Monday, April 28, 2008

Peel Road

PEEL ROAD
By: David Koh

In the early days of Kuala Lumpur, Pudu was considered one of its boundaries. Jalan Cheras begins at this border and was part of the trunk road to Kajang and further south. (For Google map reference, please log on to http://maps.google.co.uk/ and search for Kuala Lumpur.)

Although some development took place here, as with the northern trunk roads, Jalan Batu and Jalan Ipoh, somehow it did not quite achieve the same heights of success. Many government staff quarters were located here and many remain to this day, around Jalan Cochrane and its vicinity.

There is also a heavy concentration of schools here, with no less than seven in the Jalan Peel-Cochrane area! SMK Cochrane was founded as far back as the year of our nation’s independence!

If that is any indication, it shows that this area is old. The Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic church was established here in 1960. Many of the features of this tiny pocket of Kuala Lumpur remain unchanged despite rapid development surrounding it.

Redevelopment efforts along Jalan Peel have so far yielded only Plaza 393, an integrated apartment and shopping mall, with the hypermarket Carrefour as its anchor tenant; and the Queen’s Park concept retail store next door.

ACTING PEEL

Peel Road was named after Sir William Peel, who was a British colonial administrator in Malaya. Surprisingly, Jalan Peel survived in the street-renaming frenzy that followed independence.

This area is surrounded by the Ampang River and Pudu’s “tai sui hum” on the north, and Kerayong River down south. These water forms flow in a southwest direction. Therefore, the ideal orientation for buildings here would be southwest.

DOWNSTREAM DIRECTION

Jalan Peel follows a roughly northwest-southeast direction, which is nearly perpendicular to the rivers. Thus, properties on one side of the road face downstream (good) and those on the other side face upstream (not so good).

Based on this observations, Carrefour is likely to do better if its main entrance were moved from its present northeast direction to southeast or south, where the apartments are located.

Queen’s Park located next door along Jalan Peel would also be likely to do better if it follows the flow of the river. In any case, individual outlets within the complex would also fare differently based on where their entrance are located.

ST JOHN AMBULANCE

Across the road behind the Shell petrol station, is the headquarters of St John Ambulance on Jalan Shelley. The St John Ambulance Association was established in Kuala Lumpur in 1908 by British civil servants and British army medical officers stationed here.

The main entrance of the headquarters faces southwest, which is ideal and may be a factor to its lasting success as a charitable organisation. However, it could do better if the building’s energy is reignited as energy tends to deplete over time in a cyclical pattern.

In other streets in this area, we can see the side that faces southwest seems to fare better than the northeast. The occupants of the former appear to prosper and spruce up their homes more than their neighbours across the road.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Sure, we will still find the occasional home or two on the “unconducive” side looking better with extensions and renovations. This could be because they are new occupants who just bought the property and making a new start.

The current occupant would have decided to have a makeover to improve his comfort or try and fetch a higher resale price. Or it could be someone trying to implement some geomantic remedies.

KERAYONG RIVER

The next best orientation for this area is southeast toward the Kerayong River. Since this is the nearest river, its impact on the vicinity would be greater. Nonetheless, by facing Kerayong, the buildings will have theirs backs turned to Ampang River. This normally means occupants of buildings here may experience mixed fortunes.

The Cheras District Police headquarters is located at the intersection of Jalan Peel and Jalan Cheras. It has a roughly southwest facing direction. That is quite a good direction.

As we proceed down Jalan Cheras, we come across Taman Maluri, most notable by its landmark, Jusco Maluri. This is a bustling complex that does fairly good business. This part of town is very near the Kerayong River, which runs between Taman Maluri and Taman Shamelin Perkasa.

HIGH TENSION

The Jusco building has two main entrances: one follows the river flow and the other faces the river. This could be a strong factor in favour of its continued success thus far. The only downsides we can see are the high-tension power cables and LRT line that run along the river.

High-tension cables emit a field of electromagnetism. Their impact on health has been hotly debated for years and the verdict is still out. Some quarters believe that they do cause health problems.

Thankfully, these are quite a distance away and the effects may be lessened somewhat. On the other hand, there could be long-term detrimental effects arising from these.

*Log on to www.star-space.com for more. You can also e-mail questions on feng shui and properties to annieo@thestar.com.my. This series appear courtesy of the Malaysia Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS)

Source: The Star, Friday, April 11, 2008

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Best of Kuala Kangsar

Best of Kuala Kangsar
By: William Thaddaeus

A view from Sungai PerakKuala Kangsar-there is just so much history and beautiful sights to take in here. It is recorded in history that Kuala Kangsar is the oldest district in Perak with a rich legacy of 150 years that dates back to the time of the Malay Sultanate in the Seventh Century.

