THIRD DAY (28/11/13)
We gathered in the lobby of Menara Star at 7 in the morning. The day before, we were separated into three groups who will set out to interview three different people in the small town of Raub, Pahang. Each group was given two or three cameras for the assignment. Breakfast was distributed (a packet of chocolate milk, kuih and sandwiches) before we departed. The bus ride took about two hours.
When we arrived in Raub, two groups (including mine) were dropped off along Jalan Sungai Klau, in front of a row of shops and restaurants. My group was assigned to interview Aunty Kim Mooi while the other group interviewed Aunty Sau Ying. The third group went to Eight Acres to interview Chef Zulhilmi.
We walked down a small and narrow road to the back of the shops, to find a number of single-storey houses situated opposite each other. It was really awkward when we showed up at Aunty Kim Mooi's house. It was mostly the language barrier as she speaks Cantonese/Mandarin, which only a few of us can speak but not fluently. All I can say is, the interview process was NOT smooth at all. But I guess we got through in the end. Somehow.
After the interview, we met up with the other group at one of the restaurants nearby for lunch. Aunty Kim Mooi generously prepared a large amount of stuffed tau fu pok, which is her special dish, and also a huge jar of pickled vegetables (yum!) to share with everyone. The stuffed tau fu pok was warm and juicy, with the ingredients blending well together.
After lunch, we had to take 4WDs in to Eight Acres as the road was caked with mud. Neat rows of oil palm trees lined the narrow road, and the bumpy ride lasted an hour or so. I did not dare to have high expectations of the place for fear of disappointment, but I can honestly tell you that I was pleasantly shocked when the vehicle drove past the gates.
...Because this view was way, way above what I had expected. I was in love with the place immediately.
Like its name, the place encompasses about eight acres of land. It is run by Uncle Kam and a few staff. Eight Acres is a self-sustainable resort, where they rear their own chickens and fishes besides growing their own vegetables. They also make enzyme for washing dishes. I think it's an ideal place for a relaxing getaway and to connect back with nature.
This is called The Brick House and I simply love the concept of having ceiling-to-floor windows.
The Brick House has six rooms, each of a different theme (which makes the place even cooler), and they are all located upstairs.
The scenery from The Brick House.
This is the Tatami Hall, a spacious common area that can accommodate a large number of people. It exudes a very Japanese feel, which somehow has a calming effect on me.
The dining hall. The meals are served buffet style, and all three groups took turns to wash everyone's plates after our meals using the special enzyme.
They even have an old jukebox!
They sell T-shirts and other souvenirs as well. I bought the one with the tualang tree coz I thought it was quite cute :D Plus, I felt that it kinda symbolises Eight Acres haha!
I took these from the first floor. Green everywhere.
Let me introduce the six themed rooms, each having apt names and their own little story to share. I love all the rooms but I guess this is my favourite because it resembles a mini library! This room is called 'Discovery'. Every room has a piece of paper stuck somewhere, explaining the meaning behind the theme.
Discovery: The pursuit of knowledge is essential to cultivating a healthy mind. The Library Room is a little effort on our part that reflects this belief, and hopefully unlocks some of the world's mysteries for you.
I read somewhere that the books are donated. It even has a ladder! :') Unfortunately I was not placed in this room, sighh.
Renewal: Eight Acres was born from, among other things, a love for the environment. Enter the Recycled Room, and find a different perspective on trash and treasure. A product's life cycle is what consumers make of it, but what comes after is really up to anyone. Here's an invitation to marvel at the versatile possibilities of things.
Third room is 'Contemplation'. It gives out a breezy feel, and it has stairs that lead to an attic!
Contemplation: A room dressed in pure white brings instant calm to the senses. The White Room is a blank canvas for the imagination, and carte blanche for your musings. As all colours are split from white and merge into white again, so are your thoughts released in this bright void to wander and converge in meditation.
Geography: Geography is Man's attempt at understanding the Earth; we've sliced interminable lands into manageable divisions, catalogued flora and fauna, mapped mountains and oceans, and created agriculture, industries and economies. The Geography Room points you to enlightenment within, by providing a look at the world without.
'Culture' is one of the two rooms that comes with an attached bathroom, the other being 'Surreality'.
Culture: In our busy lives today we take for granted how so much - food, technology and indeed, civilisation itself - were raised when Man harnessed earth. The Clay Room is a peek into the beginnings of culture and the flourish of ideas, and a solid depiction of our origins manifest.
It is indeed very 'cultural'.
'Surreality' was my room!
Initially I thought my room was pretty romantic, what with red curtains...
...and a gigantic red lip couch...
...until I looked up at the ceiling.
Then I understood why this room was named 'Surreality'. Man, for someone who is afraid of horror movies and creepy-looking monsters to sleep here.....
Two golden picture frames hung on one side of the wall.
There was another surprise! When I open the bathroom door, it was - literally - gold everywhere :O (By the way, the bathroom has three shower heads.. I don't know why anyone would want to bath together - unless they are couples lol.)
Even the door is painted gold on the other side!
Okay, the highlight of this room is definitely the bathroom. It practically glows and sparkles when you on the light at night. Happy sigh :') Can I have a similar bathroom next time?
Surreality: A homage to the great Surrealist painter, the Dali room stimulates inquisitive inclinations and provoke a reexamination of common perceptions. It's a room for the dreamy and imaginative, that will leave you with interesting, open-ended thoughts. Why? Why not?
