MALAYSIA, LAND OF RAINFOREST, BEACHES AND…HAMLETS? DAVID LAVOIE JOURNEYS TO BUKIT FRASER, A LESSER-KNOWN HIGHLAND.

High in the hills of the Titiwangsa Range, and about the same distance from either Ipoh or Kuala Lumpur, nestles a bucolic oasis named Bukit Fraser.This tiny town straddling the Pahang-Selangor border got its name from an early Scottish buccaneer, Louis James Fraser, a colourful character who in the 1890’s hacked his way through the hills searching for gold and other precious metals. What he found at the summit of the hill now named after him was tin ore and tranquility. Quickly establishing a mine, he hired Chinese coolies to work it and then shrewdly provided an opium and gambling den to relieve them of the burden of the wages which he had paid for their grueling work. A quarter of a century later, Fraser mysteriously disappeared leaving everything behind him.

A search party from Singapore found the camp completely deserted, but soon realized the potential of the site as a hill station. By 1922, Fraser’s Hill was a popular destination for those seeking relief from the clammy heat and humidity of the lowlands and by 1929 it had nine government bungalows, four houses which had been built for ex-servicemen, three private homes, a country club, a post office and a golf course.

Don’t be frightened off by the challenges of reaching Bukit Fraser. It’s more than worth the effort. Its peaceful tranquility, quaint Tudor charm and walks in lush, primitive rainforests are all balms to the city-battered spirit. So is the temperature. At 1,260 metres above sea level, the temperature ranges from 17–25 celsius. The air is humid and it’s often foggy, especially in the late afternoon, but that is part of the magical atmosphere. Although it’s generally acknowledged that Fraser’s Hill is still a sleepy hamlet, it’s not without things to do. It’s possible to cycle, ride horseback, boat, jungle trek, and even practice archery in this private paradise. For the less adventurous, there are even places such as The Smokehouse, or Scots, a genial tavern, to sit, chat and nurse a chilled beer or three. There is no problem with accommodation especially during the week. Apart from Ye Olde Smokehouse, Fraser’s Silverpark Resort, Fraser’s Pine resort and the Puncak Inn, there are several government bungalows open to the public.We stayed at Ye Olde Smokehouse and can heartily recommend it. The hotel is situated in a building constructed in 1924 partly by the Red Cross and partly by The Order of St. John of Jerusalem in England for the benefit of the men of Malaya who served in the war of 1914–1918. It is charmingly oldfashioned and full of stuffed furniture, pressed-back chairs, tiny tea tables and paintings of long-skirted ladies slyly showing a bit of delicately turned ankle as they waltz. The rooms, each with its canopied bed, are large and comfortable. The staff is uniformly competent, courteous and friendly and the dining room is singularly famous for its English style roasts.

Each of the hotels has a restaurant of course, but there are at least two other welcome choices. “Scots” is a pleasant tavern in the centre of town which serves quite good western-style food. Try the Stuffed Irish Chicken Breast, or the Fish and Chips, a fresh piece of Dory in a good beer batter. Near the children’s playground on Pine Tree Road is a food court which offers a variety of Asian cuisine should that be your desire.

Our favourite at the food court was the “Hillview Restaurant” which has been run by the Yap family for more than two generations and serves really good Chinese cuisine. I especially liked the Sweet and Sour Fish. You can also get chilled beer there more cheaply than almost anywhere else in Fraser’s Hill. On the subject of food, be sure to have tea at Ye Olde Smokehouse. You’ll love the freshly baked scones served with clotted Devonshire cream and homemade strawberry jam. A place I didn’t try but would love to the next time is the simple “Kheng Yuen Lee Eating Shop” which is apparently famous for its curry laksa.

Good meals require some exercise to work off their effects. Luckily this is available with the number of walking trails available. Not all are in equally good condition and none are particularly long but some are quite strenuous so be warned. The short Abu Suradi Trail starts near the Jelai Resort and drops with some steepness at the end to the main road. Across from it The Hemnant trail running from the mosque to Ledegham road near the golf course is a pleasant walk with only a few moderately steep sections. It’s a favourite for bird-watchers. Those wishing a challenge can view these first two trails as a warm-up and continue on The Bishop’s Trail which contains a number of fairly steep sections and is not so well maintained as The Hemnant Trail. Two other trails worth being noted are The Mager Trail and The Rompin Trail.

The latter is simply a set of steps leading down a steep slope from the start near The Olde Smokehouse, but it affords some lovely views of the different flora of the rainforest. Unfortunately it was also on this trail that we attracted some famished leeches. A good set of leech socks (available from the Malaysian Nature Society www.mns.my) would be an excellent purchase for those not enamoured of these wee beasties. A quite pleasant walk on a concrete pathway is the one to the Jeriau Waterfall. You need to drive about four kilometers past the Smokehouse to the entry of the Falls path; the walk then takes about an hour going and coming back. For the less physically inclined there is an interesting drive to take. Follow Lady Guillemard Road to a T-junction. Turn right unto Peninjau Road and follow it to another junction at UEP. It’s quite a narrow road so drive carefully. At UEP stick to the right and you will find yourself on a fascinating circular road which twists and turns around a hill top affording some spectacular views on fog-free days. We were convinced that the name of this road was Jalan Sehala until we remembered that term is Malay for “one-way.” Ah well! Live and learn.

About it all is a sense of the history of Fraser’s Hill. Even the street, road and trail names echo the past; Lady Guillemard Road, Bishop’s House, Abu Suradi Trail, Allen’s Water, Muar Cottage, all recall people who helped shape this marvelous place. The bishop, for instance, was C.J Ferguson-Davie, Bishop of Singapore who sent the search party to look for the missing Fraser and so quickly recognized the potential of the place as a hill station. Abu bin Suradi was an entrepreneur who was issued a mining lease in 1899 and constructed a bridle path from the golf course to his home near the present Maybank Lodge to transport his ore. The bridle path, now a trekking trail, still bears his name.

Crawling up the winding road to Fraser’s Hill, one can only wonder how Fraser, and the other early settlers, did it. What struggles must they have endured even to get here? How did they find this piece of heaven? Did they know that they would leave it for us to find too?