Dec 30, 2007

Gua Musang - a vibrant border town

Vibrant border town
Sunday December 30, 2007

The old town of Gua Musang seems like most other small towns in Malaysia, but there is more to it than meets the eye. This little town is full of history and stories, and locals were more than happy to share them with us.

It stands on the border between Pahang and Kelantan, and was once one of the most remote towns in the country.

According to Abdul Wahab Matdiah who grew up Gua Musang, the British was first attracted to the area because of the gold deposits in Pulai. They started mining the gold, and constructed the railway lines that connected Gua Musang to other parts of the country. The railway station later became the heart of town.
Discovering the town ... The BRATs speaking to a shopkeeper at the Gua Musang market.
Discovering the town ... The BRATs speaking to a shopkeeper at the Gua Musang market.



The 62-year-old veteran soldier joined the army because he was inspired by the bravery of the locals who fought against the Japanese during the second World War.

“I was only a teenager then, but I still remember how the locals fought against oppression during the Japanese occupation.

Many locals who died defending their own land were buried under two trees located in the old town area,” recounts Abdul Wahab.

Gua Musang’s Chinese Business Association president Lee Rong Xin also has bitter memories of the Japanese occupation.

“The Japanese set fire on the shoplots to retaliate against the locals who were against them. The shopkeepers were the main supplier of food in this area, and the Japanese wanted to disrupt the food supply.

Some of the participants braving the rain to get their assignments.
Some of the participants braving the rain to get their assignments.



We all fled to Kampung Tiung, which is across the river behind the shoplots,” recalls Lee at his shop on the town’s main road.

Lee says that the Chinese were first brought in by the British in the 19th |century as labourers to develop the area.

The introduction of the Felda scheme in the 1970s brought an influx of settlers from different parts of the country.

Before independence, the only transportation link to the town was by train. It was then one of the most inaccessible towns in Malaysia.

However, the town’s people pooled together their resources to develop the area. Now the town is a busting centre of activities.

As the population grew, the roads were paved to make the town more accessible.

Cars, motorcycles and lorries drive through the town to the nearby areas.

There are two parts of the town. The old town, with its two rows of shophouses on the main road, remains the commercial hub where people come to do their shopping and banking.

There are many shops selling provisions, farm equipment, and junk food in bulk.

There are coffee shops where locals congregate to exchange gossips and news, and a popular Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet. At the end of the main road is the railway station, with limestone hills looming majestically behind it.

Gua Musang has expanded beyond the old town. There are many rows of new shoplots and sprawling government buildings on both sides of the road leading to the old town.

There is a new market in Gua Musang, where there are many stalls selling Kelantanese food such as laksam, nasi berlauk and akok.

These days, there is a good network of roads and highways that link Gua Musang to Koto Bharu, Cameron Highlands and other parts of the country.

Residents like Abdul Wahab are happy to live in Gua Musang.

“The community is very close-knit and peaceful,” says Abdul Wahab.

Although he is glad there has been development in Gua Musang, the retiree is also concerned about some of the side effects such as noise and pollution.

“A lot of the children are getting ill more often,” says Abdul Wahab who does not want to see his beloved hometown become as busy as the urban jungle. -- The Star Lifestyle


Dec 16, 2007

Ipoh Old Town Wonders

Old town wonders
Sunday December 2, 2007

Ipoh is mostly known for its limestone hills and famous eats but spend a day in this city that tin built and you’ll come to appreciate its colonial inheritance and leisurely lifestyle.

Antiques

Memory Lane Bazaar

Sunday mornings are a good time to hunt down cheap bargains at this flea market that extends from Jalan Horley to Jalan Lim Bo Seng. Fondly nicknamed as the thieves’ market by locals, the weekly bazaar first came about in the 1960s and has since been relocated twice. It’s a good place to scour for antiques including rare stamp collections and old vinyl records.

Mixing Ipoh White Coffee

White Coffee

Ipoh Old Town has been made famous from a single local drink - the white coffee. As early as 6am, coffeeshops along Jalan Bandar Timah are crowded with regulars and old friends chatting over a cuppa before the start of their day. Among the most addictive ones are at Nam Heong and Sin Yoon Loong.

White coffee goes well with roti bakar

Birch Memorial Clock Tower

E.W. Birch built this tower in memory of his father, the first British Resident of Perak J.W.W. Birch, on the 20th anniversary of the latter’s assassination in 1875. Costing $25,000 with a bronze bust of the elder Birch in one of the niches, the tower stands next to the Medan Selera Datuk Sagor where you’ll get to savour one of Ipoh’s many specialities - soft boiled eggs on toast.

Railway Station

An Anglo-Indian architectural railway station that was recently renovated, it is one of the old buildings that one can admire when visiting Ipoh. Don’t forget to also identify the Ipoh tree in front of the station, from which the city got its name.

Ipoh famous taugeh chicken

Taugeh Chicken

Thanks to the mineral-rich water of the limestone hills here, its bean sprouts are more succulent, the kuey teow smoother, and the girls looking fairer. Due to this, try as they may, Ipoh’s taugeh chicken just doesn’t quite taste the same anywhere else.

St Michael’s Institution

This is one of the premier schools in Ipoh and was the favoured academic institution for families to send their sons to, even from as far as Cameron Highlands. It was established in 1912.

