Kenyir to Simpang Pulai

Permulaan sebenar laluan Kenyir ke Simpang Pulai ialah dari simpang ke Tasik Kenyir di Kuala Jeneris, Hulu Terengganu. Dari situ hingga ke simpang Jalan Gopeng di Simpang Pulai ialah +- 326 km. Kami ambil selama 5 jam untuk sampai diantara dua tempat tersebut, dengan kelajuan konservatif kami, dan juga R & R. Memang lebih dekat, dan lebih cepat, kalau nak dibandingkan dengan Lebuhraya Timur-Barat melalui Grik, ataupun jalan Kuala Lumpur mahupun Batang Kali.

Papan tanda ke Pengkalan Gawi, Tasik Kenyir, di Kuala Jeneris, dari arah Ladang Sungai Tong / simpang jalan KT - Kota Bharu.

Ada dua jalan untuk sampai ke Kuala Jeneris:
1. Dari bandar Kuala Berang. Belok kekanan di simpang tiga penghujung jalan selepas bandar K.Berang.
2. Simpang ke Kilang Kelapa Sawit Ladang Sungai Tong, belok kekiri dari Jalan KT-K.Bharu. (36 km dari K.Terengganu, selepas Felda Belara).

Jarak dari simpang Kuala Jeneris ke Tasik Kenyir lebih kurang 12 km. Akan jumpa simpang kekiri untuk ke Pengkalan Gawi. Jalan terus, kecuali kalau ingin bersantai di Tasik Kenyir Resorts. Jalan yang dilalui untuk ke Gua Musang adalah dipinggir "jejari" Tasik Kenyir. Jalan baru, masih elok. Merentasi pinggir atau puncak bukit. Pemandangan yang indah, dengan hutan bukit bukau yang masih belum teruk ternoda, dan juga kelibat tepian Tasik Kenyir. Bagi peminat alam semulajadi (macam pakcik), tumbuhan taraf pokok balak berbagai jenis dikiri-kanan jalan memang amat mengujakan.














Jarak dari simpang Kuala Jeneris ke simpang masuk ke jalan ladang kelapa sawit Felda Aring ialah 83 km. Tahap satu jam perjalanan lah, tapi kami buat sejam setengah sebab campur aktiviti sight-seeing dan berposing maut kat tepi jalan. Simpang Felda Aring ini penting sebab perubahan keadaan jalan. Biasalah, jalan ladang; kekadang OK, selalunya kureng sikit. Sebelum sampai ke situ pun, dah ada perubahan, iaitu semasa merentasi sempadan Terengganu-Kelantan. Standard jalan memang turun sikit, dan boleh rasa udah masuk sempadan lain sebab keadaan pemandangan di kiri-kanan jalan. Kalau sebelum ini keadaan hutan bukau amat menggiurkan bagi peminat alam semulajadi , sekarang bukit-bukau penuh dengan tanda-tanda ternoda - aktiviti pembalakan.

Boleh tahan juga jarak perjalanan melalui jalan ladang Felda Aring ni. Untuk sampai ke simpang tiga jalan Gua Musang di gugusan Felda Ciku, sejauh 29 km. Memang setengah jam lah untuk sampai, tak kira kenderaan jenis apa, maupun cara pemanduan.

Lebih kurang 3 km selepas masuk ke simpang Felda Aring

Kami pusing ke kiri untuk ke Gua Musang di simpang Felda Ciku. Berhenti seketika selepas 22 km, di R&R Gua Musang. Kemudahan tahap yang sepatutnya untuk R&R - gerai makan, tandas, surau, stesen minyak dll. Tak berhenti lama di situ; cuma "perbetul urat" sikit-sikit sebelum meneruskan perjalanan. Masih awal untuk makan tengahari - beli nasi ayam "to go" di gerai sebelah stesen minyak Petronas sebelum simpang tiga ke Kuala Betis.

