The River and The Puan Sri [SFTH2]

November 23, 2011 at 2:29 pm

“A journey of love back to nature”

Puan Sri Sharifah Sabrina, the woman behind Tanah Aina Farrah Soraya Resort

We spent our first day in Pahang at an amazing little place called Tanah Aina Farrah Soraya. It is a forest estate dedicated to the preservation of nature. The owner of this beautiful resort is a beauty herself, Puan Sri Sharifah Sabrina, who was on hand to greet all of us as we made our way to her little green sanctuary.

Puan Sri’s little piece of paradise, Tanah Aina Farrah Soraya Resort in Raub, Pahang

A stream ran through the entire area, and was the main highlight and focus of the resort. The resort was actually a well planned nature retreat, with well thought out and luxurious chalets by the hillside and a long house dormitory, coupled with numerous tents on either side of the stream. A gazebo lay just after the entrance, with the open air dining areas running alongside the stream. We discovered that this was not your ordinary camping grounds when we stepped into the toilets, which one participant described as meeting ‘five star hotel’ standards.

The tents that make up the campsite at Tanah Aina Farrah Soraya Resort

Here we learnt about how vulnerable nature really is, threatened by deforestation, logging and the greed spurred on by development. And it was also here that we enjoyed the best of what nature had to offer. The fresh air and calm of the forest, the enchanting waterfall and the lovely deep emerald pool deep in the forest. The late night walk up a hill on a moonlit night, and standing on top of the hill, gazing at the night sky, admiring the surrounding mountain range. And, of course, let us not forget, the gurgling stream that became a soothing lullaby in the night.

The spacious dormitory room that can accomodate 6 persons, tastefully furnished with all the comforts of home. The screen doors offer protection from incests that make the jungle their home.

It took us less than a day to realise how close Puan Sri was with nature, and how close she kept nature to her heart. Some people look for causes, others find themselves drawn to it. And just sometimes, like in the case of this river and Puan Sri, the cause and the person find each other. According to her close friend and confidant, Puan Sri bought the land in an effort to save the river, which at that time, was sought after by a developer who had his sights on the profits that would be reaped from the any mineral deposits under the river.

The reason behind the resort – the river that runs through Tanah Aina Farrah Soraya Resort

One could only imagine the satisfaction she felt when she knew her efforts had foiled those plans and led to the preservation of this little piece of paradise.

Some of the Kembara Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia Pahang participants enjoying themselves at the waterfall. Without Puan Sri’s efforts, this waterfall would have been long gone.

This is the second article of Stories From the Hills, the feature series on Kembara Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia Pahang 2011

Check out the candid photos we took of the trip at our facebook page here

Tags: KCC1M Pahang, Kembara Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia Pahang, Nature Conservation, Pahang, Puan Sri Sharifah Sabrina, Raub, Tanah Aina Farrah Soraya Resort