Walking in Kuala Lipis

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It use to be easy to walk around in Kuala Lipis. It is not longer so. The town used to be only two streets, the Main Street and The Jelai Street. There is the third one, a walking alley cutting perpendicular across the two street, right at the center. It is no longer so, as the town had extended. A new township had been built across the river and another spot near the hill at what is being called now, the centerpoint.

The old town is still the active commercial center, although there is an attempt to shift it to the spot across the river.The bus station and daily market had been shifted to the new area. Whatever the reasons quoted, it had caused inconvenient to the local.We hope there is not unethical practices in the decision makings.

The best point to start is at the railway station. It was the center of focus during the heyday of railway, before the road transport became the important mode of transport. As you come out of the railway gate, it used to be the bus and taxi stand. That was a clever thinking of the people in those days, the two mode of transport converge to a center point for the benefit of the travelers.

Your first destination is the mile stone and the post office. Walk towards the main street, it is a one way street. When you reach the main street, turn right, about 50 meters away, you will see the '0' milestone. It marks the centre of kuala Lipis. The post office is just next to it. These two heritage were left by the British and become item of tourist attraction.

On the opposite site of the Main Street, you will find the old fire brigade building, a small one though and next to it. about 3 o'clock position, is the old mosque. The present mosque is slightly further, across the railway track.  The mosque is among the earliest building in Kuala Lipis. From the mosque, you can see the river, at the bottom of the steep bank.

The river was the lifeblood of the region until the railway took over. Before the construction of the railway in early 1900, the only way to travel and transport of goods was through the river. Even in early 1960s, the jetty was frequented by variety of boats. You still could see the local population carrying heavy load of rubber and jungle products up the steps to the street. From there, the goods will be transported via road or train to its destination.

There used to be plenty of floating houses built on bamboo rafts. They were unique and became an attraction of Kuala Lipis. The government of Pahang saw this and wanted to take advanatge, subsequently they decided to build a flooting hotel, the actual cost is unknown, but being a government project, it is normally higher than private venture. However the project failed for reasons only known to the state's official. Subsequently, there no longer the floating houses.

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The Photos Of Kuala Lipis

To be Constructed

Kuala Lipis Previously The Capital Of the State Pahang

Kuala Lipis is situated right at the middle of the peninsula Malaysia, located at the confluence of the Sungai Lipis and Sungai Jelai. It is about 200 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur and about 250 km from Kuantan, the capital of the state of Pahang. The district of Kuala Lipis has a population of about 100,000. Due to its past strategic position, Kuala Lipis was made as the capital of Pahang by the British. It was an influential trading and business center producing minerals such as tin and gold, and products from the surrounding forests.

Kuala Lipis was the administrative capital of Pahang for 57 years from 1898 until 27th August 1955, when Kuantan was picked as the new capital. Here, as the state capital during the times of the British colonial era, it was the main residential location for British administrators and other British trade and business men in Pahang.

Most People do not know...That, based on old history books, the center of Peninsular Malaysia is in the district of Kuala Lipis? Some town folks say the center is located in the middle of town. Well, I took a walk in the center of the town and found a milestone lettered with a "0" on it. This is actually the center of the town but whether it is the actual center of Peninsula Malaysia, I have yet to ascertain.

The "0" milestone near the post office in Kuala Lipis is actually a distance marker used by the old, pre-independence British administration for sending letters and telegrams to other districts and locations in Malaya.

If you were to walk around around the town, you would be able to find a number of legacies left by the Colonial British, a surviving reminder marking of their occupation of the country. You will notice the architecture of the past in some of the old buildings there. Surprisingly, majority of the architecture represent the Moorish or Islamic buildings. Right on top of the hill, you have the resident house, used by the resident. It was then made into a hostel for the Clifford Students. It was the first concrete building built in the town by the British in 1867. It was in fact once the official residence for the British envoys who had been sent to administer the State. The famous British state administrator, Sir Hugh Clifford, who was the second British Resident of Pahang, once stayed there.Today, this building now functions as the Kuala Lipis Rest House. At the "Sudut Budaya" (cultural corner) of this Rest House, you can see displays of weapons of the past, such as the Malay spears, daggers and keris.

