Fraser Hill

Fraser Hill wasn't planned at all. Like so many of my other wanderings in Malaysia, I decided to pop by Fraser to see what it has to offer. The following information is courtesy of Wikipedia.

Fraser's Hill (or Bukit Fraser in Malay) is a hill resort located on the Titiwangsa Ridege in the state of Pahang in Malaysia. Fraser's Hill includes seven peaks, with altitudes between 1,220 and 1,524 meters above sea level. Year round temperatures are between 17°C~25°C.

Fraser's Hill derives its name from Louis James Fraser, a solitary Scottish pioneer, who set up a tin-ore trading post in the 1890s. The British army had not explored the Titiwangsa Range, so Fraser recruited guides and coolies for an expedition to the upper ridges, prospecting for gold or other valuable metals. At the top he found an ancient forest of moss-draped trees and ferns with a prehistoric appearance, kept constantly moist in the cloud layer.

He also found rich tin deposits, and recruited Chinese workers to open a mine. A steep track was constructed for mules to transport the tin ore down to The Gap and on to Raub, the nearest town. Fraser operated a gambling and opium den at the workers' camp, through which he profited a second time from the wages paid to his coolies.

Fraser vanished without trace some 25 years later. In 1917 C. J. Ferguson-Davie, Bishop of Singapore, led a trek up from the Gap to look for his site, and did not find him, but reported that the place was perfect for a hill station–a retreat from the heat of the lowlands. In 1919, work started on the access road to the hill station from The Gap and by 1922, the hill station named Fraser's Hill was opened to visitors. The hill station covered 140 hectares of land and had over 50 km of jungle paths. The 1927 Handbook to British Malaya recorded that there were 9 bungalows for the use of government officials, 4 houses built with the help of the Red Cross for ex-servicemen and women, 3 private homes, a country club, a golf course, water supply and a post office.

In 1951, during the Malayan Emergency, the popular British official Sir Henry Gurney was killed near Fraser's Hill in a random assassination by Communist guerillas.

 

The 1970s saw another burst of development with buildings and golf courses. Faced with growing evidence of the effects of environmental damage at the Malaysia's largest hill resort, Cameron Highlands, the Pahang state government in 2010 ruled out further development of virgin forest at Fraser's Hill.

View of one of the small lake on the way up. I do apologise for the lack of clarity as the picture was taken from a moving vehicle and I did not have the best shutter speed camera in the market.

Directions to Fraser Hill:

Take Highway 1 northwards from KL, then turn off to Route 55. From the intersection to Fraser Hill, it's about 42.4km.

 After about 16km, it's the start of the turns. 26.4km of it to be precise. Going can be slow, especially if you have a big sedan or MPV. Most of the time you will be travelling at speeds of 20-30km/h only. But the air is fresh and cooling. Temperature is roughly about 20-23 degrees.

 

Warning to those who have motion sickness. Like every 5 metres, there's a turn, as you can see from the picture.

 

Finally we reached the town centre! After checking out a few resorts and hotels, we decided on Puncak Inn. It's fairly new, compared to the rest. Which means the rooms wouldn't have musty carpets and old televisions. The rates are cheaper than the rest so it's value-for-money to me, if you consider everything overall. You can check out the Pancak Inn's info and current rates here.

 

After unpacking we still had about 2 hours before sunset so we thought we will check out Jeriau Waterfall. Nothing really fantastic to me, but please feel free to go check it out when you are there.

 

 

Feeling hungry, we made our way back to Puncak's Inn. On the way, there was sort of a outdoor food centre kind of place with 2 Malay food stalls. Nothing caught my fancy so we continued back. Finally decided on Scott's Pub and Restaurant which was just next to Puncak's Inn. Ordered fish and chips but as usual, nothing outstanding here. I am not trying to be picky but Malaysia just doesn't have good standard of Western food. It's edible but don't expect fresh fish and light fluffy batter fried to perfection. You will be lucky they don't serve you fish & chips, half done. But that's a story for another day.

 

 



  After dinner, we got a couple of beers and sat outdoors to enjoy the cool weather. There is no nightlife here so bring your own iPod and portable speakers if you can't do without background music while you enjoy your beer.

 

Fraser Hill is a famous town for bird watching. There is some golf and trekking activities available. A bit of horse riding but all in all, for city people, do lower your expectations. It's a place to relax amongst the greenry, enjoy the fresh air, perhaps write a book or two. There's literally no shopping here, unless you want to count the local mini mart as a preferred option.

 

I like the short horse ride down at The Paddock. Nothing like a horse ride to end the short trip.

 

 

All in all, I enjoyed the peace and quiet at Fraser Hill. If I ever need somewhere to hide away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, this is one option.