A quick trip to Bandar Ikan Patin - Part 1

It began a couple of months back, when the difficult task of getting everyone's calendar to agree on a single date for a day trip was underway. And the destination was proposed by a colleague who grew up in Temerloh. Imagine planning for an 8-car convoy, and almost 30 people! I think I would freak out. Luckily, it was left to the capable hands of some colleagues, with detailed planning, the maps, some initial drama of almost getting lost even getting to the meeting place, the food, and the ever gracious hospitality by my colleague's family (the Cheahs!), making such a wonderful day excursion possible.

Here's a sneak peak.

A. Summarised Itinerary:
7:15am: Gather at meeting point along Karak Highway
7:30am: Depart to Yik Kee coffee shop, Karak.
8:30am: Breakfast! Yee Wat (fish cake) with noodles, Char Siew, Dim Sum, Bak Chang, etc.
9:30am: Depart for Kuala Gandah, Lanchang, the elephant sanctuary.
10:30am: Arrive at the elephant sanctuary. Elephant rides were pre-arranged.
12:15pm: Leave Lanchang for lunch in Temerloh.
1:00pm: Lunch at Wee Kee restaurant (otherwise known as FeiLo restaurant I think)! Patin fish, Yee Wat, Chui Ha (Drunken prawns), etc.
2:15pm: Leave Temerloh for Gunung Senyum. A forest guide was engaged to ensure safety.
3:00pm: Explore Gunung Senyum caves.
4:15pm: Return to Temerloh for tea.
5:00pm: Tea break at colleague's family place! Lemang with serunding (beef and chicken), Nasi Dagang with fish, fruits galore, konyaku jelly, etc.
6:45pm: Head back to KL.

B. The food
Was uncertain how long it would take getting to the initial meeting place, so budgeted about 10mins spare for "getting lost", but in the end, was there about 6:45am! So, the few of us grabbed a quick morning snack at the 24-hour McD. Whilst some stayed healthy with orange juices, a few imbibed the much needed caffeine, together with the hashbrowns and pint sized burgers.

Yik Kee, Karak is apparently quite well known. Especially for its fish cakes. They also serve egg tarts and other bakery like sort of cakes which some of us ta-paued (for take away) in case we get hungry and to bring back home. But for the duration of the trip, I doubt if anyone ever got hungry because of the sheer amount of food we consumed.

Temerloh, as some of the signages put it, is also known as Bandar Ikan Patin. Patin fish is a river fish and surprisingly not as many bones as I had expected. Different grades of Patin fish exist depending on whether it's captured wild, or bred through various methods. The fish we had was exceedingly fresh, with no fishy smell usually associated with river fishes. But it was HUGE! and yet, was eaten right to the bones. Ravenous eaters, some of us be. The drunken prawns was a favourite among some, but somehow, the "younger" generation was not a major fan I think. Fish cakes were good, as were some of the other dishes.

And guess what! LEMANGS!!! I like! Usually I would eat it on its own or with heaps lots of Kaya, but there was serunding (meat floss) provided as well. We even got to ta-pau back home because there was simply so much food left. The Konyaku jelly (wonderfully home made by my colleague's mom), the various fruits (apples, mangos, rambutans, langsat - well, not quite langsat, but I forgot the name, and cikus!), and of course, the camaraderie of it all as we munched and filled our bellies through the day.