Clouds, Clouds, Lovely Clouds

While searching for attractions in and around Kuantan, I came across Bukit Panaroma. I learnt that it was a small hill top located in Sungei Lembing and every day, throngs of visitors sacrifice their sleep to climb to the summit to catch the sunrise and the stunning sea cloud. I was drawn to the beautiful photos and made up my mind to conquer the hill despite the fact that we have to wake up really early and that I have always hated climbing stairs.

Prior to this, I had never heard of Sungei Lembing. I found out that it used to be the richest tin mining town in Pahang. However, that era is long gone and now, most of the younger generations have moved to bigger cities and the villagers are mainly made up of the older folks.

Initially I planned to stay at Kuantan, then drive to Sungei Lembing very early in the morning to catch the sunrise but that would mean that we have to wake up at around 4am. It takes about an hour to drive from Kuantan to SL. DH chanced upon Lembing River View Resort which is just 5 mins drive away from Bukit Panaroma. I was hesitant at first as I wasn't sure about the quality of the accommodation. The rooms featured on blogs and the website of the resort look okay though. And, the reviews are pretty good! So, it was decided, we would stay at the resort the night before we climb the hill.

It turned out to be a comfortable stay at the resort. The room that we booked comes with 2 queen sized beds, just nice for our family. The place was generally clean and well maintained. I don't mind going back there if I ever visit SL again.

We woke the kids up at around 4.45am. I reckoned we need about 30 mins to get ready. Thankfully, the kids were pretty cooperative and we did manage to leave at 5.20am. It was pitched black when we arrived at the bottom of the hill. There were other groups there already, some with young kids like us and there were some elderly too. One old man told us the sun would rise at 6am which means we only have about 30 mins to get to the top. I didn't really believe what he said as it was still very dark then, no sign of the sun coming out at all..... However, I guess what he said did help to push me to move a bit faster....

For someone who doesn't exercise, it was a real challenge for me. Before long, I was the last in the group. I was panting and felt like throwing up. My thighs were also aching like crazy. At that point, I thought I must be out of mind to leave my comfortable bed and choose to suffer like this. I willed myself to stay focus and push on, which I did. After about 45 mins, we finally reached the top. Boy, what a huge relief! I thought I would never make it....DH had to piggy back my youngest who complained that he felt like vomitting towards the end...

It was still very dark when we reached the top. We were about to settle down on our mat to wait for the moment when it started to drizzle! Duh, what a timing! Not sure if it was because of the rain, we didn't see the sunrise at all cause the sun was blocked by thick clouds. I was really disappointed but one consolation was that we did manage to see the sea clouds which were really beautiful. 

View of the village from the summit

When it was time to leave, I thought going down should be a piece of cake. Boy, I was wrong! The continuous flight of stairs turned my legs into jelly and very soon, I was holding onto the railings for support. This was the first time I struggled to go down a stair case. Not kidding! By the way, I was not the only one who was struggling to go down the hill. I guess I really need to build up my stamina if I ever want to attempt any such strenuous activities in future!

Don't you think the clouds look like a giant cotton candy?