I am a city kid. Born and raised in the city, studied in the city, worked for a while in a city. So when I was told that I would have to choose between a town or a village for my job posting, it was a tough choice for me. Well, I ended up choosing the village instead of the town just because it placed me much nearer to my family and the city. For the first few days at my new working place, I dreaded the village life and complained a lot about how far it is from my house. But now that I have been working for around 10 months at Lanchang, I learnt how to appreciate this quiet village.
Well, the intro is getting too long, let's dive into the few interesting facts about Lanchang. I somehow feel "responsible" to at least share something nice about Lanchang as the clinic pharmacist. I'll try to make it like one of those top X reasons to visit... hehehe... Let's see whether it works out!
If you search Lanchang on Google now, the first interesting that come out is always Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre. This is a center designed to take care of Asian Elephants that has been listed as an endangered species since the 1980s. Since it was built, the PERHILITAN management has been tracking down and taking care of these elephants until they are old enough to be released back into the wild.
The center is free to visit every day including weekends and public holidays and there are special shows every day around 1pm - 2.30pm including video documentaries and guided visits around the facility.
A short distance away from the Elephant Conservation Centre is another tourist attraction, a private park called Deerland. The location is quite odd for a family themed park/zoo in my opinion, but it sure attracts many tourists from all over the world with not only deer, there are many other animals in the park including snakes, hedgehogs, iguanas and many more, Something special about this park is the chance to get up close to the young deer and the opportunity to feed them with food provided by the care givers.
Deerland is a wonderful place for adults and children alike and it is totally worth the entrance fee of RM6 (adults) and RM4 (children below 12). The park is open everyday except Friday from 10.30am till 5.30pm.
Now for a basic history lesson. Malaysians out there who still remember your Form 2 Sejarah (History) may know this. There was a Malaysian warrior who fought a war against the British colonist at the very spot in the picture above, Lubuk Terua, Lanchang. His name was Dato' Bahaman, Orang Kaya Semantan. It was the 1890 when the British took control of Pahang while Dato' Bahaman was the Orang Besar Raja, a leader and administrator of land given by the Sultan. Tension was on the rise when the British set up a police station at Lubuk Terua and he was instructed not to interfere. Resistance against the invading forces erupted when the British forces launched multiple attacks on several local strongholds, resulting in what is known today as the Semantan War.
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By 1892, the British instructed the Sultan to form a team known as Gerakan Sultan to attack Dato' Bahaman's forces in hopes that he would surrender out of loyalty to the Sultan. The plan did successfully remove his forces away from Semantan but only for a month before returning with help from Tok Gajah and recapturing Lubuk Terua. Unfortunately after months of defending their fortress at Lubuk Terua against continuous bombardment from the British, Dato' Bahaman's forces had to retreat and ending the war against the British in Pahang completely. He is regarded as one of the great Malay warriors and currently has two schools named after him in Lanchang. Currently there are no remains of his fortress at Lubuk Terua as they were destroyed by the British. However there is a huge tree at the Semantan riverbank said to be the site where the fortress was back then.
Lastly, for those who do not know where Lanchang is, here is a map of Pahang with Lanchang circled. If you want, do drop by the local clinic to visit another attraction, me... heeheehee!
lalanandaFRY
8/2/15