Another building that has historical significance in Kuala Lipis is the Clifford School, formerly known as the Anglo-Chinese School. This school, which was built during the British administration period in 1913 and was the school that had educated many state royalties and past leaders, not only from Pahang but from the other states in Malaysia.

Pahang Club in Kuala Lipis

Pahang club is among the earliest surviving building left by the British occupancy of Pahang. It is located in Kuala Lipis, sharing the same hill as the hospital, overlooking the Lipis river and the Clifford School. It is considered one of Pahang historical heritage, originally built in the late 1800, as the official house of Hugh Clifford. Clifford was then The Superintendant of Ulu Pahang.

As the British managed to tighten his influence on Pahang, forcing the sultan to accept an advisor, the position of Clifford was upgraded to resident. The Sultan was then nothing more but a puppet, as he had to follow whatever "advice" made by the British. As a new resident, Clifford was looking for a more suitable residence, fitting his position as the British Resident of Pahang. So he manage the get a higher hill to build his new home, a few miles from  Pahang Club. Since then, the hill was rename as  'Resident Hill'.

Kuala Lipis became the new capital of Pahang, replacing Pekan and Pekan remain as the royal town. The Pahang Club was then became the official home of Inspector of Police. As the state capital, the British had more then 100 policemen, from various locations, including India. They were said to take care of the peace of the state, but more like they were to safeguard the ruling of the British Pahang.

In 1926, the house was vacated and became the club for British Official and High Ranking Personals. Its membership was opened to British and Royal family. That time, the Pahang Club as at its peak, became the meeting place of the rich and famous. After Malayan independent in 1957, the state capital was shifted to Kuantan. With the dwindling membership, it was opened to the public, irrespective of their origin or social standings.

Although the grandeur of the past, not all had disappeared, the club retains a handful of loyal members who spent their evenings away in the bar, telling stories of the good old days. It is now become more of recreational club. There is a tennis court in front, a badminton court and snooker room.Outsiders are welcome for drinks or dinner at the bar. The happy hour  is from 6pm - 8pm. They will enjoy together sharing jokes and great stories about the past in this quiet town of Kuala Lipis.

Pahang Club is among the tourist attraction of Pahang.

Rafting in Kuala Lipis

The annual rafting festival is organised to attract visitors to the visit the beautiful state of Pahang. Pahang is gifted with the three famous hill resorts of Genting, Cameroon Highland and Frazer Hill.

The rafting start from the town of Kuala Lipis, about 200 km from Kuala Lumpur and ended in Pekan, the royal town of Pahang, and also the home town of the present Prime Minister, Najib Razak.

Rafting Festival From Kuala Lipis To Pekan

Pahang, 5 May 2008 -- The quiet villages along Sungai Pahang came to life with the 2008 Sungai Pahang International Bamboo Rafting Expedition (Ekspedisi Berakit Antarabangsa Sungai Pahang),

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mdzamryy (2 weeks ago) 0 Reply | Spam

harap harap tahun ni singgah di jeram landak

368ina (6 months ago) 0 Reply | Spam

tahun ne dh x singgah jeram landak

harap2 tahun depan ada le makan nasi kebuli

mohamedrazi (1 year ago) 0 Reply | Spam

meladon wei!!!!!!!!

boneEQ (1 year ago) 0 Reply | Spam

yer... sian navy. aku ingat lagi, dia balik gitu jer. bagi rakit kat orang. rakit dia siap meriam, siap sauh... kalau meriam tu ada bom, lama dah dia tembak penganjur agaknya...

tak per, pas ni koramg tau la navy ajak buat xpdc berakit kat laut. tau la korang... aku hantar nasik jer. hahaha...

beskal2000 (1 year ago) 0 Reply | Spam

roslan madun...mana lagu lemak manis...nyanyi la...

