Yesterday, my family and I went to Antares’ sanctuary at Kampong Pertak near Kuala Kubu Baru for a day trip to the countryside. We left home at 10 o’clock in the morning and reached Kuala Kubu Baru around 12 noon.
Antares was at the Kuala Kubu Baru Commuter Station to meet and drove us up to his place called “Magick River” which is a settlement for the Temuan people. On the way along a winding road, we passed by and got down to have a closer view of the brea
thtaking dam and man-made lake at Sungai Luit. It was a very huge dam but unfortunately, according to my friend, many wild-life and indigenous people have to make way for this project.
After lunch on his windy patio, Antares, his beautiful wife Anoora and young son Ahau took us to the stream further down from their house to have fun in the cool and crystal clear water. It was such a beautiful place that took our breath away. Although the water was rather cold and the stones slippery, we have a good time playing there.
I sat on a spot where the current is so strong it is like sitting on a natural massage chair. The water gushing towards my back and neck took all my tiredness away, leaving me feeling so fresh and happy.
What made us laugh was to see how Antares’ dogs and cat coming along to play in the water. At Magick River, dogs and cats were such good friends. They got along so well, there is hardly any animosity between these felines and canines. Antares was such a great animal lover and he would talk to them as if they were his kids. Bonzo and Freckles are dogs while Bartholomew, Shambala, Khatijah and Kali were cats.
Marcus had a good time snapping away at the beautiful butterflies and dragonflies. He simply loves those big butterflies that came in black and green color. Antares said their name is Rajah Brooke. Unfortunately he could not capture their photos because these butterflies refused to sit still! 🙂
We were joined by Antares’ friends – Melissa, Myriam and Soon. We played in the water for almost four hours until the dark clouds looms over our heads. As we walked back it began to drizzle. After an hour or two of chatting and singing, we all went to Kuala Kubu Baru town for dinner before catching our train home at 8.30. We reached home at 10 p.m.
It was indeed a day well-spent in the countryside, so far away from the maddening crowd and the noisy traffic of busy Kuala Lumpur. It was good for our bodies and souls.
Thank you, Antares, if you’re reading this. Thank you for your hospitality and love. You’re right – we might be related in our previous lives! That’s why we could feel this affinity for each other. I think it has something to do with our Karma!
We’ll be back to Magick River!
To learn more about Antares and his work, google “Antares” or “Magick River” and you will
be amazed by this wonderful entity.
What unforgettable memories we created on 04 June 2013!
That’s really a beautiful place. I haven’t bathe in a waterfall or a river for quite some time. It is so good to be back to nature.
Hi Andrew, yes, you’re right, Magick River is a beautiful place indeed and it is so good to be back with nature, amongst trees and rivers.
Dear Ipohgal,
Thank you for your posting of your enjoyable visit to Magick River. It brought back to me many happy memories. Frankly I did not know the name of the river until I came upon your article. In fact I am not even sure if I am on the right river!
Between 1972 and 2004 my family and I visited Bukit Fraser every year. We always stayed at Kingswood Bungalow, the Port of Singapore (PSA) holiday facility. During the 1970s to 1980s from Singapore we would ride the KTM night train to arrive at KL in the early morning. At the old Pudu Raya station we boarded bus 66, destination Tanjong Malim, but we would alight at Kuala Kubu Bahru (KKB). After breakfast at the open air market we would wait for the mini bus at the post office.
Then the ride uphill (driven by a daredevil driver nicknamed James Bond) would take us past surging rivers and streams and cascading minor waterfalls amidst splendid mountain scenery. Seeing aborigines or orang asli, basically attired, walking by the road and mountain slopes was like a passage back in time. This was their original home, we understand, and we were the intruders.
Then to our horror sometime in the early 2000 (I think) in the twilight of the morning we sighted a vast lake in place of the valleys and their rushing waterways. It was like another world, just as breath-taking in another way. By this time James Bond had passed on and the bus service duly ceased. We had to arrange with the Kingswood caretaker to transport us directly from KL. And in this way we bypassed KKB and the scenery around it at Ulu Selangor.
When PSA sold Kingswood to a private buyer at the end of 2004 we were, significantly the last occupants. So after a Christmas party it was a fond farewell to Kingswood and its caretakers, the Yee family, after more than 30 years of association. Though it was a magical world to us we did not know that we passed the Magick River each year then.
Hock Yew (Singapore)
6 June 2013
Hi Hock Yew, I could see Magick River holds special memories for you too. Thanks for sharing. Now I could understand why so many people loves this beautiful place.
Wow! I watched the whole slideshow, must be at least 100 photos documenting your delightful visit. It was indeed like a grand reunion and it warms my heart to see such a loving family dynamic – such excellent kids you brought into the world! Marcus has the makings of a great documentary producer – he might consider switching to video – such a jolly collection of canine & feline cameos, they all seem to be posing for Marcus, especially Bonzo. Btw it’s Shambala, not Zhambala (but that also sounds nice). I’m sure we’ll always be connected! 🙂
Hi Antares,
Actually Marcus has about 500 photos from this trip to play around with. His regrets? Not being able to capture the photos of the beautiful Rajah Brooke because these guys could not sit still. Also, there was not much photos of himself because he was too busy taking photos of his surroundings. Photography is his hobby but he is still an amateur. Thank you for loving my kids so much, they have such a great time at Magick River. Zhambala is actually the Tibetan name for God of Wealth, to be more specific, he is known as Yellow Zhambala. Yes, do stay connected, my dearest friend!
wow this is such a beautiful place. so calming and stress-free 🙂 would love to go there one day 🙂