Stories told by Sungai Lembing Guides

This trip I have the opportunity to chat with a number of tour guides. It was quite easy to spot them. Most of them wore the orange color uniform. In the end, I not sure which was my tour guide. I just followed the big crowd.

The Discovery of Rainbow Waterfall

The tourism attraction place was established around year 2004. Initially, it started with just 2 tour guides and 2 lorries. As the place become more famous, lorries were halt from service. Now there are around 50 four wheel drive vehicle to ferry hikers inside the mountains.

Curiousity kills a cat. I went around asking some tour guides. From the hearing, I collected 3 different stories on this beautiful waterfall.

1) Story by a lengzhai (handsome) tour guide
Once an upon a time, orang asli (aborigine)  was walking around the forest. He looked up. He found the waterfall. Eureka. Word of mouth passed down to the Sungai Lembing village. Thus, it become a tourist area

2) Story by aborigine
20 years ago, there were some logging activities around Pahang forest. One of the loggers found the waterfall. Words reached the boss. Next, it become a tourist area

3) Story by Ah Pek tour guide
Aborigines used to collect rattan from the forest. To deliver rattan to the Sungai Lembing village, they used bamboo and make it into a raft. The raft will carry the rattan to downstream. By evening time, the aborigine will go to the village and collect the money from rattan boss. One day, the aborigine told the rattan boss, they found a beautiful waterfall. The rattan boss paid the aborigine for the route. The map seems to be passed around the village kids.

When Ah Pek was a young kid, he used to hike four hours with his brother and friends to the waterfall. After playing at the waterfall for five minutes, they spent another four hours to go home.

Since the downfall of tin ore price in 1980, there was fewer jobs opportunities in this village. Ah Pek's brother, Mr. Lee and his partner started this rainbow waterfall tour as a small business around year 2004. Since then, rainbow waterfall are crowded with tourists every weekend.

The Discovery of Panorama Hill

The hill was a regular exercise place for the local. A hobbyist hiker found that this place can shot beautiful cloud sea photos. Word passed around. The hill became famous for the panorama view.

Ah Pek told me the hobbyist hiker has passed away in Gunung Tapis ( if I not mistaken). It was due to heart attack. #PrayForHikers

Stories below are told by Ah Pek. 

Mr. Lee (Ah Pek) 

Tel: 016-923 8639

He has very joyous character. He is very talkative.

Why Sungai Lembing is called LimMing 林明 in Chinese?
Long long time ago, there was a Chinese supervisor named LimMing working in Sungai Lembing. Chinese workers only knew to find work, they need to look for Mr Lim Ming. In the end, Sungai Lembing was named under Lim Ming in Chinese. It was said that Mr Lim Ming was a bachelor. He was not succeeded by any one.  His tomb can be found in Sungai Lembing area.

Why coconut biscuit is famous in Sungai Lembing?
30 years ago, there was just one shop selling bakery. Since there were plenty of coconut trees around the village, the baker started to baked some coconut biscuit as a product. As he retired, he passed te recipe to the village people.

Since Sungai Lembing become tourist area, some tourists want to bring some souvenirs back. They tasted the biscuit and decided to bring home. As the demand increase, more family started baking coconut biscuit. Now it became Pahang state's unique dessert.

Why Sungai Lembing is famous with toufu?
Most of the Chinese in Sungai Lembing are Hakka clan.  They brought the recipe along to Malaysia too. Mountain water is one of the purest water. Thus, toufu in Sungai Lembing is the most soft and smooth I ever eaten. Even after the long hiking, hikers don't mind queue up for the delicious toufu dish

Why Sungai Lembing is famous with tomato mee?
Long time ago, there were Mat Salleh ( Caucasian)  in the area. They missed their western food. One of the Caucasian teaches the local to cook noodle with tomato sauce. This help to cure the Caucasian's home sick. Since then, this dish become a traditional dish in the town.

Tour Guide Experience

1)
Old Hiker was having some difficulty hiking. Ah Pek was holding the old hiker's hand to help him. By the end of the hike,
Old Hiker: I never been held by a guy for so long
Ah Pek    : .....................................=.=

2)
Ah Pek: This trip got rocky road. Are you fine with that?
Auntie: No Problem
When reach the base camp,
Auntie: Your rocky road is different from my understanding
Ah Pek: .................................=.=

It seem that the auntie imagine the rocky road as the nicely arrange massage stone road. 


If you are visiting Sungai Lembing, chat with the local, you can really enjoy their stories. Remember to share it with me at the comment section below. 

PS: Lengzhai mean handsome in Cantonese. He insisted me to called him lengzhai. Without any choice, I need to address him as lengzhai. It seems In Kuala Lumpur Or Pahang area, any guy is lengzhai.
by LerLer Chan