Sg Lembing in a Time Capsule - 28-30 May 2014

The sleepy main street of Sg Lembing town, which is 48 km from Kuantan in Pahang. We arrived on Wednesday, and this place looked like a ghost town. Closer to weekends, the town is alive again. We saw tour buses and cars streaming in steadily, and the old shophouses and market place sprung into action.

The main street from the old tin mining days

This town is known for its six hanging bridges across the river, legacy of the British tin-mining era. Most of them are still in use for walking pedestrians as well as bicycles and motorcycles.

A hanging bridge connecting the main street to the residential houses.

The old wooden bridge was replaced by the newer concrete one. A hanging bridge was seen beside the concrete bridge. It's a place where the old and new co-exist side by side!

A local resident commuting on the hanging bridge.

This modest town served the biggest underground mine in the world, and the 2nd deepest mine after Bolivia in its heydays in 1940s to 1950s. That's why it was known as the El-Dorado of the East. 

An old mini tram that ferried the tin miners and tin ore in the old days. This tram would bring visitors inside one of the tunnels and thereafter continuing the tour on foot.

Only a small part of the tunnel is open to visitors, ie to and fro about 600 meters. It's really cool in the tunnel like in an air con room, and the guide would point out to you that the British has cleverly installed air shafts so that cool air from the rainforest can ventilate the tunnel. There're some mining paraphernalia and info boards along the tunnel.

The tunnel in its original rugged form. Can't imagine the rainforest is on top of the mine.

The engine room. From here, the tin miners were supposed to take a lift to the underground mine, some as deep as 700 meters, almost doubled the height of the KLCC tower! The deeper the mine, the higher the temperature, up to 42C. 

Entrance is RM15 per adult, RM7.50 per child or senior citizen. It's worth the money!

There're many homestays in Sg Lembing. We stayed in a 8-bedded family room with attached bathroom at 'Sg Lembing Recreation Resort'. It's a lovely place with a nice outdoor area for BBQ and relaxation.

At night, the place is one of its kind with many species of cool insects and moths. A perfect place for camping too. 

 The view of the village houses and forest from the homestay.

This is like a view in a coastal town, with coconut trees dotting the background.

Another 'Must Do' in Sg Lembing is watching the sunrise on Panorama Hill. I stayed behind with Brandon. The rest started as early as 5.30am. You need about an hour or more to reach to the top. The seas of clouds hiding the village beneath is simply rewarding.

Steep, and many many stairs to go up...

A beautiful sunrise.

A perfect ending on Teluk Chempedak beach in Kuantan.