Elephant Sanctuary, Kuala Gandah, Pahang, MALAYSIA
January 19, 2008

The elephant conservation centre in Kuala Gandah is a favourite weekend outing for mostly western expatriates and tourists from Kuala Lumpur. When we arrived at the centre around noon, the place was full with Mat Sallehs, a big group of tourists from Australia and England.

To get there, take East Coast highway heading toward Kuantan. After Lanchang toll exit, turn right onto a rural road that would take you all the way to the centre.

The entrance to the centre

After exiting from the toll and turning right, I stopped at a vanilla farm, Rentak Timur Sdn Bhd. I was curious and wanted to see for myself how vanilla trees were grown commercially. Furthermore, I wanted to make doubly sure that I was heading in the right direction. I met the farm Business Development Manager, Bobby Ronald who offered me to be their contract farmer instead. Well, may be some other times.

Taking a break at the centre's one & only food stall

We reached the place at around 12.30PM. The centre is the base for the Elephant Translocation Team, which began the elephant translocation programme in 1974. The team relocates problem elephants than transgress into human settlement and oil palm estates due to depleting habitat. The entrance to the centre is free but donation is highly sought for the cash strapped team. From the look of the set up and running of the programme and the centre, this is one dedicated elephant team.

Family Ride

The activities at the centre started at 1PM with the screening of video presentation highlighting the team’s work in relocating the rogue elephants. Following the Visitors’ Timetable, we moved to the feeding of the elephants at 2PM, followed by elephant rides. The ride was short but the queue was long. I went along with Nina and Anas.

Feeding the Elephant

The best activity at the centre was taking the elephant ride inside the river and on cue from the trainer, the elephant would drop sideways plunging into the river with the riders. Everybody seemed to enjoy this very much. We were afraid of getting wet and did not go for it. It was one thing that I later regretted.

1st Get on top of the elephant

The elephant would throw the riders down

Taking the plunge

The already wet crowd inside the river could then participate in cleaning the elephants. This time they brought out 2 baby elephants which were instant hits among the kids. Even Anas could not resist. He took into the water.

Anas bathing a baby

By 3.30PM, the river activities stopped. It also started to drizzle. Anas was still in the river with a group of Sikh families. The visitors could still participate in feeding the elephants their dinner of water melons, bananas and cucumbers. They must be real hungry after all these activities.

Lucky couple who got the honour of the last ride out of the river

On the way back we stopped at an Orang Asli (aborigines) village to take some pictures. The village is right next to the Elephant Sanctuary.

Orang Asli Village

By 4.30PM we made our way back to civilization. We decided to detour a bit to Temerloh for its famous river fish, patin. We had our meals at one of the stalls in Temerloh. It was late for lunch and too early for dinner. We had some leftover patin and catfish.

As I was driving back to KL, I wonder how come Malaysians seemed to have missed something in their backyard enjoyed by foreigners. Perhaps we were too busy going to shopping complexes to really get out and taste nature which is aplenty. What a pity!

Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club, Miri, Sarawak, MALAYSIA

January 16, 2008

The Club House viewed from the 18th Green

Eastwood Valley is a relatively new course in Miri compared to the old Kelab Golf Miri. I had played there a few times and loved the beautiful course. I would say this course is a lot better than Damai. It was carved out of a swamp land that resulted in the flat terrain of the fairways. Waters are part of the course’s feature. I lost more balls here that even AirAsia didn’t charge me excess baggage on my return flight.

Me, Shah, Aziman & Rizal

The course measures 6,092 metres from blue tees. It has a huge club house and chalets where you can stay and play. For about RM500 we decided to opt for the stay and play package. It came with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Shah, our branch manager arranged for 2 flights of 8 golfers. I was paired with Shah, Rizal and Aziman. I had a solid start. I parred the first hole, 463m par-5. After the second hole I went back to my room to get my camera. By then the weather started to change for the better. It was a good photography session given the beautiful setting and bright sunshine. It was a yo-yo game for me with pars, double and triple boogeys.

Hole 13

The second nine, called the City Nine, was more scenic with a lot of ponds. My most memorable hole was the 146m par-3 Hole 13 with an island green. My 6 iron was a little too strong and ended the shot over the island green in the water. Somehow I got a good chip for a gimme boogey.