Little India

A popular shopping area along Jalan Lahat and Jalan Sultan Yussuf, Little India sells all things beautiful from gold and costume jewellery to brightly coloured sarees and Punjabi suits. Both roads are dotted with Indian food outlets like the popular Sri Ananda Bahwan and Chettinad restaurants. In 2000, a square replaced the Birch Fountain, a memorial to E.W. Birch who was also a British Resident of Perak like his father, in the middle of Little India.

Lady showing of juicy Tambun Poemloes

Tambun Pomeloes

The pride of Ipoh whose reputation has reached far and wide, Tambun pomeloes can be found in most parts of the city. Choices are, however, aplenty along the old trunk road to Kuala Lumpur. Sweet or sour, whichever is your liking, they are always juicy and tasty and make great gifts for friends back home.

Perak Cave Temple

A panoramic view of the city and its surrounding areas waits at the peak of this stunning limestone hill. Inside the cooling temple cave itself are magnificent statues of Buddha and other deities while its walls mirror over 200 paintings and calligraphic masterpieces by famous artists from around the world. The foreground of the temple, with swaying willows, a lotus pond and pavilion, is reminiscent of a beautiful oriental garden.

Taman D.R. Seenivasagam

Taman D.R. Seenivasagam

An ideal place to relax and for family outings, this park named after People’s Progressive Party founder member and former Ipoh MP D.R. Seenivasagam, is surrounded by lush greenery. It has a Japanese themed garden and ponds where you take boat rides or just feed the fishes.


Getting there

By bus

Buses to Ipoh are available from Kuala Lumpur and Penang and they all make their final stop at Medan Gopeng near Gunung Rapat. Express buses from KLIA to Ipoh are also available.

By car

Use the Simpang Pulai or Ipoh South exits if you are heading to Ipoh from Kuala Lumpur and enjoy the two-hour scenic ride. Use the Jelapang exit if you are coming from the North.

By train

Trains are available from KL Sentral and it takes about four hours to get there.



source: The Sunday Star.

Dec 10, 2007

Borneo Highlands Resort, Kuching, Sarawak

Borneo Highlands Resort promotes back to basics theme
By Sharon Ling
Monday December 10, 2007


The Borneo Highlands Resort, an eco-friendly development in the Penrissen Range near Kuching, is reinventing itself as a “back to nature” destination.

The resort, which boasts an 18-hole golf course among other attractions, is currently undergoing renovation to improve its hotel and other facilities.

Bigger and better: A room decorated in the ‘back-to-nature’ theme. This is what the rooms will look like after the renovation.
Bigger and better: A room decorated in the ‘back-to-nature’ theme. This is what the rooms will look like after the renovation.


Borneo Highlands Resort chief executive Loh Leh Ching said they would be increasing the size of guestrooms in the hotel.

“At the moment we have 55 rooms which are quite small, so we are renovating the hotel to make the rooms bigger.

“When completed, it will have 30 rooms in different categories such as deluxe and suite,” he said during a media tour of the resort recently.

Much to see and do: Visitors and resort staff heading back to their vehicle after looking across the border to Indonesia at the Kalimantan viewpoint (above) and (below) a landscaped flower garden. and rabbitrearing area.
Much to see and do: Visitors and resort staff heading back to their vehicle after looking across the border to Indonesia at the Kalimantan viewpoint (above) and (below) a landscaped flower garden. and rabbitrearing area.

Borneo Highlands Resort garden grounds

He added that the guestrooms would be decorated according to a nature theme, while the resort’s jungle spa would also be renovated to make it more natural.

“In the past we had a golf concept for the resort but now we are going back to nature. We want to promote a ‘back to nature, back to basics’ lifestyle,” Loh said.

Besides the RM3mil renovation, the resort is upgrading its access road and installing electricity cables at a cost of RM8mil each.

All upgrading works are expected to be completed by April.

Natural beauty: A rocky mountain stream at the resort (above) and (below) the resort offers plots of land for bungalows amid the mountains and jungle of the Penrissen Range.
Natural beauty: A rocky mountain stream at the resort (above) and (below) the resort offers plots of land for bungalows amid the mountains and jungle of the Penrissen Range.


Borneo Highlands Resort also recently launched Phase 4 of its Rainforest Haven bungalow lots.

Dubbed Swan Lake Forest, Phase 4 comprises 46 lots dotted around the contours of the resort, each with a different mountain and jungle view.

Loh said there were plans to introduce the properties to the international market next year with a projected price of up to US$200 (RM676) per square foot.

Time for a dip: This waterfall is one of the scenic points on the way up to the resort.
Time for a dip: This waterfall is one of the scenic points on the way up to the resort.


“For the past two years, our records have shown that the minimum selling prices of our properties have increased by 90% from RM38 to RM72 per square foot.

“With our foray into the international market, we are projecting to hit US$200 per square foot,” he said.

Located about an hour’s drive from Kuching, the resort is set amidst jungle-clad mountains near the Indonesian border at about 1,000m above sea level.

Guests can look across the border into Indonesia, which lies below a cliff drop of 600m at the resort’s Kalimantan viewpoint.

Other attractions include flower gardens, a horticulture nursery, Chinese tea house, rabbit park and jungle waterfall. -- The Star Metro.