Ezehelm (1 year ago) 0 Reply | Spam

Hidup Roslan Madun! Hidup Pakcik2 Piring! XD

Organisers kena pastikan tahun depan semua baik. Kesian Navy, merajuk sebab tak dapat nombor satu. Padahal diorang sampai dulu. Tak baik aniaya orang, walaupun takde niat.

Orang2 yang pernah join ekspedisi ni kata tahun ni tak best kalau bandingkan dengan tahun2 lepas. Tahun depan pastikan semua ok yek. Kurang2kan dangdut tu.

Ezehelm (1 year ago) 0 Reply | Spam

Hope the organisers don't change the pit stops next year. And make sure the river stays clean after the expedition. Next year, hold the rubbish collection competition everyday.

I miss the pakciks and makciks whose house we stayed at T_T I'm definitely joining again. Go UIA Kuantan! LOL XD

Ezehelm (1 year ago) 0 Reply | Spam

This is one of the most memorable experiences in my life. Rafting for a week with complete strangers--and turning into friends after that. One month after and we're all still in touch. My very first rafting experience. Priceless =)

izzaajb (1 year ago) 0 Reply | Spam

pahang mmg best!!

izzaajb (1 year ago) 0 Reply | Spam

;) my memories..

My Second Trip To Mela

This is Shahrom, probably a Dato' now. He is an MP,... no.... not military police, member of parliament, for one of the constituency in Malaysia. He seem to be doing well, I hope he played his role well and serve the rightful purposes. O have to stress the word rightful, as it is a common practice here that the people in position, will serve those who can safeguard his position.

We were in the same school, by any measure, Sharom is not an example of those who are good in his study. I thought he is more rounded, ... not his face, even he is now. But come to think of it, not exactly, a mediocre in study, at the bottom in sport.... I am thinking of what did he excel on. His friend Main.... the name means playing, did better in game. Another, Mokhtar was better in study.

Sharom is the present Member of Parliament for Kuala Lipis.

Kenong Park

Kenong Jungle Park
Taman Rimba Kenong

Kenong Jungle park is one of the attraction of Kuala Lipis. The park covers a large area of 121 sq km at the basin of Kenong river situated on the south east of the Malaysia National Park.

One of the attraction of the park is the millions years old lime stone caves, inviting further exploration by the visitors. The area is surrounded by waterfall, and if you were there, you can hear the humming natural sound and that will bring upon the tranquility into the surroundings.

The best cave to explore is Gua Batu Tinggi. The cave is about 150 meters above sea level and from distance, it appears like an overturned boat. The local relate the stories that the cave was originally a boat carrying the messenger of the sultan from pekan, that was cursed into stone. That was the regent from the days where magic and charm were still thick in the blood of the people.

Getting There
By Car
You can drive to the railway station at Kuala Lipis, a journey about three hours from Kuala Lumpur. From there you can take the route to Jerantut and stop at Batu 9, about 15 km from Kuala Lipis. From Batu 9, it is only about 5 minutes walk to the jetty Tanjung Kiara at Sungai Kesong. The boat ride will take further 20 minutesto Kenong Jungle Park.

By Train
The park is accessible from Kuala Lipis. You can take the train to Kuala Liis from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. You may stop at Batu 9 station.

Accomodation
Taman Rimba Kenong, the Jungle Part is completed with chalet, hostel, camping sites and resort. Visitors are not allowed to stay in the caves.


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Majlis Daerah Lipis‎- more info »

MARKED....A
Aras 4 Bangunan Lipis Centrepoint, Kuala Lipis, Pahang 27200‎ - 09-312-1253‎
"Laman Web Rasmi Majlis Daerah Lipis - Taman Rimba Kenong ..."‎


http://www.mdlipis.gov.my‎


Contact:
For further information please contact: Forestry Office (Pejabat Perhutanan Daerah Kuala Lipis)) at Office Complex, 27200 Kuala Lipis, Pahang. Tel: 09-3121273, 09-3124106 (direct). Fax: 09-3123745

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NEWSPAPER - Center For Eco- Tourism

Tuesday February 2, 2010

The star is suggesting that kuala lipis to be promoted as the centre for eco - tourism. How appropriate the suggestion is. A few years ago, there were attempts to do this. Remember the attempt to expand the 'rumah rakit' to be a special 'hotel' for the tourist. However, for reasons known only to the relevant authorities, the attempts failed.

