This is a different case.
Unluckily for us, the sunrise was not beautiful that day. The cloud is not low and vast enough to give you the feel of standing afloat the cloud. Anyhow, we can still view it from afar. Getting down is not as tough as Mount Kinabalu. Upon reaching the bottom, we headed directly to the so-called famed “yong tauhu” (bean curd stuffed with fish meat) noodle. All thanks to Axian again, it packed with people. Sungai Lembing is known for making “tauhu” (bean curd) because of their self-acclaimed pure water from the river.
Naughty rascal out there, please don’t pee on the river, OK?! We don’t want any Lembing “chau tauhu” (smelly bean curd).
After some heavy breakfast, we went to one of the few hanging bridges there. It is famous because it span over the Sungai Lembing and they don’t have TNB cable crossing underneath it.
After cleaning up and also a quick nap, we moved to this place nestled within a plot of private land off Jalan Sungei Lembing near here called Lao Zi temple. The main attraction of the temple is a sculpture of the Golden Dragon, reputed to be the longest in the world.
Visitors are taken on a guided tour inside the dragon, going in through its tail and coming out from its mouth. On why we enter from the butt and out from the mouth, it’s like depicting that you are spiritually reborn. Written on the walls are scriptures, known as the “Book of Tao and its Virtues”.
For our supper that night, we went to this place which again made famous from Axian’s blog. It’s renowned for the grilled and roast pork that tourists from Singapore are their regular customers. For me, I think it’s because of the owner’s friendliness that made me impressed. I was lost looking for this location. Thanks to Han Ching’s then-IPhone, we manage to locate the owner’s HP from Axian blog and now my blog too (+6017-909 3580/ +609-541 1975), he quickly dispatched his wife to to look for us.
Day two dawned beautifully. The longer we stayed, the more we noticed the beauty of a town that tends to be obscured by miles and miles of oil palm plantations. If you think this is great, wait till you see the Rainbow Waterfalls. Each morning, a rainbow forms at the base of the falls. The place is special not only because of this, but also because of its remote location. The journey entails traveling by 4WD and then guided trekking for an hour.
Before that, we were told to pack a rice flour roll with shrimp and egg. Believe me, this is the most authentic and delicious roll I ever had. Served with just soy sauce, it’s indeed a must try in Sungai Lembing. Again we were not so lucky with the rainbow formation. On good day, the rainbow can cover the whole waterfall. But that day, it is so small that I have to use camera trick to make it big.
I had a bad day when I sprained my ankle on our trekking back to our guesthouse. I can’t work the next day as the consequences. The guide used to have lorry fetching all the tourists to the waterfall. At times it looks like we are a bunch of slaves being driven to site. But then he told me business was so good, now that he can afford to buy pickup. My advice to you if you were to sit at the back, bring towel to shield yourself. Not only the sun but also the tree leaves!
Sungai Lembing. A town that are frozen in time and taking us back to Saturday night fever.
1 comment:
we didn't take photo at 4WD? that's also great experience!!!
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