Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary + Bukit Tinggi Tour

I was ffk-ed by by two friends who initially invited me to a jungle trip at Sungai Lembing.
So I came up with the idea of riding to Lanchang, Pahang to visit my mammalian friends.

I woke up at 6am and departed an hour later. The journey reminded me of the days when I toured around Peninsular Malaysia. My loyal kapchai has now gone to more places than most Malaysians. We've had some disagreements in the past, though--he unchained himself and made things hard for me whenever I pushed him too hard. This time, however, we did 239km in a single day. It's the longest route I have ever traveled in a single day.
When I started the ascend near the Selangor-Pahang border the air started to cool and so it was great for the engine.

I arrived at Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary at 11:30am and went straight for the animals. The sanctuary has no entrance fee, but one has to register at the registration counter first. But it's always good to drop some donations--feeding 27 elephants is unlike feeding your normal pet.

Nasi Goreng Kampung RM4.50. That's very cheap for a tourist spot don't you think?

She has lost her left foot to a trap

Elephants are smart. And this one tries to unlock the enclosure

Elephant phallus--you mad bro?

This one lost her tail to a tiger

Skink

There were seven babies there and we were allowed to hand-feed them. The peanuts cost me RM 3 per pack. Good thing I didn't buy the bananas.

Me feeding one of the baby elephants

Elephants are one of the smartest animals on Earth. An elephant's brain is the largest of any land animal, and like whales these giants can communicate over great distances using low frequency sounds. They have emotions and they mourn their dead. At the sanctuary I could really see their emotions, each with their own characteristics.

Waiting for food like a boss

Then came the adult elephants. The oldest in the sanctuary, I was told, is a 74-years-old female. Damn that's older than my dad. Then there were elephant riding and bathing-with-elephant activities which lasted until 4pm.

I didn't stay for long because I wanted to visit Bukit Tinggi before returning to KL.

Bukit Tinggi is situated near Genting Highland. But the way up to the top was a treacherous one, thanks to the rain. The slopes were tortuous and gosh it was 8 km long. But it was fun on the way down because I didn't have to turn on the ignition-just flew down the slopes on free gear =D

On top there are two places of interest; Le Chateau and Japanese Village.
Le Chateau is a French-themed resort on top of Bukit Tinggi. Japanese Village is a Japanese-themed resort. Both are overpriced, exorbitant, and isolated, perfect for anyone with several thousands to spare looking for a getaway.

Self shooting using DSLR is a daunting task

3,500 feet above sea level? That's like over a kilometer above sea level.

It was a hectic day, but still I managed to reach home at 8pm sharp for the Olympic badminton finals between Dato Lee and Lin Dan. =D
The outcome of the match wasn't really pleasant though. Both players were equally good and it was perhaps one of the finest match I've ever seen. Fuck the free ice cream and holiday and nasi kandar, I just wanted to hear Negaraku being sung at London. But too bad luck wasn't on our side (even with me rushing back from Pahang to support our Dato Lee. Fuck you Fortuna). Nevertheless Dato Lee has done his best and we're equally happy with the silver medal.


Malcolm