I could imagine of the possible reasons, similar to the case of KL mass transport. The misalignment of the focus and miscalculation of cost benefit.

1. misalignment of focus- when I happen to to be in Kuala Lipis, I cannot help to notice a group of foreign tourist, young and adventurous, travelling on shoe string budget. Probably this the groups that are attracted to visit Lipis.
What will happen if you designed and built accommodation for middle class or high class customers, this is where the misalignment is. The expensive accommodation is more suited to and will be filled up when there were convention or party's meetings.

2. There was the annual events of rafting, in Jelai river, but it also appears to have been abandoned. My comment is, this sort of event seem to be for self satisfaction rather than for the attraction of the tourist. The participants are exclusively local, representation various groups and entities. This is the time show and exhibit each strength and point.

I remember that there are a number of limestone caves scattered in Lipis. The one that I know is Gua Bama, in Bapong. It does not take too long to reach it as it is near the road from Kuala Lipis to Padang Tengku.

All this effort will fail if the preservation of the environment is not taken seriously. I wonder what is happening to the Gold Mine in Penjom, very near to the quoted Empang Jaleh. I hope the person in power will be not selling the future of the young generation for a cheap value of one cyanide processesing mine .

I enclosed the articles from the star,

johaRahman.
KL
Promote Kuala Lipis as centre for eco-tourism

TOURISM Malaysia should aggressively promote Kuala Lipis as a centre for eco-tourism in the light of its potential. Foreign and local tourists will look forward to a sojourn in a town like Kuala Lipis which was the capital of Pahang for 57 years from 1898 until Aug 27, 1955, when Kuantan was picked as the new capital.
Not known to many is the richness of the town’s history and its attractions such as the 14 heritage buildings, including the administrative buildings, Clifford Secondary School and the post office.
The town was at one time also famous for the rumah rakit, or raft houses, built on the river by people living next to the river banks. Each house consisted of a bedroom, a living room and kitchen. Their number was said to have increased after the big flood of 1926.
Notwithstanding its old-fashioned appeal, Kuala Lipis has many congenial activities for visitors. The town presents a very comforting atmosphere for rest and recreation.
The clean and unpolluted recreational lake, Empang Jaleh, is not too far away from the town. This place is popularly known for picnics and excursions for both tourists and locals. The lake is a hive of activity especially during weekends and school holidays.
Perhaps, Kuala Lipis is conspicuously noted as an alternative entry point into Taman Negara and one of the three embarkation points to Gunung Tahan.
JAMES GONZALES,
Kuala Lumpu

Padang Tengku

Padang Tengku is situated about 30 minutes drive from Kuala Lipis. The earlier mode of transport was by train. However, currently most people would travel by car or bus.

My memories of Padang Tengku was about the the time I was 11 or 12 years old. It was tough for me. It a very young age I have to be independent. I remember i was about 11 years old and had to be separated from my parent. My father must had decided to send me to PT, another school, about 30 km away. I do not know why, I suppose the condition of my school at kampong KK was not good enough. Let me explain how the KK school was.

It was using a single block, single storey, There were 3 rooms, if can call it rooms, because it was separated by movable divisors. There was only 3 teachers for a primary school. Of course there was 6 classes. I still wonder how we ever managed. There was no english teacher, I think non can speak a single word of english at the village. But somehow, we manage to learn, some of us came out and hold high position in the government and in private sectors. There were long table and long benches to seat 3 of the student. No canteen, no running water, no electricity, no gardeners. So twice a week, the students would take the sickle from the store and spent the early morning cutting the grass on the compound. When the bell rang, we rushed to the well to wash out feet, for majority did not wear any shoes.

So I completed my 2 year of primary school in PT. At least I had a bit of English. Not enough for me to speak. It was time for me to move on. There were not much choice in those years. The choice were:

1. Stop schooling
2. Arabic School
3. Sek Menengah Kebangsaan
4. English school in Lipis.

And my father decided to send me to English school, my elder brother to Malay school, and next sister to Arabic School. Both are doing well, my brother was a District Officer and my sis is a head master at Sri Lipis.

