We spent a couple of days in Lukut at the invitation of Dato Lee Mok Foong, owner of the Sky Ladder Pineapple Farm and a gentlemen with an interest in Malaysian history and the development of tourism in Negeri Sembilan. So, we had a lot of similar interests and a lot to talk about. We drove to Lukut following our stay at The Chateau Spa and Wellness Resort in Bukit Tinggi. Ordinarily, this would be a straightforward drive south via Kuala Lumpur, but this is no straightforward time. Because of the increasing number of cases of COVID-19 in the capital and surrounding state of Selangor, travel across state lines was now prohibited without good reason and police approval. So we had to drive back north from Bukit Tinggi to Bentong, and then across country on Route 9 via Simpang Durian (to stay in the state of Pahang) and then cross into Negeri Sembilan on Route 86, more than doubling our journey time. Unfortunately these restrictions also made it difficult for Lee’s wife to join us, as she could not leave Kuala Lumpur.
The route from Bentong took us along small potholed windy roads and past oil palm plantations and old rubber trees, and took us through worn out looking Chinese towns in the middle of nowhere. But as soon as we entered the state of Negeri Sembilan, the road surface improved and the villages/towns were brighter and more colourful, and the countryside was really rather pretty. As we approached the town of Kuala Klawang, we saw a sign for Muzium Adat, and as the building was too large to miss, we decided to stop and make a visit there. Then we continued on to Lukut and Lee took us on a tour of his Sky Ladder Pineapple Farm.
The next day we enjoyed a walk in the PDForest before a hearty breakfast at Restoran Bee Hoo. I thought we were just having the homemade noodles (which were yummy) but we had some dimsum favourites and more besides.
After a rest, Lee took us to Kota Lukut (the old fort) and its museum in the grounds beneath the fort. Then we helped his maid, Pamela, harvest Morris pineapples from the roadside border he planted outside his house. These pineapples are sun-ripened and deliciously sweet.
Finally it was time to eat again and we had a very tasty Chinese meal. We haven’t eaten so much Chinese food in a long time!
After a late night spent chatting, and a good lay-in, it was time for more food for breakfast! Lee’s assistant Cindy had brought along some rice flour cakes which her mother had made. We ate these with a sweet soy sauce and they made a soothing start to the day. Finally it was time to bid farewell and head off to our next stop, Melaka.
Please click on the following thumbnails to learn more about our travels to and in Lukut.
Lawrence has produced a little video covering the history of Bentong and Kota Lukut…
And this vlog covers the PDForest and the Sky Ladder Pineapple Farm…
Click here to read about other points of interest in Port Dickson.
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