Shah showing off his text book swing

Shah was not playing his normally good game. His tee shots mostly hooked to the left. They gave him enough problems, he did not get a decent score. Aziman was a careful golfer, outshining the rest of the group. Rizal was a 24-handicapper but played a respectable game for his handicap. I had a lot of shots that ended in bunkers. Some even turned out from fairway bunker into greenside bunker. Anyway, I was more engrossed in taking pictures than playing golf.

The Group after 18 holes

I would recommend Eastwood Valley anytime. The course was kept in good golfing condition, a rare gem in Sarawak’s golf chapter.

Damai Golf & Country Club, Kuching, Sarawak, MALAYSIA

January 15, 2008

After our meeting we headed to Damai, voted as “No.1 Best Golf Course in Sabah and Sarawak” for the years 2003 until 2006. We wanted to tee off earlier as nightfall comes 1 hour earlier in Sarawak. Damai used to be one of my favourite courses. I would not miss a chance to play there whenever I came to Kuching.

We decided to tee off from the 2nd Nine first since there was a couple just started on the 1st hole. From the look of it, it would be a long wait. When we stopped at the starter’s hut, Zack jokingly asked if there were any caddies. There was one available, an old man caddy. His caddying left much to be desired.

Diedrich, Erika, Me & Zack

As we were preparing to tee off, a husband and wife Mat Salleh couple reached the 10th.Hole for a crossover. Zack invited them to join us and they gladly obliged. It proved to be a fun 9-hole round with Diedrich and Erika Willms from Germany. They make Malaysia their second home.

I was not hitting the ball well but I had a wonderful time playing with Diedrich and Erika. They told us that they are in Malaysia about 6 months in a year, enjoying the sun and golf. They did not seem to worry much about their scores. Erika would walk to her ball and hit it without any practice swing routine. Her shots were equally good as Diedrich’s. They were both jovial and fun to be with.

The second nine called the Ocean Nine was a delight to play. I loved the feel of the ocean breeze as we walked along the fairways. The fairways are fringed by mangrove swamp forest, rocky outcrops and beautiful beaches. Erika remarked, “ If they had a golf course like this in Europe, it would be swarmed with golfers but let’s keep it quiet so that we could enjoy it by ourselves”. She was right. We plodded on. I did not pay much attention to my score.

Diedrich at the signature hole

Hole 17 was Damai’s signature hole. This 154m par-3 hole played onto the green with the sea on 3 sides. It was listed as “One of Malaysia’s Super 18 Par 3 hole voted by Par Golf Magazine for 2005/2006. This is the hole that I likened with Dalit’s and Datai’s memorable par-3 holes.

Erika and Diedrich bade farewell after the Ocean Nine. We moved on to the Mountain Nine. This first nine was set up in a natural rain forest setting following the contours of Mount Santubong’s foothills. The greens on this nine were under repair and they were a let down. They took away the pleasures of playing in one of the best courses in Sarawak.

Damai, in my opinion, is not as good as it was before. The setting was beautiful but there were some indications of the fairways not being well-kept. Even the greens were showing signs of neglect despite the repair works. I hope they would continue to keep the first Arnold Palmer-designed course in the country as pristine as it used to be. Anyway, I would definitely come back.

Sungai Klah Hot Springs Park, Perak, MALAYSIA

January 12, 2008

It was another typical Saturday at home. Ton suggested the family take a drive to Sungai Klah Hot Springs Park located in an oil palm plantation in Sungkai. I have heard about the place somewhere before. It was time to check it out.

The drive along the north-south highway took longer time due to the road construction to expand the highway into 6-lane expressway. The construction has been going on for quite sometimes now and has become a pain in the neck. It was a case of cruising at my top speed of 115km/hour and then jamming on the brakes when the lanes merged into one, all of a sudden.

The Entrance to the FELDA Scheme

We took the Sungkai exit and then turned left onto the old trunk road heading toward Slim River. Then we followed the road signs onto smaller FELDA road. From the Sungkai Toll, it was about 20 minutes drive or 17km. Somehow, the road got smaller as we drove deeper into Sungai Klah FELDA scheme but it was good road. With several turnings, I was beginning to get worried of finding my way out of the place later.