Oh yes, the meaning behind 'Surreality' has got to be my favourite one of all. Especially when it says it is for the dreamy and imaginative ;) ;)
We started on our editing - which by the way, was a real pain in the ass. We were all worried that we could not finish in time, as most if not all of us were first-timers when it comes to editing with Adobe Premier Pro. But workshops have a funny itinerary. They come up with all sorts of activities so that you cannot do the actual work, and at the last minute they rush you like nobody's business.
At 5 in the evening, Uncle Kam brought us on a tour around Eight Acres while telling us stories about the place, starting from the history of Raub.
Uncle Kam is in his 60s and is the father of the owner, Paul Kam. About three or four years ago, the Kam family started developing the land and have since planted more than 1,000 tress! I am truly amazed at the hard work put into beautifying the place, making it a haven for city dwellers.
He explained that Eight Acres has four ponds (if I'm not mistaken) and they are homes for fishes, ducks, and geese. You can find sweet potato leaves, roselle, durian trees and many more fruit and vegetable plants here. One great feature about this place is that the chickens, rabbits, and ducks are free to roam. Living in the city, I have never stayed in a place so close to nature before. There are also ponies and a lamb, which are kept in an enclosed area.
This is a durian tree. Durian trees are found easily in Eight Acres, mainly the Musang King and D24. Uncle Kam explained that a Musang King durian tree is easily identifiable - by colourful raffia strings. The reason he ties the durians is to prevent them from dropping on the ground when they are ripe. You see, Musang King is a very expensive kind of durian (also the most delicious) but cracks easily. And when it cracks, its value drops.
Inside are roselle plants.
Uncle Kam playfully asked us what tree is this. The guess he mostly got was: oil palm tree.
....I have never seen such a short coconut tree in my life before. Yup, all of us were pretty shocked when he told us.
City kids.. LOL. In our defense, this tree has a soft bark which was quite comfortable to touch.
A mini pond.
Can you spot some duck-like animals behind those bamboo trees?
WIth so many durian trees, durians are a common sight to see.
Uncle Kam brought us to the Java House, another accommodation option in Eight Acres.
Uncle Kam told us that the house is of Indonesian architecture, and asked us to pay attention to the little details such as the tiles on the roof, and so on.
The living area.
I love the house! The cement floor felt cold beneath my feet and it was a nice feeling.
Overlooking lush greenery.
The Java House has a room like this on each side of the floor. Instant love!
Imagine waking up every morning to such a beautiful view! I want this to be my bedroom T.T
We descended the steps to the 'basement'.
Another living area, but a much simpler one. It does not have any railing around the edges so one definitely has to be careful.
The Java House is near Cascada, Eight Acres' very own waterfall, so guests can relax while listening to the rush of water.
The 'basement' has a room that fits the largest bed size, according to Uncle Kam. Here's James looking like a boss :P
Roselle plants growing along the pathway.
We came to the place where we can see the tualang tree, one of the tallest trees in the world, standing majestically. Uncle Kam told us that giant bees make their hives on those branches. According to him, tualang trees are famous for its honey, which is expensive. One small bottle can cost about RM100-120!
On the way to the base of the tualang tree.
There were stepping stones along the way to ease the hike up. We were so close to the waterfall! Some parts were quite steep plus a couple of stones were not stable.
The walk took about 15 minutes. I need to strain my neck to look all the way up!
The roots are HUGE.
We used another way to go back. Phew - I did not want to traverse the scary slope again. This road is actually outside Eight Acres (don't know if you can see the fencing). Occasionally there will be motorbikes passing through.
We came in through another entrance (not the one we used when we came in the 4WD). There were smiley faces all along the path! When we asked Uncle Kam about it, he said he wants Eight Acres to be a happy place for everyone who stays there. Awww.
On the way back, Uncle Kam asked the boys (yes, only two of them) to pick up some of the fallen durians haha.
Passed by the Cascada waterfall.
The menu for dinner :3 Dishes are prepared by Chef Zulhilmi, so the Muslims do not have to worry as it is halal. As you can see, three out of five dishes are vegetables - healthy much!
After dinner, we quickly resumed our work. I think we stayed past midnight.
I was SO close to the geese! Am quite scared of going nearer to them though, for fear they will chase me.
FOURTH DAY (29/11/13)
The next morning, the rooster woke me up instead of my alarm. I am impressive (not sure at the rooster or at myself) as I am a deep sleeper and usually find it hard to wake up with my alarm ringing loudly beside me. Sometimes I will even sleep through my alarm.
I totally need a rooster.
We were "forced" to go for an early morning jog/run...
The morning mist.
Dipping my feet in cold water is probably my favourite part of the jog/run.
After the jog/run, we were asked to collect dried leaves for the enzyme.
And then we got temporarily distracted by a fisherman. Oooooh I was so excited because I have never seen people casting fishing nets in real life! I think it's not easy as it looked like, heh.
We walked towards the end and saw the one and only lamb in Eight Acres!
My group was the only group not close to finishing..
We tried our best but did not manage to complete our video in time for the presentation. The video was in sequence but we had not insert the subtitles. Many of us could not understand Cantonese/Mandarin so the majority had a blank face after watching our video lol. After the video presentations, each of us had to share what we learnt throughout the workshop.
After that, it was time to pack our things, eat lunch, and say goodbye to Uncle Kam and the wonderful staff.
Eight Acres, I miss you and I hope to see you sometime again in the future!
*Some photos were taken by Kamila and Nunu
P.S. Here are our videos:
#1 Aunty Kim Mooi's specialty dish (done by my group)
#2 Chef Zulhilmi at Eight Acres
#3 Aunty Sau Ying's vegetable patch
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