Kampong Beralas.

I stayed at Kampung Beralas, I have not been there for a very long time now. It was a heavily populated kampong as compared to mine. So my father and Atok had built a small hut, a pondok. That was a common thing in those days, as the hostel concept was new. So there were 6 of us. As the hut was so small, there was barely enough space to lay down for the night. As I was the youngest, I slept next to the stove.

It was a natural and organic stove, What I mean is we used firewood to cook. So we made a wooden frame about 3X3 ft and about 6 inches high. Fill it with the earth soil, like an insulator. Then get some iron to put the pots and pan. So it became a routine to go about in the kampong to look for firewood.

Those days, there was no running water and electricity, so, like everyone in Beralas, use the river, sungai Jelai. We had to carry the water for the kichen. It was a rather long walk, climbing down a steep river bank, walking on a patch of paddy field. Then another 50 yards of maize field to the river.

Just across the river was selvon estate, I think, it was one of the british estate when they colonise Malaysia, probably now is taken over by malaysia. The only mean to cross the river, was by ferry, It was a smart design, as it use the power of the water to move the ferry across. There was a set of two strong cables held at both sides of the river banks. The ferries were attached to the cable, and the ferries were positioned at about 20degrees against the current, thus pushing it forward,

Chasing for the Durian

There were a few durian trees growing in the village. It had been the tradition that the tree id not belong to anybody, although they actually were in someone's property. So when the fruit season came, everyone can pickup the fruit. I remember a big tall tree near the bank of Sungai Jelai, with alot of fruits. That afternoon, there was thunderstorm with strong wind, so we rushed towards the tree, as the wind blew, the fruits started to fall, and we were waiting under the tree. That time there was no feeling of fear that the thorny fruit could hit your head. I will not do it again, never ever.\

Padang Tengku is situated about 30 minutes drive from Kuala Lipis.

The Day He Killed Himself

It is still in my memory of lipis. It has been there all this while, I think because of the impact it had on myself.

This had happened more than 40 years ago. For the younger generation, you may may not able to imagine and grasp the situation. Lipis then, was unlike what it is today. The narrow windy road from Kuala Lumpur ended here. There was no road built yet to padang tengku, non to kelantan. The clifford school was still using the old preindepedant buildings except for the hostel. I cannot remember for sure, in what year I was in, but I remember it as my early years in Lipis.

It was early in the morning, probably around 7. The whole hostel, was in commotion, and people were shouting........ ada orang mati..........ada orang mati. We were panic. Fearing the worst, that one of the students may pass away. Voices were asking.........where?...Where is it.

One of the students was pointing to a figure hanging from a branch. He was calmly hanging there with a stool fallen next to his feet. The feet was only barely about a foot from the ground. A few minutes later the police arrived. The crowd gathered around. We were still wondering who he was and why he had chosen such a fate. From the appearance, he was chinese, in his middle age. No immediate family appeared.


To be continued

My First Trip To Mela

This is taken from my long term memories, probably comparable to that of the hard disk of your PC. I just completed std 6, and there was that long term holiday at the end of the year. Those days, every student was looking forward to to go to the 2 selected boarding school, for girls, the Tun Fatimah and for boys, the STAR. I was not the lucky few, only faridah and norwin were selected to sit for the exam.

I still remeber the head teacher, cik gu zakaria. He really work very hard for the school. I tthink his focus was on the academic achievement. About 4 of us attended the supplementary courses, although we knew that only 2 will sit for the exam. Now looking back, I think it was a smart strategy, who knows if one us the 2 were to be ill, at least the reserve are ready.

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So a group of us decided to visit our class teacher, cik gu hassan in mela. I cannot remember for sure how were in the group, but I think, faridah, rohani zainal, norwin, mat ali and johari. We went by train from padang tunku, through lipis. I think we stayed for 2 nights. It was a real experient, first time going out with a group of friends.