Sungai Klah Hot Springs Park is a natural resort developed by the FELDA Group through its subsidiary, Plantation Resorts Sdn Bhd . Its main attraction is its 2 natural free flowing pools, one hot pool from the hot springs and another cold pool from the mountain spring. It was right in the middle of an oil palm plantation and durian orchard with the Titiwangsa Range as its backdrop. It makes a scenic water getaway for city folks.

Titiwangsa Range as a Backdrop. Note the Looming Dark Cloud

After paying the entrance tickets (RM10 for adult, RM8 for child), we followed the board walk that meandered along the hot streams to the centre of attraction The whole place looked very clean and well maintained, unlike many public parks found in Malaysia. A miracle of what RM10 can do to a public place. We headed straight to the restaurant for lunch.

Anas went straight into the mountain spring pool right after lunch. The hot springs pool was a bit too hot for him. The pool has a built slide, just like any other water theme park. The slide came out from a giant octopus’s statue. The water was only chest deep at its deepest, perfect for non swimmers like me. There was a big group of weekend revelers in the pool.

Anas in the Mountain Spring Pool in Front of Octopussy

I left Anas in the cold pool to check out the hot pool. It was hot all right but manageable. Before I could really settle down I had to rush back to the family as it was starting to rain from the far horizon. By 4pm the drizzle turned into a torrential storm. Everybody was out of the pool and sought shelters wherever they could. We had a good spot in a restaurant. I had some goreng pisang, a cup of coffee and a good book to pass the time and the rain.

The place is a good weekend picnic site for families. Beside the 2 pools, it offers several other facilities including camping, villa, spa and egg boiling activity. It is easy to boil eggs when you have hot water all over the place. It was one activity that we passed. We were on diet. If you love water and natural settings, this is the place to be. I prefer Sungai Klah Hot Springs Park to Sunway Lagoon or Tiara Beach Resort. It is pretty much less expensive and less crowded.

Dalit Bay Golf Club & Spa, Sabah, MALAYISA

27 December 2007

The Club House

Today is the last day of our Sabah Tour. I was beginning to feel the tolls of playing golf everyday for the past 3 days, most of the times in the heat of Sabah’s coastal sun. My skin colour began to change except for the white patches from wearing glove and watch on my left hand.

Like Tiger Wood, Wearing Red Shirt on Final Day

Dalit Bay Golf Club is part of the Shangri-La’s Group of resort hotels located in Tuaran, Sabah, about half an hour drive from Kota Kinabalu (KK). The golf course is filled with water ponds that come into play at most holes. It is a rather flat course but nonetheless exciting. It is a “must play” course when you are in KK. The course measures 6,369 metres from black tee and 5,956 metres from blue.

Hanafiah could not make it today. So he was replaced by Dato’ Dr. Azhar, the Malaysian Cocoa Board’s Chief. Later, I learned that he was from my hometown, Arau and also came from SDAR, my high school in Seremban. It is a small world. Again, I was paired with Ayob and Hamidon. Datuk Iskandar, Dato’ Azhar and Zack made up the other flight.

It was already 8.30am by the time we teed off. In terms of sun clock, it was like 9.30am in West Malaysia. The heat was beginning to hit you. Datuk Iskandar’s flight started from the black tee box! Ouch! Black is the longest tee box meant more for the lower handicapper and pros. We had to follow suit.

Ayob Ripping It Off on the First Hole

Dalit has 2 nines, the first called Mengkabong Nine and the second is known as Tambalang. There are waters every where. I made sure to bring enough balls for my round.
Everybody in my flight had a good start. Ayob drove onto the fairway slightly to the right and Hamidon put it smack in the middle. I had the longest drive, as usual, a bit more to the right. I fumbled on my second shot and put it in the greenside bunker. I had been having trouble adjusting to my new R7 sand wedge. It took me 2 strokes to get out of the bunker for a 2-putt double boogey. That was the start of my horrible score. Again, as Zack used to put it, “What else is new?”

Hole 11 From the Tee Box

We plodded on to the second nine. We stopped to get more balls from Ayob’s car, just in case. Hole 11 was the star attraction for Dalit Bay. It plays over the sea in a very scenic setting. I remember having a birdie (more from fluke than skill) at this hole the last time I was there. Today, it was a boogey day. This 169 metre (from black tee) par-3 has a close resemblance to Langkawi Datai Bay’s Hole 19 and Damai in Kuching with almost similar design and sea setting. These are the holes that you must play before you die!

