It was not our intention to stay in Mentakab initially. However, since we could not book any hotel in Temerloh online, we decided to stay in a new budget hotel called EV World Hotel in the town of Mentakab. Going to Temerloh is not really a problem because the two places are just 9.5 Km apart.
There is nothing much to talk about Mentakab. The next day after arriving to this place, Mr. and Mrs. Lai (Junshi's parents) took us for a sort of guided tour in separate cars. They led us to the railway station which is tucked away behind a little hill and later to the "Chinese new village". The station is old and deserted. I saw only one solitary man manning this station!
There is a big coffee shop at the ground floor just below the hotel. I had a chance to eat Loh Mee for breakfast. It has been such a long time since I last ate this mee. This was first introduced to me in Kuantan in 1974 after I hitchhiked with a friend (Yue Chiang who is now in Perth) from KL to Kuantan during the university days. Loh Mee is noodles cooked in soup thickened with starch and added with a bit of black vinegar.
During the emergency era when the government was fighting against the communists, the Chinese in Mentakab were forced to relocate to this place which was totally fenced up. This was to prevent any contact between the communists and the local Chinese population. All such fenced up compounds designated for the Chinese are called "Chinese new village". Rows and rows of houses are separated by narrow lanes. Since the emergency was declared over, fence was torn down and the narrow lanes tarred. This has since become a tourist destination.
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