| Paradise (has its price :-) |
We had something to celebrate and Aric came with the suggestion of the Sungkai Hot Spring Resort. A villa with its own jacuzzi, it sounded very attractive, but none of our friends had ever been there and the price of RM 600 for a night was very steep.
We decided to try our luck, booked a villa and left on Monday 14-4 for Sungkai. The Choy Kee restaurant in this cowboy town has a reputation for its good food, but unfortunately it was closed for renovation. So after a simple mixed rice we followed the very clear signboards to the resort, about 10 km inland from the main road.
Our worry that the park might be crowded with noisy day trippers was unfounded, probably it will be more busy during weekends. Anyway, the five villas are located at the end of the park in a gardenlike setting. When the girl at the reception had shown us our villa, we were at once convinced that we had made the right decision. What a space, what a luxury. And then there was the jacuzzi in our own secluded garden! Why visit the park itself (free tickets are included in the price)?
So we started our lazy afternoon with the jacuzzi, until we were thoroughly soaked. Later we explored the surroundings of the park. This is peaceful Orang Asli country, near the powerful Sungkai river.
We had tea at the cafeteria in the park, and then it was time for another jacuzzi bath. A perfect place to enjoy our aperitif, waiting for the dinner, which (room service!) was brought to our terrace by the friendly staff. First time in my life I had my dessert in a jacuzzi..:-)
The next morning, after breakfast in the lounge, we had a walk in the park. It consist of two parts, the hot spring part and a cold "mountain pool" part. Near the source of the hot spring, there is a place where you can boil eggs. Nice detail: four eggs are provided for already in the fridge of the villa..:-). It is really boiling water!
The cold water part is also nice, with an octopus slide. We did not try the Spa and the Ayurvedic massage, because it was time for a last jacuzzi visit, before checking out.
We took some more pictures of the Orang Asli village and the river. I had just finished the book "The jungle is neutral" by Chapman. In 1943, under very different conditions (war), he had spent a "miserable night, shivering in torrential rain under a single groundsheet" near the confluence of the Sungkai and Tesong rivers.
Now it was so peaceful, we passed a Kindergarten school, where the friendly teacher invited us to have some mee goreng.
Then it was time to go back to normal life, but not before we had a sumptuous lunch in the WK restaurant in Ulu Yam. |
 Closed for renovation. How disappointing.
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 Map of the Hot Spring Resort
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 Our villa
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 The livingroom
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 The bedroom
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 The bathroom
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 The kitchen
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 And our own jacuzzi
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 Pure bliss
1 comment |
 Paradise
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 Let's celebrate!
1 comment |
 Nature at its best
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 Or even better
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 The mighty Sg Sungkai
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 Orang Asli village
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 Peaceful Sg Tesong
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 Has life a meaning?
1 comment |
 Maybe this?
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 Life is just to enjoy
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 Room service
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 Romantic setting
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 Our dinner
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 Jacuzzi fruit salad
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 Breakfast next morning
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 The hot water park
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 Even with a poolside bar (not working)
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 Boiling your egg in the Hot Spring
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 Baskets and eggs are provided for
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 Into the boiling water
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 Almost ready
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 Delicious...!
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 Quite painful, but good for the feet
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 The cool water park
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 Me and the octopus
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 Even a waterfall!
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 Aric under the shower
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 Modern way of controlling your goats
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 Here Chapman once camped (1943)
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 Balancing act
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 Detail of O.A. house
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 Catching prawns
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 A little income for the O.A.
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 Is this boar still wild? Note the monkey.
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 Orang Asli village
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 Simple house
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 Building a new house
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 Kindergarten school
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 Invited for lunch
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 36 children in this school
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 Son of a teacher.
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 The teachers and me
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 Sg Sungkai
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 River crossing
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 The WK restaurant in Ulu Yam, open!
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 The cook and his wife(?)
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 Good food! Then back home
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wrote on Apr 16, 2008:
Beats me how you nose out all these nice little places. |
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wrote on Apr 16, 2008:
Jan, I'll be jobless after May 13. So, I'll be free (except 1st week of June) for the expedition to that waterfall. Did u ask Winda about the trip? |
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wrote on Apr 16, 2008:
Happy Birthday Jan |
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wrote on Apr 16, 2008:
I'm waiting for your answer after that meditation. :-) |
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Kwai Loh wrote on Apr 17, 2008:
Thanks, actually we were celebrating something else...;-) |
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wrote on Apr 17, 2008:
Hi Jan, I really enjoy seeing your trip photos, i'll plan for my family trip next year to Sungkai Hot Spring Resort. Thanks for sharing!!!~ |
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lightlingmk2 wrote on Apr 17, 2008:
Reminds me of the snow monkey taking a bath in a hotspring, in Japan (joke). Happy B'Day Jan. |
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Liz wrote on Apr 20, 2008:
Great photos. Love the villa bathroom. It's changed since I was there in 2005 as the octopus wasn't there then, and the egg boiling area signboard is new, also the villas. Glad you had a good time. |
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wrote on Oct 23, 2008:
hi...great spot u hv thr...where on earth is tis villa located? country...state? thanks : ) |
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