The focus in this royal town of Perak is Bukit Chandan where several royal palaces and museums are located. Then there are many old heritage buildings and institutions like the Malay College and Clifford School, both of which are over 100 years old as well as several other heritage type buildings spread across the town.

Kuala Kangsar itself sits squarely on the Sungai Perak and the locals like to gather here to take in the lovely vistas or to simply go fishing. There is a souvenir and handicrafts centre at Arena Square where traders not only sell local handicraft but also products from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and other neighbouring countries.

As for food, you will be spoilt for choice-Malay, Indian, Chinese and lost more-and all are so reasonably priced too. A banana leaf curry meal with your choice of meat or fish is only RM3.50 and any Chinese noodle dish hovers around RM2.50. I would say food prices here are about 40 per cent lower than that in large cities.

lemang or glutinous rice in bamboo The real charms of this town, however, are not so easily experienced by the casual visitor because they are hidden away in quiet nooks and corners. You will need to spend more time and use local contacts to discover them. Here are some pointers.

Colourful Village Life

To start which, there is a village built during the communist emergency period called Kampung Station. This village is a cluster of a few hundred houses, mostly wooden and predominantly occupied by the Chinese and Indians. Here, locals come to buy fresh vegetables, eggs, cow’s milk and free range chickens. The villagers are mainly farmers or tradesmen and they live simple but active lives.
A wet market in Kuala Kangsar

There are also many Chinese temples here and if you come at the right time, you can witness the many cultural activities and festivals, very much in the way of old Chinese traditions and all are welcome to join in their sumptuous feast without any invitation.

The village is also dotted with several eateries by the roadside and there are also many restaurants set within the locals’ homes. The village bakery is a must-stop and its specialty is the high quality bread rusks.

When it comes to cultural and religious events, including funerals, many parts of KK come alive. This is what makes the place so special, be it when the people are celebrating the birthday of Lord Ganesa, the midsummer harvest festival or other festivals. Street processions with police escort are very common here and school bands are often hired to add colour to the events.

Plenty Of Fresh Air

Villages and events aside, what really makes KK so special is the abundance of Nature and fresh air. The town is backed by the imposing Main Range with puffs of clouds resembling sheep grazing in the air! Mornings are fog-filled and air is crisp and cool.

The best way to experience this is to take a stroll up Bukit Chandan. Here, you can enjoy views of the beautiful Sungai Perak, walk under the shade of centuries-old trees and take in the breathtaking sight of the surrounding mountains.

A boat in Sungai Perak This is also a bird watcher’s paradise as regular “visitor” here include magpies, bulbuls, kingfishers and green pigeons.

A family of about 10 hornbills also make regular visits to feast on fruit. Sometimes, they can be seen perched on structures within the town itself.

Other Attractions

In and around KK are many other interesting places, including Tasik Raban, a lake laden with prized freshwater fish like berlidah, toman, kaloi and lampan.

Tasik Raban Resort sits on this lake and Lenggong Resthouse is only a stone’s throw away. The waterfalls Perahu and Kekabu, located 44.8km away on the road to Grik, are also worth a visit. These amazingly pristine waterfalls are located in thick jungle with treks that are well maintained by the local authorities. If you plan to scale right to the top, do watch out for leeches because the sprays from the waterfalls encourage these blood-sucking creatures to breed. Swim in the lower reaches where you will be safer from leech attacks!

Another attraction is Ulu Kenas a recreational park on the road to Parit/Manong and 16km from KK, with beautiful streams and a camping site.

How To Get There

KK is about 50km to the north of Ipoh, the State of capital of Perak. All major cities and towns in the peninsula are connected by roads or highways with Ipoh from where it is easy to reach KK.

Use the North-South Expressway and exit at the KK toll plaza. Follow signboards to get into town. It takes about three hours' drive to reach KK from Kuala Lumpur.


Where To Stay

There is the government rest house and the Sg. Perak Safari Resort, both managed by the local town council, as well as several other hotels but the Double Lion might be your best choice because it has been run for three generations by the very experienced Leong family. The hotel display many colonial artifacts and antiquities and it has a bakery that adds to a refreshing ambience.

For reservations, call Kuala Lumpur Resthouse (05-776 4262), Double Lion Hotel (05-776 8010) Sg Perak Safari Resort (05-777 2020), Tasek Raban Resort (05-751 2799) or Lenggong Resthouse (05-7677 2077)

Source: The New Straits Times, Tuesday, December 18, 2007

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