Perjalanan diteruskan dari R&R ke bandar Gua Musang. Di simpang tiga jalan besar bandar Gua musang belok ke kiri ke arah SMK Indra Petra 1, mencari simpang ke Kuala Betis. Di persimpangan lampu isyarat berhampiran balai bomba di sebelah kiri dan Masjid Tengku Faiz Petra (tak sampai 1 km dari simpang tiga tadi), kami belok ke kanan. Dalam 200 meter jumpa lagi satu simpang tiga. Ada stesen minyak Petronas di sebelah kiri sebelum sampai simpang tiga tadi. Ada banyak papantanda di simpang tiga tersebut; belok kekanan untuk ke satu simpang tiga lagi, kali ini belok ke kiri pulak, menghala ke Kuala Betis.


Setelah +- 39 km sejak bertolak dari R&R Gua Musang tadi, kami ambil simpang ke kiri di simpang Kuala Betis. (Kalau terus, sampailah nanti ke pekan Kuala Betis). Perjalanan diteruskan menghala ke Tanah Tinggi Lojing dan ke simpang Cameron Highland. Selepas kira-kira 87 km dan hampir sejam setengah kemudian, kami sampai ke sempadan Kelantan-Perak.


Kami tahu kami telah sampai ke Lojing, apabila di kiri kanan jalan dipenuhi dengan pemandangan penanaman bunga dan sayuran. Memang satu projek yang unik, a very grand scale of activities...


















Yang pastinya, sekarang kita sudah tahu / sampai ke simpang untuk ke Cameron Highland, untuk projek kami yang seterusnya.

Perjalanan diteruskan untuk ke Simpang Pulai. Bahagian laluan ini agak menggerunkan, buat kami. Dengan selekoh yang berputar-putar dan kadang-kala sempit, mengingatkan saya pada laluan lama Bukit Karak. Sekurang-kurangnya di jalan lama Bukit Karak tak pandu kenderaan sendiri!


Mujur tak lama - 45 minit kemudian selepas 47 km dari sempadan, kami pun sampai ke Simpang Pulai. Akhirnya. Di simpang tiga (di depannya kedai kain Jakel), kami belok ke kanan masuk ke Jalan Gopeng untuk ke Ipoh, dan sampai ke destinasi 15 minit kemudian, 1o km dari Simpang Pulai.


Aktiviti kami di Ipoh, lain tahun boleh cerita.

Paka To Ipoh Through Kenyir - Simpang Pulai

Got the chance to use the Kenyir - Simpang Pulai route a couple of months back, when on a business trip to Ipoh. Had intended to write an extensive blog about the trip, but since it's already passe, decided just to write the details of the route that could be useful to others who happen to pass through this site.

The details (distances, checkpoints and other pointers) can be found in the Bahasa version of a different posting.

The business to Ipoh was average, but the trip itself was very happening. Made the decision to use the Kenyir - Simpang Pulai road for the first time, and convinced the family to come along. All seven of us. Could've been eight but the eldest daughter was busy with college exams. Heard about the route from friends and relatives. The advantages were shorter and faster route to Ipoh from Terengganu, but with the disadvantages of uncharted and ungazzetted pathway.

The trip was extensively planned. Apart from the words of mouth from those who had been through it, searched the internet for some needed info. The Wikimapia and Google Earth were very helpful, as did several other blog and forum sites. The most helpful was the Bumi Sepi site, thank you very much.

The route was not really a highway, per se. It's a connection of different types of roads to Gua Musang, Lojing and thru' the Cameron Highland approach road until Simpang Pulai, Perak. Even the intended new stretch to reach Gua Musang was closed due to landslides, so had to pass through the oil palm plantation road of Felda Aring before reaching the proper Gua Musang road at Felda Chiku.

After passing through the Gua Musang town, took the road to Kuala Betis for the connection route to Lojing / Cameron Highland, onwards to Simpang Pulai. It was the first time for the whole family, so the views along the road were very pulsating to us. Bought some flowers and plants from the roadside shops on the way back.