What struct me, is the freedom given to us by our parents. But those days, there was no danger like today, you rarely hear someone was killed. If you you to read the paper now, everyday there are people get murdered.

I think cik gu hassan had passes away, I am not sure the wife , cik gu azizah and the beautiful daughter with straight hair.

I remembered arriving at Mela, then we had to walk towards Kuala Lipis, following the railway track, I think it was about a kilometer walk. Then we reached the house on the right, first we passed trough his mother in law's. It was an average wooden house, nothing grand with the traditional Malay architecture.

That night, the girls slept in the room and we the boys were at the guest's room. I cannot forget, mat ali was teasing the girls, then to our surprise, he climbed on the table trying to peep at the girls. Unfortunate he felt and hurt his elbow. The noise got the teacher rushing up, and luckily the girls were also on our side to to cover the embarassement.

I cannot remember anything about my return trip to Kuala Lipis. Probably the virus had spoiled that sector of memories.

good night.

Good night.

rohani zainal - daughter of a policeman, living in the end block, next to the school blog.
faridah mat natar- cousin of norwin, her father was interested in politic. .... remember him saying... ' yang itu tak ada dalam dasar kerajaan kita sekarang".
mat ali - his father was originated from sumatera, spent his weekend selling apam balik, I remember the bid one was 30 cents... now rm2,00.
few more whom I had forgotten the names.

My next trip was many years later, when I was in Clifford. Shahrom organised a trip for a football competition. Shahrom is now and MP for Lipis.... Dato' Dr Shahrom.

Trip to che gu hassan, I think he had passed away.

To be built......

Trapping The Mouse Deer

My memories of lipis is still fresh. Life was simple. There was no tv, no computer, no internet, and not even newspaper. During school holidays, there not much really to do. It is funny, when I still think I had a wonderful childhood. And I still remember, when I was 10 years old, I was brave enough to track the jungle. We were used to it. There no fear, never thought of the tigers, snakes or jaguar.

This school holiday was no different. Most of the time I was out, doing whatever activities, mostly closely related to nature. I cannot remember this time, whether I went alone or with my brother or sister. I have one sis who was more adventurous than most boys. Though a girl, she would follow me in all the boys activities. So one day, I was out to make a trap, we called it perangkap, for the mousedeer............ or kancil. If you have you seen it, it is quiet small, may be smallest of the deer family. You are not suppose to do this nowadays, as our favorite kancil is one of the protected species. You may end up in court. But those days were different. The green jungle was still in abundant.
We leave the normally around 9 am. We only need to bring a parang, (machete), The rest of our needs will be obtained from the jungle. My friends were surprised when I shown them how easy to get fresh drinking water from the creepers, (we call is akar kayu). All you have to do it find it, cut it into manageable length and the water will pour out from it. It sound easy, but please don’t to it, you may be poisoned if you choose to cut the wrong type of tree.

to be continued...........

Nahina My Late Friend

My memories of Kuala Lipis was full of joy. It was tinted by the sudden news. The news that one of my classmate had passed away. It came as a shock, for 2 basic reasons. First, is the way she dies and secondly, she was fine and well only a week ago.

She made a living by selling the villages' products. You can see her at the Sunday market in Padang Tungku and Bukit Betong. It so happen that, that particular Sunday, she was doing what she normally do on Sundays, that was, at Padang Tunku Pasar minggu. When the market was over, took the bus to Berchang and her son was there to pick her up. So they were happily riding on their old honda cup on the way to Lubuk kulit. The route were through secondary forest, there is nothing to worries as they had gone throught this small road thousands of times.But fate was against them. while they were happily riding along, for unknown reason a wild monkey, was waiting on a tree handing overhead the road. As they passed, this creature, for unknown reason, decided to jump on them. Her son was taken a surprise and lost control of the motorcycle. The put a seal to her fate, leaving 9 siblings without a mum.

