Road Trip to east and north Malaysia 4

Saying goodbye to Ashaari












On 23 oct I accomplished one mission, that is, to find an old friend whom I have lost contact for so many years. I remember her house along Pengkalan Chepa but the place has changed so much. I stopped at Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri to enquire from somebody senior about Pn. Halimah Malkan, former excellent Principal, teachers college lecturer and education officer. I knew her since 1980s and we worked to promote PRS program. She was one of my strong supporters then. I was lucky, one lady officer knew her daughter who is teaching at Sekolah Menengah Dato' Ahmad Mahir and there we went but she was at a meeting. I got her house phone number. Then it began the excitemnet of being connected again and Halimah, who also has retired, came to pick us to spend an hour or so at her house catching up with old time. She knew who Hj. Amir Hamzah is but does not have his number and address. I am relieved Amir is well and hope one day we will meet again. I left my name card to Halimah to give him in case she meets him one day. I owed Amir a lot for being a good friend and a faithful supporter of my program.

On Friday 24th Oct, Ramlah invited us to the town centre to litsen to the weekly sermon from Tok Guru (Dato Nik Aziz, the Menteri Besar of Kelantan). A wide spense of listeners were already there. I was more curious than anything else. Tok Guru came in a black Perdana and walked slowly to the rostrum. He was not well. I marvelled at this old man. Inspite of being sick he still came to meet the people who were there. He is humble, simple and lives in a unassuming house in Kampung Melaka. To me he is a good spiritual leader but I am not sure about political leader. After that we said goodbye to Ari and left for Tasik Pergau.

Time spent at Tasik Pergau was most memorable. The lake itself is so beckoning and so calm. It soothes the soul. When we arrived we were told we were the only occupants of the floating chalet. I liked that. The boat transfered us far out onto the lake to the floating chalet. There was only one person, Rastam, in charge of the floating chalets. We were assured that it was safe and OK. The only problem was there was no light after 12 midnight and we were given torchlight and candles. I know Sharipah was scared and worried. I lied if I say I wasn't scared being in nowhere lake with no one around. But I was OK as it was safe.

During the night the wind blew quite strongly. The floating chalets creaked and croaked. The sound was natural to me and didn't bother me at all. I slept like a baby. My friend Sharipah had her imaginatiuon worked overtime and fear was her company. She didn't sleep at all!!! The next morning she insisted we left though I was keen to stay another night. The environment was relaxing and quiet and it really soothed the soul. She imagined we were kidnapped and brought somewhere. Imagine kidnapping 2 old ladies!! I didn't entertain her overdramatic imagination. It was a waste of time and she was transmiting negative energy to me. I knew she was angry at me for not listening. I just told that her fear and negative anticipation is like self-fulfiling prophesy. It was Ok if I wasn't there. I definitely will go again to Tasik Pergau but not with her. I called En. Zaaba, the chalet operator and questioned him why there was no registering system for guests and no receipt was given by his staff when we left. The management of this chalet needs to spruce up.

En. Rastam took us around the island before sending us to the jetty. We saw a large abandoned fish culture farms on the lake. What a waste. I am sure thousands of ringgit were spent for this project and it failed and left there to rot. It could be a tourist attraction had it been properly managed.

Titiwangsa

Leaving Pergau for Banding we experienced sone rough patches on the road. We wondered why there was no toll to be paid. The government has done wonderful job in building this highway to enable people from west coast to connect easily with the east coast. The toll would help to pay the maintanance of this highway. Appreciation should be given to Barisan National government for making the connection possible. We stopped a while at Titiwangsa to take some photos. The scenec view of the valleys and distant mountains were really stunning. This place could be an attractive stop if there were chalets or a small resort there.



I was looking forward to see elephants crossing the road but it happens only during the night. So we were happy enough just to take photo at the sign opposite.

Belum Rainforest Resort is so beautifully built blending so naturally with the surrounding. It was quite heavily booked but we were lucky to secure a room without reservation. Remember to book in advance especially if it is school holidays or weekeneds. It costs us, senior citizens. RM200 for a twin bed. Sharipah immediately hit the bed to make up for her sleepless night in Pergau while I went for a walk around the resort. I met En. Mokhtar, the Recreation Manager who gracefully offered to take me to the model orang asli village nearby. The orang asli would be invited to come to perform here if the resort received a large number of tourists.

In the evening, En. Mokhtar was kind enough to agree to take us near Belum forest reserve to view the raflesia, the biggest flower. I have seen pictures of a different specie of raflesia here which is different from the one I saw in Gunung Gading, Sarawak. We managed to see only a half rotten flower and the buds but we were happy enough to have this opportunity. The boat ride itself on the lake was so exciting with fresh air and clear view of Belum Forest Reserve. We need special permission to enter this forest reserve. I'll do this again one day.