One of the most exciting things that we did on the way back was stopping at the Orang Asli stall to buy a hard to find fruit that my wife and I used to eat. We call it buah "ngeker"; it's smaller than a tennis ball, with a thick outer shell and the inside that looks like buah rambai but less soft.

Most part of the Kenyir - Simpang Pulai route was literally uncharted. Latest maps were not available, and both Wikimapia & Google Earth were not updated on the area. Having benefitted from the blogs and forums of the area/route, felt that it would be very value-added for us to detail our journey, with added info not available from existing sites, that could be helpful to anybody who need it.

Again, the Bahasa details in different posting.

Just Got Back

Again, it's been a while since I posted anything here. Got a bunch of things to say but alas, (tut-tut, cliche warning!), so little uninterrupted time to spare. It's back to post-technology period - mental loggings only.

Several materials relevant to this R I P 'spective blog surfaced in the past three months. Wonder if those are still relevant to blog about. Had intended to write about the trip to Ipoh from Terengganu, using the Kenyir - Simpang Pulai route. Thoughts came up related to the Mamma Mia show. Several 'stuck-in-the-80's' materials too. Also some items on the book series that I intend to complete next year - the Wheel of Time final novel. A lot of things to write.

Oh well, let's re-start blogging...

The pic was taken from the FEI exhibition at Kuala Ibai, Terengganu.

Ramadhan Fasting In US 80's

When I was in the United States during the first half – the better half - of the 80’s, I got to spend four cycles of Ramadhan fasting months in the summertime. It would have been five times but for the paid-for trip home for summer vacation in Malaysia after the Sophomore year. That period’s Ramadhan cycle always fell in the middle of summer season in the US. Come to think of it, the whole decade of the 1980’s Ramadhan months fell during summer times. For the record, the 80’s Ramadhan months ranged from mid-July to mid-May. A virtuous period to perform your Ramadhan fasting - the long daylight hours and the summer heat.

Summer season is usually a vacation season for schools and colleges in the US.

My first Ramadhan in US started on July 3rd, just slightly over a month after I first set foot (on my birthday) in the country. That first day of Ramadhan, the Imsak was at 2:00 in the morning, and the iftar time was a few minutes before 09:00 o'clock in the evening!. Imagine that. In Malaysia (then & now), waiting for the 7:00 to 7:30 pm breakfasting / iftar time was really a struggle.

Actually, it wasn't that hard. We (the Muslim students and I) were able to fill up the time without having to really wait for the iftar. Usually, we played a game of soccer at an abandoned American football stadium, starting at around 7:30 pm, and ended by 08:30 pm. Sometimes we would just drive around the campus, or even just loafing around in the Student Center; throwing and catching frisbies, or something. In later years when summer class studies came into play, it was even easier to get through the fasting days.

And now, about the heat. I remember that the summer was dry and low humidity. The temperature can reach a moisture-less 40 degrees celcius. It was hot but we did not perspire, or sweating. Maybe that was one of the reasons why we managed to get through fine with the 19-hours fasting – not much fluid loss!


Fasting is not just holding yourself from eating or drinking during the days. Having said that, it was my third summertime fasting (sophomore year) that was really a trial for me. Had started staying in own rented apartment that time. The house was gradual climb halfway up a low hill. Along the way, had to pass through a Sorority Row - I think there were five sorority houses along the way and the adjoining lanes. A sorority is a special grouping of select female students living in houses with Greek alphabet names. For the guys , it's called Fraternity.


Anyway, the first time when I tried to protect the sanctity of my fasting of that year, in terms of no eye feast and pure heart, I failed miserably. Walking home one sunny afternoon after a summer course class, on the left was one Greek's sorority girls sunbathing on the grass with two-pieces bikinies on, while further up were two more groups enjoying the afternoon on the porch / balcony and in the garden. Please be reminded that it was a hot sunny afternoon, so everybody's clothing were at a minimum.