I went to visit her house in lubuk kulit, a village which I am quite familiar. It was near sungai telang. The house looked gloomy, I could imagine the situation with such a sudden departure. Their full grown buffalo was grazing next to the kitchen, pokok ubi kayu, was behind the house. I could knew she must had used it to make sambal for her lunch. I met Mat Nor G, the husband of my late friend, he seem uncomprehended. I knew Nahina was in the drivers’ seat, when come to generating income for the family. This seem to be the norm for the families especially in the east coast states like kelantan. I felt sad for him and the family. I knew if it were to happen to me, I would have been totally broken.We talked about the things that happen on the fated days. About the family, about his daughter, who we for further study in Egypt.

Then, it was time for me to return to Kuala Lumpur. We had been informed by our eldest, if you go to visit relatives, who has immediate family passed away, make you visit short. You don’t want to inconvenient them with your presence, they never ask you to leave, for it is the expected norm for you to entertain the guest. I reached home in Kuala Lumpur 3 hours later, bringing back the memories of Kuala Lipis..

PART 2.
THE DARK SIDE OF POISONED FISH
Years before her departure, I was still schooling in Kuantan. I did not hear the news of the departure of Pak Mail, the late father of Nahina. Those days was unlike today. Communication facilities was limited to the postal and telegraph services. So my father in the village decided that this wa not too important. Not that we were unrelated, for in the kampong, everyone is related. He was my mum's cousin.

I only knew of his departure, when I came back for the term holiday.People were saying, he died for taking his own poison, not directly though. Those days, it was not uncommon to find people catching fish in the most untraditional ways. They use poison to catch it. I am not sure where exactly he went fishing, Very likely in Sungai Ara, the smaller tributary of sungai tepuai.
It had been in our tradition to use poison to stun the fish. The original poison comes from pokok tuba, one kind of crippers that was in abundance at that time. The other kind comes from a fruit, only when it is in season. These type of poisons are natural and environmental friendly, for it does not killed any fishes, but stunned it, and force them to come out to the open. This make it easier to be caught. The one that was used by Pak Mail was not the traditional poison. Rather, he used the poison by from the shop, chemically formulated to kill. Normally no harm, appeared directly on the human that consume the fish. But this time, it was different. Probably the portion of the poison was too much. He sufferred for weeks before passed away.Hope he is blissed.
Lubuk Kulit is about 20 minutes drive from Kuala Lipis, situated on the bank of sungai Telang.

Trip To Kuala Medang in Kuala Lipis

Memories of Kuala Lipis will not be complete with my first adventure to Kuala Medang. Then Kuala Medang is nothing like what it is today. It was really a remote area. In our language it is called ulu..... meaning really far upstream, for those days the main mean of transport was by rivers.

I heard about the name Kuala Medang, when my uncle married to a girl in Kuala medang. I cannot remember if I actually went to his wedding, probably not, as it was too far. Now it is only 15 minutes by car. Then the other exposure was, when I was schooling at PT, they called is the school in the camp. There was a charming girl, I think her name was wanmas, in the class..... I remember her because during reading time, she always said..... 'kerna'.... for the word 'kerana'. She had a very fair and smooth complexion and a straight long hair. So I was making the first trip to Kuala Medang. The starting point was BB,...I still remember, the jetty made from log, next to a chinese shop... I think it was kedai ak kow. So those days, we went by boat, about 3 feet wide and 20 feet long. Before you board, you have to take out your shoes, I still dont know why, perhaps, it will make it easier to swim if you fall down.

The boat journey was an adventure itself. So there were times that the engine had to be switched off, because the water was too shallow and full of granites. Poles had to be used the push the boat forward. On the river bank, you could see the locals were bathing and doing their chores of washing the clothing. Electricity was not available yet, and washing machine was not even in their vocubulary. It sometime make us wonder how people can survive without the modern gadgets. We passed through tanjung gahai, after about 1 hour boating and reached the destination in the late afternoon.



I cannot remember much, but the house was very near to the river. Of course now people were resettled, as the location was prone to flooding especially during the monsoon season in Dec. What I remembered, the night i was sleeping in the hall. The young girl, sepiah was preparing the bed, I thought she was beautiful. I had not met her since. I hope she is doing well.

