Continuation...

With the new Kuala Lumpur-Kuantan Highway, Janda Baik is less than a hour's drive from the City of Kuala Lumpur. Although after leaving the highway at the access to the Bukit Tinggi village, landmarked by the Temple with mini Great Wall of China, the road is narrow and winding, the drive from that point up, would take less than 30 minutes.

Driving through the village, one should be very careful. Besides domestic animals that tend to stray onto the roads; village boys and girls too ride their motor cycles quite fast, more often than not, without any protective helmets. Coffee shops and restaurants of various sizes can be found along the road all the way from the copper wire factory to as far as the new Training Centre for UMNO a stretch of about 15 kilometers.

For day trippers, there are many picnic spots along rocky waterfalls and rapids and a dip in the cold mountain water can be very refreshing. For those intedning to spend a night or two, the villagers have also organised themslves to provide homestay facilities. More professionally run chalets have also sprung up in a few locations. Camp sites and suitable spots to pitch tents along brooks and treams for those who are more adventerous can also be easily located. In other words you don't have to have too much money to escape to these places with your family and friends occasionally.

Escape to cooler climes

For us living in the tropics, the days are always warm and humid and for those who can afford air conditioners and high elctricity tariff, life is made more bearable by keeping themselves in air-conditioned areas. Of course the super rich can choose to have second or even third homes in countries with better climatic conditions.

What is then the choice for the majority of our citizens to get some occasional relief from this depressing heat and humidity. Malaysia fortunately has many highlands which are suitable for development into recreational and residential areas. Our British colonial masters did well for themselves by deveping Cameron Highlands, Frazer's Hill,Penang Hill and Taiping Hill Station.The only similar attempt by indigenous people, I can think of, is the Kampong Janda Baik in Pahang which may have been setlled by people who may have come from similarly mountainous regions.In this regards I will be grateful if someone can fill me in on the history of the founding of Janda Baik.