kristal unggu

Mentakab

Temerloh's Pekan Sari

Mentakab by Night

MENTAKAB - TEMERLOH. IS THERE LIFE?
It is a Sunday morning today. Missed my orning walk but going to do it later in the afternoon. After all this is Mentakab. No traffic jams. No exhorbitant parking rates. And Temerloh is just less than 10 minutes away.

I have been spending 90% of my life in KL past 10 years or so, so much so Mentakab & Temerloh has become almost non-existent in my life with all the business of business. Been traveling quite a fair bit all over Malaysia plus the anual pilgrimage to Australia and a bit of New Zealand for first 6 years in business mostly due to speaking engagements than anything else. There after it was all business building which in the last 10 months have also included Brunei, Medan and Jakarta.

In retrospect, one might have the impression that was the ultimate life one could dream of. Yes and no. Sometimes we got so much immersed in whatever we were doing without creating the time for the single most important thing we should do: REFLECT.

And so we could get dead intoxicated with the present forgetting why in the first place we ever got into such commitments!So is there really no life to be back home here in Mentakab and Temerloh the twin towns? Well, some people do live in huge mansions and drive expensive luxuries around , plays golf, also go on overseas holidays - if that is the barometer to the quality of life.

Looking back, one cannot but accept the fact that the quality of life is many times better here than KL. After all, KL is just slightly over 1 1/2 hours away (the same time one could get stuck in the jams sometimes moving to Point A to Point B especially after the rains).

One can get most of the things here in the twin towns. From Montessorises, swimming pools, music schools, futsals and a couple of golf courses near by. The Batu 3 golf course is only 7 minutes or so from Mentakab or Temerloh. And of course, we are not short of shopping spots to go to and not short on fast foods either - KFC, Pizzahut, Mac D's ?

Every night is Pasar Malam night in Mok Hee Khiang, Mentakab. With the current durian season, you can eat until you get sick without burning a hole in your pocket. A good dinner at the Pasar Malam is still reasonably good for less than RM10.00 for two.

You want halal Chinese food? A 2 minute walk from Mok Hee Kiang in Mentakab is Ledo the original family restaurant open for breakfast of original Hainan kaya & butter toast with half boiled eggs still charged at the old kopitiam prices. The main business is of course lunch and dinner.

Good nasi lemak with sotong? Go to Kowloon, next to the former New Capitol cinema site, the same row with HSBC Mentakab. That is one of the best in the world, taking Brunei, Indonesia, London, Brussels, Belgium, Paris, Amsterdam, Singapore, Dumai, Batam, Pekan Baru, Medan, Jakarta, Bandung, Bali, Brunei, Australia & New Zealand into comparison!.. Wooohooo!

And for a good plate of fried mee, go to Batu Kapor next to the Primary School. There is only one stall right smack in the kampung and his customers go all the way as far as Temerloh. The famous Mee Zainal ( I bet Zainal doesn't know that!!) One of the tastiest one could ever get. Coliseum Cafe charges almost RM8.00. Zainal charges RM3.20 with a big portion. I am a good eater and I have been traveling a fair bit. I know what I am talking about.

Ah yes, if you are lazy, the fried mee at Happy Fried Chicken in Mentakab is reasonably good.

IKAN PATIN MASAK TEMPOYAK?

Your visit to Temerloh is never quite complete without eating the ikan patin cooked in tempoyak gravy. It could be a an acquired taste if you are not a Malaysian though. But once acquired, it is amost addictive.

What makes it so special? Apparently, the location of Temerloh along the Pahang River is reputed to the most suited location for breeding of ikan patin. The natural Pahang River patins could easily cost you RM40-RM60 rinngit. I was told that the patin muncong cost around RM300 per kg now! And the next best alternatice is the cultured patins bred in cages in the Pahang River. And in Temerloh you can't get them any fresher, caught, delivered and cooked the same day the patins are supplied to the restaurants.

If you take the bus from KL at the Pekeliling Bus Terminal ( 3-4 companies providing almost an hourly service to Temerloh for less than RM10.00 one way). Recently Danny, a friend took the bus from KL just to have lunch. He never had patin before and he surprisngly really enjoyed the fish.

Enjoy the journey, and once you got down to the Temerloh Express Bus Terminal, just walk to Saniah Restaurant same row with the Seven Eleven. Quite reasonable. Less than RM5.00 a piece of patin cooked with tempoyak.

But of course, if you drive, go to Restaurant Pak Usop ( the No 1 spot in Temerloh for patins ), by the riverside of Pahang River. Look for the Petronas fuel station in Bandar Lurah Semantan and ask your way there on. On Sundays, this stretched of road by the river side is The Pekan Sari (Sehari) , the One Day Market on Sundays.

The Temerloh Pekan Sari is one of the oldest in Malaysia and one of the longest stretch in Pahang. You can get almost anything. From traditional herbal medicines, to traditional kuihs, fruits, live patins, toys, batiks and all kinds of stuff. Truly, a Sunday walk through the Pekan Sari which stretches from the road near the mosque right up to the exit on the main road near the Temerloh Mini Stadium is a therauphatic experience. There people who drive all the way from KL or Kuantan just to go to the Temerloh Pekan Sari. Imagine the Sydney Paddington the open air version and many times over in size. That is the Temerloh Pekan Sari.

And if you like the Chinese style steamed ikan patin, try the Temerloh Resthouse ( look for the Temerloh mosque and find your way there on), or Centerpoint Restaurant located at the Sakura Hotel (previously the Centrepoint Hotel in front of the Temerloh Supermarket on the Jalan Kuantan Road).

Spend a night or two in Temerloh. Stay at the Sri Malaysia Hotel, Greenpark or Bukit Bendera Resort in Mentakab. These are more decent 2 and 3 star hotels. Of course there are countless lodgings around.

And after all the good food, don't worry about falling sick. The Temerloh Hospital Complex just across the Temerloh Bridge on the Jalan Kuantan about 2 km away, houses all the modern state of the art medical facilities around.

But if you decide to stay healthy, take a stroll around the Taman Tasik (The Lake Garden) in Temerloh right smack in town or drive 10 minutes away to another walk in Taman Tasik Mentakab. It is truly a beautiful experience to walk around well shed by the canopies of trees around the lake.

So? Life is not that back in Mentakab isn't it? Perfect place to buy a piece of land if you can afford it and build your own dream house. Fifty years down the road, it would be a privilege to own a private house like that on your own piece of land. Look at Janda Baik...

Take a drive to Mentakab and Temerloh on your weekend. You will love it. Better still spend a night here. And if you truly have no friend at all, just call me. Doesn't matter who you are. I'll host you. After all, making another new friend doesn't hurt, does it? Feel free to call, anytime.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday,

Warmest regards from me,

m.a
016-328 6788
mentakab.