GREAT URBAN ESCAPE TO KUALA ROMPIN

GREAT URBAN ESCAPE TO KUALA ROMPIN
By Sager Ahmad



KUALA Rompin, tucked away in the backwaters of Pahang, faces the South China Sea and is actually a good place to escape to if you are the city type requiring all the modern conveniences wherever you are.

There is no short supply of creature comforts and you are assured of telecommunication links, even out at sea.

A good range of hotels and resorts will make sure you keep up with your favourite TV channels while shops are ever ready to sell you what you need.

Good roads from Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru and Kuantan lead to Kuala Rompin and the drive through lush green jungle, peaceful kampungs and oil palm estates is uncongested and peaceful.

For the seafood connoisseur, Kuala Rompin is the best place to try out the numerous restaurants serving udang galah (large freshwater prawns), a speciality of the area, from just RM32 a kg.

Other items include fresh fish, lala and kepah (freshwater clams) picked from the Rompin river mouth and crabs and squids brought in from the sea by local fishermen.

To savour authentic traditional Pahang cuisine, drop by Puteri Inn where the speciality of the house is lemang periok kera, steamed glutinous rice cooked in pitcher plant and served with beef rendang.

Accommodation is available at Rompin Beach Resort, Hotel Seri Malaysia, Summerset Colonial Hotel, Puteri Inn, Peladang Inn, Rantau D'rhu Beach Chalet, Kencana Hotel, Rompin Inn and not forgetting the biggest of them – Lanjut Golden Beach Resort.

Located 21 km from Kuala Rompin town, Lanjut Golden Beach has the only golf course in town and is naturally the "playground" for the "big boys" and their friends and associates.

Resort assistant general manager Th'ng Beng Poh says the 188-hectare resort has much to offer.

It is halfway between Pahang and Singapore along the north-south coastal link and open throughout the year, unaffected by monsoons.

In the mid-1950s till the early 70s, Lanjut was a bustling iron mining town with a much bigger population. Iron ore was brought by train from Bukit Ibam to Kuala Rompin.

The straight road between the two towns, running for 70 km, was formerly a railway line conveying ore to the Lanjut jetty to be transported by barges to ships offshore.

Now lala-catching at the Rompin River is a popular activity. The best season for this is between March and August. Avid anglers can fish in two inland lakes and several ponds including one for udang galah. "These activities make the resort an angler's haven," Th'ng says.

Big game marlin fishing offshore is also a big draw. July will see the GP Joran international marlin fishing competition organised jointly with Berita Harian. The annual Pesta Rompin is scheduled for mid-June.

Anglers also have the added bonus of fishing for udang galah in the Rompin River between January and March.

The resort caters for a wide range of water sports from jet-skiing and canoeing to snorkelling, banana boat ride to diving.

Th'ng says the resort is actually the launch pad to some delightful islands, including Tioman, and dive sites in the South China Sea. Divers, though, have to bring their own gear.

"We have a 100m long net and, at times, it is strung out a short distance from shore in the morning. It requires some 50 people, comprising guests and staff, to help pull it in the afternoon," he says.

"The four-wheel-drive adventure to the Endau-Rompin forest park is quite enthralling. It takes participants to the Sri Mahkota waterfall where they can picnic in beautiful natural surroundings.

"It is just a 10-minute trek to the base camp and you may come across tracks left by wild deer and elephants near the streams." Theme nights are held regularly with guests treated to scrumptious barbecue spreads including the fish hauled in the net while talented staff put up entertaining shows.

"Turtle watching" is one activity not to be missed when egg laying is in season. Night time activities include war games good for team-building.

A visit to Kelong Acheh from Pantai Penyabong in Endau, about 45 minutes from Lanjut is a unique experience. This could be the only kelong with fresh water piped in. Then there's the tour to legendary Tasik Chini and dropping by the Kuala Rompin old jetty.

On rainless nights, guests can go upriver from Lanjut jetty to see fireflies by the thousands nesting on beremban trees growing on the banks of Rompin river.

Star gazing and bird watching are two new activities planned for Lanjut.

Michael Lee, the resort business development executive from Sibu, Sarawak, says he has so far spotted 50 bird species.

Finally, Lanjut offers another rare game – woodball, a cross between golf and croquette and can be played on any grass field.

Three international woodball championships have so far been hosted at the Lanjut course and the resort is a prime promoter of woodball throughout Pahang.

GETTING THERE Lanjut near Kuala Rompin is 215 km or 31/2 hours by road from Johor Baru via Mersing and the coastal road. It is 285km from Kuala Lumpur via Seremban, Bahau, Mu'adzam Shah and also takes about 31/2 hours. From Kuantan and Pekan it is 125 km or a 90-minute drive.

ACCOMMODATION Lanjut Golden Beach Resort has 50 deluxe rooms, four family and six honeymoon suites, and two conference halls with a capacity for 150. It has a Chinese restaurant and two coffee houses. Barbecues can be held at the poolside area for up to 300 people. A souvenir shop sells items made of local wood and shells. Hornbill Karaoke and 3.5 km private beach with fine golden sand and crystal clear water are places for leisure activities. The RM70 million project was completed in the early 1990s with a 18-hole golf course. There is an old but still functioning 762m airstrip, a legacy of Lanjut's mining days. For more information, contact Lanjut Golden Beach Resort, Kampung Lanjut, 26800, Kuala Rompin, Pahang (Tel: 09-4145113, fax 03-4145112). Its KL office is at Suite 30-4-01 Office, Annexe A, Hotel Sri Petaling, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling (Tel: 03-90581718, fax 03-90581719, email enquiries@lanjut.com.my or visit www.lanjut.com.my or the Pahang Tourism website at www.pahangtourism. com.my. Other resorts and hotels: Rompin Beach Resort (Tel: 09-4141367), Hotel Seri Malaysia (09-4132724), Summerset Colonial Hotel (09-4141888) Puteri Inn (09-4141069) and Rantau D'rhu Beach Chalet (09-4142163).

MUST DO Net hauling, picking lala, Horror Trail walk, ATV ride, sample lemang periok kera at Puteri Inn restaurant and fresh udang galah.