Green of Hole 11

I was really struggling when we got to the final holes. Five rounds of golf in 4 days during the hottest times of the days began to take tolls. It was a very fulfilling golf outing. This golf resort that carries the tagline “Heaven Created the Setting. We Just Added the Finishing Touch” is definitely a must-play course for the golf geeks.

Borneo Golf & Country Club, Sabah, MALAYSIA

December 26, 2007

The drive to the golf course located in Bongawan from Kota Kinabalu (KK) took more than 1 hour. We left KK early and wanted to stop for breakfast half way. Most of the restaurants were still closed. It was the day after Christmas. Since there was no eating place available along the Papar-Beaufort Highway, we had our breakfast at the club house.

The 18th Green with Club House at the Back

Borneo is one of my favourite, must-play golf course. It was designed by the Great Bear himself, Jack Nicklaus. The course was a far cry from a laid back atmosphere the last time I was there. There seemed to be a Korean invasion when the ownership changed to Korean hands. It is now a 100% Korean club. The restaurant at the club house serves mainly Korean food. Even the TV program was Korean. To add insult to injury for the locals, the mangosteens, very expensive fruits in Korea and Japan were sold at RM10 for 12. Since it was winter in Korea, the club was full of Koreans running away from the cold.

With a View like This, Borneo Remains as One of My Favourites (156m Par 3 Hole 14)

However, there was a plus side from the Korean invasion. The course was well kept. What else could a golfer ask? They had added more chalets to the place. I was told that the Koreans camped out at the place during their winter time.

We started from the 10th tee box since there was a group of Koreans on the first. As a rule of thumb in local golf, try to avoid playing behind a group of Koreans or Japanese. They are very slow. Once in Bukit Tinggi I played with 2 Koreans and a Malaysian friend. We spent a good 6 hours on the course for an 18-hole round.

Hamidon & I on Hole 15. Hamidon's approach shot landed in the big seaside 'bunker'.

I had a solid start, out-driving everybody including the long hitter Datuk Iskandar on the first hole. We were feeling a bit gung ho and played from the longer gold tee box. There were 5 of us in our flight. Hanafiah was late. The club allowed a maximum of 5 golfers in 1 flight. I started with a par followed by a boogey and a par. It was too good for my standard. Then we came to one of the most memorable holes in all the golf courses that I played.

The 355m Par 4 Hole No.13 was certainly the best Borneo had to offer. A golfer has a choice of hitting across a wide pond or laying up to the right. Since I was hitting the balls pretty strong, the group asked me to be the sacrificial lamb to take up the first shot. The distance was make-able but when I tried hard to impress people, I drove the first ball into the water. My second sliced to the right into the water. The third found the fairway for a horrendous double par

Ayob deciding straight or right at Hole 13. He went straight and into the water.

Hanafiah joined our group after the disasterous 13th hole. So, I proceeded with Hamidon and Ayob in one flight. Hanafiah, Zack and Datuk Iskandar made up the other. Somehow, I managed to post a score of 43 with 4 pars and 1 birdie for the first nine. Hole 13 cost me the opportunity of breaking 40.

Zack at mysterious Hole 6. Once, a man was said to be lost inside the pond (on the right) while looking for balls. He surfaced the next day alive. Believe it or not!

After finishing the first nine, we came upon 2 groups of Koreans just about to start their games on the first tee box. We knew it was going to be a long wait. So the group decided to bend the local rule a bit by playing in a group of 6 golfers in one flight. We were not going anywhere with the 2 flights in front of us. It turned out to be a very decision. We had more fun in a bigger group, joking and laughing all over the fairways. We decided to come up with a small bet. Loser would pay for lunch. Hamidon took the honour. I came up close. My game took turn for the worse.

Datuk Iskandar & Zack. Looking for Lost Balls?

After the game we decided to stop for lunch at a road site stall highly recommended by the locals. It was famous for its soto and ox tail soup. I found both to be below par. Anyway, it was Hamidon's treat.

Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai, Sabah, MALAYSIA

December 25, 2007

Karambunai Club House

It was Christmas Day, we were in Kota Kinabalu (KK). We flew in from Tawau the night before. My body was still aching from playing 36 holes in Tawau. We were at Sutera Harbour waiting for Datuk Iskandar to arrive from KL for an 18-hole round at Karambunai. Upon his arrival, we, the craziest of the crazy golfers did not waste much time and were on our way to Karambunai in a jiffy.