To protect what little was left of my fasting, I tried to keep my eyes straight forward. Unfortunately, the protection was off when there on the rooftop of a house the the last corner, three sorority girls having the R & R; two with their bums facing the sky, and their bikini tops were definitely off.

That's it. So my fasting was only for withholding from eating and drinking. My eyes had "eaten", and my mind was full of grey fogs.

I held on to my fasting till iftar that day. On a different day, due to a combination of light iftar, no late supper and two summer classes (plus the eye feast), I got very weak physically by 11:00. On the way home, decided that I had to break my fast "illegally" that day. So, stopped over at Kroger, bought a box of fresh orange juice, a french loaf and a packet of cranberries. Carefully put the foods into the backpack, keeping careful eyes to the surrounding...


Reached home - the other housemates still tied-up at the student center - locked the door and went into the bathroom for the illegal activity. Wolfed down half of the french loaf together with last night's untouched chicken (missed early sahur / late supper), dried down the box of orange juice, and nibbled on the cranberries before went out to the backyard for a puff of smoke.


Had to go through all the above because was still restricted by the guilt feeling of not performing full fasting of the day. God's everywhere but it was the other people that I was concerned about. Informed the other housemates of what I had gone through, and they laughed me off as a fool. For all they know, I could have just ate right there at the Long John Silver restaurant; don't have to hide as nobody would care. Old habits so hard to break.

The Hari Raya Aidilfitri of that first summer fasting was really a celebration. For most of us it was the first Hari Raya away - halfway of the world’s away from home. I was OK on that Hari Raya because I was not much of the “missing the family” type. The Raya songs didn’t even shake me, and I was able to get on the nerves of the others; peers or seniors. There was no flow of tears from me.

It was the Takbir Raya that knocked me down. The funny sensation in my nose caused the unwanted fluid to drip down my eyes. Then all the Aidilfitri memories started to flood down on me…
I fasted the full month for the first and second Ramadhans. Missed more than a day for that third time, but definitely not more than five days.

Fasting Period

It is already 21st of September 2008 today. It also coincides with the 21st of Ramadhan, the twenty-first day of fasting of 1429 Hijrah Year. That fact was re-emphasised into me on the way to Tarawikh last Tuesday; it was the 15th day of fasting on September 15th, so it was also the full moon night. The sky was clear so we can clearly see the perfect full moon. It was the 15th day of the moon, no doubt about it.

So it is this year’s special, that the Masehi dates are the same with the Hijrah months. We’ve had Aidilfitri days that came close together with Christmas, more than once with Gong Xi Fa Cai (Kongsi Raya) and Deepavali (Kongsi Gelap – sic). We’ve even had the Aidilfitri twice in one Masehi calendar year a few years back.

It is just the way it is – the Hijrah Year is a lunar year. If follows the cycle of the moon, so the months are supposed to be an even 30 days for all months and an even 360 days in a year. With that, there will be a 5 days gap with the Masehi year, and 21 days gap in four years (the Leap Year). The constant movement of the fasting and Aidilfitri period in relation to the months of the Masehi year provides exciting different backgrounds and environments to the required endeavor. One time we may go through our fasting days during wet Monsoon seasons, while in around a decade or so we maybe controlling our appetite and passions in a sweltering heats of the equivalent to the “summer” seasons. It did not make that much different to us in Malaysia and other tropical climate areas. It is just the slight change in temperature and humidity, and sometimes the above-mentioned either full sunshine or wet downpours period.

If we’d spent some time fasting in the temperate climate, four seasons’ countries, we’ll go through bigger differences. And we’re not talking about the polar areas yet. The days are longer during the summer and a lot shorter during the winter. So basically, we would want to be there during fasting months in the winter. That will be from December to March in Europe and North America, or from May to August in Australia or New Zealand.

