Sunset Over Bera

Off the beaten path - that's where we went last weekend.

Surely I thought, this country has much more to offer than Cherating and Langkawi and the beaches of Terengganu. Don't get me wrong, I will always enjoy the beaches of East Coast, but with the long weekend, and with everybody leaving for a quick vacation, I could not get a room for our getaway.

Actually I did not realize that it was long weekend until the very last moment.

So instead, after scouring peninsular Malaysia over the net, I decided on Tasik Bera. I have never heard anyone recommending this place, eventhough I know it was the biggest wetland (swamp) lake of Malaysia. Whatever it has to offer, we had decided it would be a quiet getaway - just enjoying ourselves in the middle of the jungle - amongst the trees, the wild boars and alligators.

We have no expectation; nothing whatsoever.

I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of Bera and by 6 pm on Friday, we took the boat ride to explore the lake and it was perfect timing. It was nearly sunset and we got to enjoy the sunset like never before; from the middle of the lake and from onshore. No, we did not get to see the croc, not that we were looking forward for it, but here is what we had enjoyed at Bera.

This is Tasik Bera - we are facing the Tasik Bera Resort, in the midst of upgrading. It is a small quaint resort with less than 10 rooms, I believe. It's a self contained resort with a very friendly and knowledgeable owner, En Aziz.

We saw this view when we stopped at one of the many scenic locations. I love this spot especially with the green grass on the right and left of the picture, which the Semelais would weave into hats and many other handicrafts.

It is so peaceful and quiet here, and the view is breathtaking.

This lake is actually 35 km long and I am told 25 km wide. Don't quote me please; check on the many sites with detailed info on Bera. While I am really not really bad with numbers, we were there to enjoy the view and not make any scientific discovery or remember statistics. The deepest point according to a USM survey is about 9 m, and it is typically filled with the grasslike blades of pandanus trees.

No, I did not read the report; the boat man must have since he told me this!

The view from the resort as we waited for a full sunset. You can see the silhouette of the new jetty here.

Large Balau trees frame the orange sky. The sun is basically calling it a day.

There is a rakit nearby near where we launched the boat and the canoe. It is unfortunately in bad shape and can't be used at this moment. As usual, maintenance is a problem everywhere in Malaysia especially for public amenities.

Room with a view.

View from the verandah. By now the sun has fully set and we have this blue hue all over Bera sky.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay - and to be honest, we would not mind returning.

For a full splendour of the sunset, please visit my fotopages here. Or better still, visit Akmal here. You would see a range of pix from dawn to dusk at his fotopages. I certainly would recommend Tasik Bera Resort for your next local vacation. You will not regret it.

PS For the record, the pics were taken by the Father & Sons - Abah, Arif and Akmal. Can't really say whose who actually.

EPILOGUE

There is a quite a few stories we got from the boatman. The Semelai village that was abandoned since the Tok Batin John was killed by a stampede of elephants, the place the Sultan of Pahang would take a dip in the Lake, the legendary crocodile that was never seen by anybody.

We did not attempt any fishing at all - all three of us are not much into that, and we did not really have the time. But the boatman did show us a picture of a Toman as long as the height of a grown man.

Just in case if I didn't get to write about Bera again, it is located about 1 1/2 hour off the East Coast Hiway South of Temerloh. I thought I should just let you enjoy the sunset over Bera.