Next morning, my uncle and a couple of us, went by boat to bomb the fish. We use a very crude method to make the bomb. We collect the staff that was used for firecrackers, put it in a small bottle and provide a wick. To protect the wick against the water, some clay was used. Thinking back, it was a real big risk that we that we took. If it were to explode before hitting the water, we will not survive to tell the world of what had happen. I will never toy around with it any more. We spent a few hours moving from one location to the other. However, the luck was not on our side, We ended going home empty handed.

In the afternoon, Mail and I, went to Wanmas house. Her father is the penghulu, and her house is at the estuary. It was not really far, except, it was a hard work to paddle the bamboo raft against the current. So we reached her house, I did not enter the house but pickup the book...a chemistry book.... . I still remember a set of old ratan furniture was stacked unkept in the verandah....... It was not what I expected from a house of a headman.

So the next day..........another long trip back to bukit betong,  landed at the jetty and another walk of one 1 hour to home.



Kuala Medang is situated about 30 minutes drive from Kuala Lipis. Known for its homestay program and eco-tourism

Kuala Lipis Former Capital

Kuala Lipis is in Malaysia, right at the middle of the peninsula, located at the confluence of the Sungai Lipis and Sungai Jelai. It is about 200 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur and about 250 km from Kuantan, the capital of the state of Pahang. The district of Kuala Lipis has a population of about 100,000. Due to its past strategic position, Kuala Lipis was made as the capital of Pahang by the British. It was an influential trading and business center producing minerals such as tin and gold, and products from the surrounding forests.

Kuala Lipis was the administrative capital of Pahang for 57 years from 1898 until 27th August 1955, when was picked as the new capital. Here, as the state capital during the times of the British colonial era, it was the main residential location for British administrators and other British trade and business men in Pahang.

Did you Know...That, based on old history books, the center of Peninsular Malaysia is in the district of Kuala Lipis?P.S.- Some town folks say the center is located in the middle of town. Well, I took a walk in the center of the town and found a milestone lettered with a "0" on it. This is actually the center of the town but whether it is the actual center of Peninsula Malaysia, I have yet to ascertain.
The "0" milestone near the post office in Kuala Lipis is actually a distance marker used by the old, pre-independence British administration for sending letters and telegrams to other districts and locations in Malaya.
If you were to wander around the town, you will find a number of legacies left by the British, a trade mark of their occupation of the country. You will notice the architecture of the past in some of the old buildings there. Surprisingly, majority of the architecture represent the Moorish or Islamic buildings.
Right on top of the hill, you have the resident house, used by the resident. It was then made into a hostel for the Clifford Students. It was the first concrete building built in the town by the British in 1867. It was in fact once the official residence for the British envoys who had been sent to administer the State. The famous British state administrator, Sir Hugh Clifford, who was the second British Resident of Pahang, once stayed there.
Today, this building now functions as the Kuala Lipis Rest House. At the "Sudut Budaya" (cultural corner) of this Rest House, you can see displays of weapons of the past, such as the Malay spears, daggers and keris.
Another building that has historical significance in Kuala Lipis is the Clifford School, formerly known as the Anglo-Chinese School. This school, which was built during the British administration period in 1913, is the alma mater to many state royalties and past leaders not only of Pahang but also of the country.
Now, of course, as part of the development of education in the country, we find a branch of the Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (or MARA Science College) located in Kuala Lipis. This is a residential school for excellent students from all over Malaysia.

How to Get to Kuala Lipis

Kuala Lipis is easily accessible by road and train from Kuala Lumpur.

a. Bus Public Bus.
Regular Buses services are available from Pekeliling Bus Stand in Kuala Lumpur. The station is located next to the Titiwangsa Monorail


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Bus Terminal of Kuala Lipis
Located at the new town

b) By Car
From Kuala Lumpur, take the East West Highway towards Bentong and Genting Highland.
Your drive you take you through the town of Bentong, Raub and Benta..


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c. By Train
This is a long journey. The train will have to connect to the East Coast line at Gemas in Negeri Sembilan. Not many will take this route unless a person want to see the scenery on the way.