I was somewhat on the losing side when I spent five fasting periods in the North America during the summer period of the fasting cycle. OK, OK. Only four times – I was back on vacation in Malaysia the third time around. I was in West Virginia during the “better” first half of the 80’s. More details in next postings.

Counter Prolific

It's been a month since I post anything here. Just two postings in well over a month is not much of a blogging activities. That is not very prolific, and it beats the the purpose of creating a blogspot in the first place.

I thought I would be very prolific; what with all the mental loggings waiting to be converted in the weblog. Oh well, I should've known better that, what I feel or think will not always be translated into corresponding outputs, if sufficient inputs or efforts are not adequately put forth to overcome any barriers or boundaries for a meaningful productivities. (Oh my, wouldn't that qualify as an example of verbosity...)

So what should I do to myself in terms of a negative BOC (Balance of Consequence) for not living up to blogging expectations? There must be one. What specific BOC is not important here. What's important is that in the end there is a behavior change. The indicator is that more postings show up in this blogspot site from now on.

Time will be the witness

The Best Is Not Always Good Enough

One of my 80’s retro favorite is “Just Once” by James Ingram from Quincy Jones album The Dude. Apart from the nostalgic emotional value attached to the whole song, the lyrics also left a strong impression on me:

I did my best,

but I guess my best wasn't good enough,

'Cause here we are back where we were before…

It’s not the melancholic meaning of the lyrics that got to me but the far-reaching statement of the phrase – did the best but it was not good enough. My variation of that phrase “The Best Is Not Always Good Enough” was used at one period of time as my e-mail signature tagline. It was for some sort of reminder, for me as well as to anybody who read it, on one of realities in life.
It is open for discussion but personally, the best is not always good enough provide two clear meanings to me.
The first is that no matter how much effort you put into doing something – giving it your best – it will not always be good enough; whether to accomplish something, or worse still, not good enough to satisfy certain people. Sometimes it does, but don’t put your hopes to high in case it does not. Doesn’t mean that it’s not value-added for you to do the best; by all means please do, but do it for yourself, do it for you to achieve your tasks. Just don’t do it to satisfy other people, because it will not always be good enough.
Secondly, any self-proclaimed feeling that you are one of the best in the field does not cut the mustard if other relevant people do not feel the same, and therefore not good enough for any special considerations. So, one of the things you can do if you’re caught in that kind of life torrent is to brave the current and be the best swimmer that you feel you are. There are bound to be outlying branches for you to latch on to, or an unexpected helping hand to pull you out of the stream. Eventually you will be good enough. Who cares if not always because you are considered the best. It’s one of life’s reality, people. Some people may chose to go against the current; well, it’s their choice and at their own risk.

“I gave my all, but I think my all may have been too much,
'Cause Lord knows we're not getting anywhere,

Seems we're always blowing whatever we got going,
And seems at times with all we've got,We haven't got a prayer.
Just Once…”

Of course, the tagline of “The Best Is Not Always Good Enough” was prominently used during a previous period. A period full of mid-life angst and missed opportunities. It’s all in the past now. I’ve done the best that I felt were good enough for me. I’ve felt better for not being regarded as the best, but am now good enough to do the things that only the best can do to accomplish what needs to be done.
I’m “A Better Man” now.

First Blog

Let the record shows that this is my first blog of my entire life. It is a whole new and different ball game than committing own musings onto paper or wordprocessor, or verbalizing mental logs during interactions or bonding sessions. Oh yes, the old and tired cliche of "better late than never" is ringing in my head right now.

Joining the blogging bandwagon now - hopefully nothing radical would turn out. Would just start with personal musings on issues - life introspectives, music retrospectives, sports perspectives; the works. Not sure what sort of, or what category of comments would turn up but that is beside the point. The point is, like Billy Idol used to say "I'm talking to myself, oh oh oh, I'm talking to myself, oh oh oh..."