Hamidon, Zack, Datuk Iskandar & Ayob (L to R)

Karambunai is a 5,625 metre resort course surrounded by hills and sea. It is a very beautiful getaway course. The club is affiliated to Staffield, my club, so I only need to pay for 50% of the green fee. Since it was Christmas, a public holiday, the green fee came to RM360. Ouch! As usual, when we reached the club house, I went to buy club logo balls to add to my collection.

Par 3 Hole

There were 6 of us scheduled to play, so we split into 2 flights with Datuk Iskandar, Zack and Hamidon in one flight and Ayob, Hanafiah and I in another. We teed off with the mid day heat at its worst. Ayob, our KK branch manager was the better golfer. For all the hard sweaty efforts, I managed to post only one par, quite a handful of double and triple boogeys. Hanafiah claimed to be a beginner but obviously a solid beginner with 4 pars to show.

Hanafiah in Action

Karambunai’s Hole No.13 has always been my most memorable hole. I was always unlucky at this 455 metre par 5 thirteenth. I had a solid tee shot, way in front of Ayob and Hanafiah. I had a choice of crossing the pond to the green or laying up to the right. I laid up nicely to the right with a good possibility of green in regulation. As fate had it, I duffed my 3rd shot into the fairway bunker and wasted several strokes going from bunker to bunker for a triple boogey 8. It was my jinx hole.

The Green of Hole 13

We finished our round feeling toasted and exhausted. What a way to spend our Christmas holidays! After the game, Ayob brought us to the house of a ball collector selling used golf balls. I bought 70 balls at 70 sen each. It was a good bargain. The balls were in excellent condition.

Yours Truly

Merry Christmas…

Shansui Golf & Country Club, Sabah, MALAYSIA

December 24, 2007

The Club House

After we finished our round at Hotspring, we made our way to Shansui. We liked the caddy, Nadi so much that we asked him to come along with us to Shansui. He obliged. We learned that Nadi is the son of an Indonesian family working in Sabah. He does not go to school but helps out his family by working as a caddy. He makes about RM100 to RM200 a month, enough to ease some family burden.

Tee Box Hole 10

Shansui is my club. I became an honorary member when the owner, Datuk Kuor became very generous one day and granted membership to the entire entourage of the then Chairman of Bank Pertanian, Datuk Sulaiman Daud. I play there on the average once a year. So much for free membership!

Zack Teeing Off at Asia's Best Par 5 as It Started to Rain.

Shansui is a par excellent golf course. Earlier, many many years ago, it was accorded the best golf course in Asia. Until today, it still carries or at least promotes itself as the best course with the best par 5 and par 4 holes. To me, it may no longer be the best but certainly it is one of the golf courses you must play before you die.

Shansui Still Claims to be the Best in Several Aspects

By 11am we were teeing off from the 10th tee box. The sun was getting very hot. It was like 12 noon in West Malaysia. The pace was fast and the score was lackluster. I managed to post 2 pars. It was so hot that we decided to take a break at a hut surrounded by cocoa trees. Shansui was built on a former cocoa plantation. We had a picnic lunch of bread and water at the hut.

Brief Respite from the Gruelling Heat

The second nine proved to be a better round for Zack. He posted 5 pars and 1 birdie. I got 2 pars and double boogeyed the rest. Half way through we started to get cloud cover from the hot mid day sun. Soon it started to rain. Again we had to stop at a hut, this time to ride through the downpour. We managed to finish the round at sometimes after 2pm, just in time to get ready for our 5pm flight to Kota Kinabalu.

Zack at the 18th Hole

The trip to Tawau would always be worth the long journey because of Shansui and Hotspring. These are 2 of my top courses in Malaysia. When you are playing at Shansui, beware of wild crocodiles. We came upon 3 crocodiles at Hole No.3, one was resting on the fairway. This 156 metre par-3 hole carries over a pond that becomes the home of these crocodiles. I managed to land my ball on the apron near to the edge of the water with crocodiles swimming nearby. It was a really nerve-breaking putt. I had to remind Zack and Nadi to look out for crocodiles while I was putting! Just in case…

The One That Got Away at Hole No.3.