The Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson is right under the flight path of planes going to/from (?) Kuala Lumpur. It is composed of individual chalets spread out over the sea in the shape of a hibiscus flower. Each chalet has its own pool which was great to relax in after filming out in the heat. It was also good to have a spacious room as we were travelling with so much stuff! After each period of filming, we’d have to transfer the data onto a laptop and also onto an external storage device, and try and keep those devices in separate locations. Then charge up all the batteries and make sure everything was ready for the next bit of work. So it was good to have some space.
Tanjung Tuan was just a few minutes drive from the resort. Parking nearby was a problem, so better chose a day when schools are closed to make life easier. You have to pay a minimal entrance fee and there are toilets on the right as you enter the park, then it’s wilderness! The photo on the left is of Lawrence as we left the park, with the camera gear protected by a plastic bag as it had been raining a little. As we have discovered in other parks, there is often an Indian guy on a motorbike selling iceceams, and this park was no exception. The other point to make here is the size of the ants! Not to be messed with!
When you come out of the park and turn left, that takes you to to coast (and some car parking space if lucky).
The coast here is rather brown in tone but it was good to sit a while and rest as the hike in the park had been quite tough on us! We had taken the umbrellas for the expected rain but had ended up using them more as walking sticks. You can see Lawrence here with our camera set up; a Canon 80D with a Rode microphone, all balanced on a Ronin-S gimble. Thankfully we’d managed to get a strap for the Ronin so it was mostly held slung around my neck. I could now afford to let go to rest my arms without dropping it.
We learnt about the Pengkalan Kempas historical complex from the guide book in the hotel. It is in Negiri Sembilan and holds the grave of Sheikh Ahmad Majnum, and influential holy man who came to Melaka in the 14th century. His tomb is believed to be the oldest Muslim grave in Malaysia.
In addition to the grave (shown above), this site holds three ancient megalithic stones, carved in the 2nd or 3rd century. They are referred to as the rudder, spoon and sword, but is not clear which is which or if the carvings have any significance.
There was a building nearby which looked instructional, but it was closed. Also there were modern-looking plastercast stones on display and I really was not sure what they were supposed to be about.
Even so, this was an interesting place to visit and worth a slight detour.
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