Small Talk: I swear this is gonna be a very long post but I'll try to keep you entertained as long as you don't hit the exit button before you're done reading this post =)
It's Kenyir Lake, baby!
Welcome to Terengganu, where nature embraces heritage; And where Steven embraces Tasik Kenyir!!
Everything there is so beautiful. So beautiful that it reminded me of Pulau Kapas, minus the white sandy
So the journey kicked off with empat sekawan (friends of four) in a car heading to Kenyir Lake - the largest man-made/artificial lake in the South East Asia - as early as 8am.
And Ivan was the man of the day for he
We were heading to the Pengkalan Gawi where most of the resorts and boat services are concentrated at instead of the Kenyir damn. Sorry, I mean the Kenyir Dam.
Ivan is a good driver. We reached our destination in about an hour's time if I'm not mistaken.
We first went to the Kenyir Lake & Spa Resort.
The resort itself looked expensive and we saw plenty of ang mohs there. We took a short walk around the beautifully constructed resort that offers a brilliant view of the Kenyir Lake.
And they even have a specially designed swimming pool.
You can slide from the top till the bottom.
But then rock-climbing isn't allowed there.
Ivan laughed when he saw the signboard. Now, who da hell would wanna go rock climbing on a swimming pool slide anyway?
Too bad their price for the trips were too much for us to afford. Therefore, we decided to try our luck somewhere else.
Here (the place where we parked our car at in the above image), someone approached us and offered us a boat trip and we picked the cheapest package - RM120 per trip to three different places.
Of course there were better packages but you bet they came with better price as well. Well, you get the picture.
And so we had a deal with the boatman.
And the jeti-girl.
Alright, that was a cold joke. I know.
Our first stop was the Herbal Park.
Herbal Park is about ten minutes boat ride from the Pengkalan Gawi. Yes, you bet Kenyir Lake is huge. I think it's even bigger than Singapore.
There, we were exposed to many types of herbal, mainly traditional ones, that are used to cure illnesses. Some cure normal sickness, some cure Malaria while some just make you stronger.
Like this one here.
There are so many Tongkat Ali there they even set up a hut for you to taste their originally-on-the-spot-boiled Tongkat Ali and Kacip Fatimah tea. Seriously!
It's called the Pondok Harmoni (literally means The Harmony Hut).
And chef of the day was no one else but...
IVAN!!
Nah.. Just kidding. =p
Four of us did have a sip of both Tongkat Ali and Kacip Fatimah and I've to say that Kacip Fatimah tastes way better than Tongkat Ali.
Because Tongkat Ali is very bitter. Take a tiny sip and you'll feel as if your whole tongue turned into a bitter-tongue. You'll taste nothing but bitterness. Then you'll start recalling your bitter days so much you'd forget them once and for all.
Alright, that's not logical, I know.
Maybe it's the bitterness that can make you stronger?
I don't know about that but walking on the cobblestone pathway does help to improve our health, even a little. Isn't it?
Anyway, we enjoyed our steps and Ivan was auch-ing his way throughout the course and that was very cute of him. =)
Besides, we got to see other things as well.
For example, our national flower - Bunga Raya - plant, without its flower.
Some tiny ant-like creatures...
And the ex-Menteri Besar of Terengganu really made himself proud, I guess.
Apparently, he attended this herbal planting ceremony many years ago and the paper sign is still standing short there.
I wonder if he came back every month to change it?
Wonder if the herbal he planted is dead or not, yet?
Um.. Wonder if he's still alive?
CHOI!! *touch wood touch wood*
The next stop was the Saok Waterfall.
You'll need to have a short climb up the stairway to Saok Waterfall before you can actually see the gorgeous creation of God. No, actually, it's a man-made lake, right?
Hmm...
Listening to the sound of stream rushing down hitting against the huge rocks was music to my ears.
You have no idea how nice it is to be there until you're there.
It is the second best place to getaway from the hustle and bustle of the hectic city life after Pulau Redang or any other islands.
I didn't dare to go further across the waterfall as I was holding the camera but Ivan, Ee-Jane and Yen Yen did.
Then we went to the higher part of the waterfall.
Where Ee-Jane gave me the shock of my life when she accidentally slipped on a rock and went down the along the stream.
I was stunned but thank goodness she managed to help herself out of the dangerous situation. Even so, I laughed when she was back at where she fell.
I'd have drown if it was me, seriously, unless I have a buoyancy aid.
Because I can't swim.
But still, I'm very happy to have been there.
The last stop was the fish-breeding place. I forgot what it is called but I certainly remember their unique floating station, or you can call it a floating house.
According to the boatman, it was the storms that caused the building to become that senget. Let's just hope it won't fall so soon.
Not many photos were taken there since everything looks the same there. After a short visit at the fish-breeding place, we headed back to the jetty.
We had our lunch at a restaurant nearby the jetty.
The one and only Gerai Makan Pok Mat Tasik Kenyir. The food was really nice only if they prepared something else rather than fishes.
They serve fishes, fishes and fishes. And one plate of tiny KFC.
KFC, as in, Kampung Fried Chickens. Don't misunderstand, okay?
There, again, I was given another shock of my life, the second of the day.
I had a fishy lunch as you can see from the images.
Plus this fish, which I shared with Yen Yen.
Altogether with a glass of Teh-O-Peng and fried egg, it cost me a total sum of ten-freaking-Ringgit-Malaysia, and forty-cents!
That was the most expensive lunch I've ever had, minus the one I had at Secret Recipe months ago :X
But then it was worth it for the fishes were fresh and for it was Tasik Kenyir we were eating at.
We left the place after lunch.
Imagine being at somewhere far from the noisy yet polluted cities and has got postcard sceneries plus tranquil surroundings. That kind of peacefulness can make one feels stress-free very easily.
Trust me, if you're someone who prefer peace over rock music, Kenyir Lake is a place you'd really wanna be.
P.S. We might be going to Kenyir Lake the second time for the more expensive trip, where we'll be able to get into the Taman Negara while swimming at the enormous waterfall and paying the wild elephants a visit. It's gonna be real fun! Tempted to join us? ;)
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