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.
No comments:
Post a Comment