Basic HTML Version
FireFlyz | 29
Zenith Hotel
Situated in the city centre, Zenith
Hotel isapremier fivestar hotel, the
only five star city hotel in Kuantan.
It is also a green hotel, the only
one of its kind in the East Coast of
peninsular Malaysia. Zenith Hotel is
ISO 22,000 and halal certified. The
Sultan Ahmah Shah International
Convention Centre is right beside
the hotel and East Coast Mall, a
vast shopping complex is just
across from it. The Titanium Club
Lounge offers stunning vistas of
Kuantan’s skyline and is a great
placeforviewingsunsetandsunrise.
Perfect for business and leisure
guests alike, ZenithHotel offers the
crèmede lacrèmeof qualityservice
and amenities.
To book this hotel visit
www.fireflyholiday/hotels
the vibe here exuded that of relaxation
and chillness -- with many a local and
visitor alike sipping on coffee and vendors
chatting with each other. The locals were
obliging and more than happy to engage
in casual chatter, something city folk have
no time for.
Just a little further up from the town
lies the Sungai Lembing Museum situated
on a little hill overlooking the town and
beyond. This museum used to be the
residence of one of the British mine
managers. The museum does an excel-
lent job at chronicling the legacy of this
mining town which once housed the
largest underground mining areas in the
world. The town’s name comes from
a legend of a deer that was speared by
a group of hunters but it managed to
escape with spear intact to the river;
hence, the name Sungai Lembing directly
translated to ‘spear river’. I learnt that
Sungai Lembing was once hailed as the
El-Dorado of the East for its vast mining
produce especially tin ore. Intensive tin
mining was conducted from 1906 – 1986,
although the mining concession began
in 1887. Sungai Lembing has seen a lot
from the establishment of schools and
hospitals by the British to the Japanese
occupancy during World War II and the
communist insurgency of the 1950s.
Sungai Lembing’s boom came to an end
in 1985 with the global decline of tin ore
price. From a busy bustling town of its
heyday it became the sleepy ghost town
of today. In the museum, vast mining
relics and artefacts are on display as well
as household items of the British residents
such as china sets and silverware. Not
only is this an excellent history museum
it also serves as a great science museum
which gives the rundown on Geology
101 detailing minerals, metals and rocks.
I was also fortunate enough to visit
the actual mines which only re-opened
recently (2013), after being shut off to the
public for many years. The mines, which
consist of fourteen entrances, are well
known for having won the second prize
at the 2014 international Silver Awards for
their past contribution to socio-economy.
Apart from tin ore, copper, zinc and
even gold were found in the mines.
Today, visitors can’t go down towards the
Earth’s core where mining was conducted
because it’s filled with water. During the
mining period there were several pumps
working 24/7 pumping out the water but
today, due to high costs, they are no longer
used. The depth of the mines is 700m,
equivalent to a 220-storey building -- taller
than the KLCC towers. Illegal mining was
rampant from 1987 to 2005 as the former
workers were still under contract from
the century-old mines. The government
stopped the illegal mining in 2005 when
their contract expired.
Sungai Lembing, once renowned as
the most modern town of its time is now
just a memory of its bygone era. However,
nostalgia runs deep in the veins of this
town as evidenced by the century-old
buildings and the elderly folk who go
about the town strong and bold amidst a
backdrop which is equally resilient.
Fly to Kuantan from
either Penang or
Singapore. To book
flights and tour
packages or just
hotels and flights
log on to www.
fireflyholiday.com
Zenith Hotel
Sungai Lembing noodles
Petrol hut
Mines
Museum
Hanging Bridge
Town