Finally someone is making some sense ......
"One aspect I am looking at is developing new industries, especially related to eco-tourism in Kuala Kubu Baharu which can provide job opportunities to the peole of Hulu Selangor," he said when met on his campaign round in Kuala Kubu Baharu town, here, Tuesday.Kamalanathan -BN Candidate Hulu Selangor
Mr Kamalanathan, firstly thank you for realising the potential of Hulu Selangor in the area of eco-tourism, a lot of folks would have missed that angle.......
I for one would be very happy if you could realise that development objective. A huge potential given its proximity to Kuala Lumpur........but make sure it is done from an end to end perspective....
Allow me to share an idea that's been in my inventory since 1998......
One thing about eco-tourism it does not really require major infrastructure on site...first u must understand the terrain you are operating with.....
Key Assets
- The road leading to Fraser Hills and the surrounding areas like Bukit Kutu
- Class 3 to 4 Rapids of Sg Selangor and the Waterfalls Chiling n Pertak
- The Dam and the Bridge
- The Locals, especially the Asli's who knows the terrain inside out, including the occasional orang bunian who drops by KKB to shop with duit daun kayu...
- The eco-systems and common jungle trails
- The Old logging road
- The charming old colonial town of KKB
- The old mining lakes (if they are still around, not been there for a wee while)
- The Clear skies around the lower parts where Kem Bina Insan is located where you could see shooting stars fly by..........
The key activities suitable for the area
- Mountain Biking
- High velocity water Based Kayaking, Rafting & Canyoneering
- Bungee Jumping and Abseiling
- Jungle Tracking and Mountaineering
- Camping
- Fishing
- Rowing
- etc...........................including outdoor screwing
How do you do it........
First the key principles is Leave No Trace....all those nasty and kurang sopan mafakers need to be educated about being in the outdoors.....I hate it when i see folks chucking out plastic bags, ciggie butts, baby diapers etc...
The potential infrastructure development....
- Control development of Eco-rest stops around strategic observation points along the road leading up to Frasers Hill - basic requirement simple food area, nice coffee, decent toilets and perhaps a dedicated bike gear shop for folks riding up to Frasers (huge weekend population)
- Major Operation Center to be develop just after the Bridge near the damn - this will be the official base camp for all activity, information regarding weather, terrain, hazards, trekking maps and registered guides.......Outdoor Gear shops should also be considered with decent food court....
- Open a Bungee Jumping Center near the Base Camp, look at the bloody bridge..... that's more than 100m drop...........you can even do a package with the rafting operators in the area whereby jumpers will be lowered down directly to go for the 7.5km rafting trip
- Proper mapping of the area, with GPS calibration with localised search and rescue capabilities...
- Upgrade and re-create the Old Colonial KKB town with a twist....kasi masuk starbucks, McD etc...make it a walking town with covered walkways.........
- Eco-resorts together with Live In possibilities with the Orang Asli.......
- Develop water based activity like rowing and kayak school in the damn/old mining lakes
Now that's what must be done on a centralised basis......other parts...the operators will take over...
The Marketing Part
First - a simple Consolidated Multi Operator kiosk in LCCT, KL Central, KLIA would do the trick together with a dedicated outdoor portal on KKB.......all the outdoor packages can be sold directly..
On the private sector side....the tours operators must play their part.........proper package pricing.....
Once a year undertake the KKB Valley Games.....
- Multi Discipline Adventure Racing - cycling, trekking, kayaking/rafting, abseil, dan macam2 lagi ..must have TV coverage
- River Race under a controlled high volume water release from the dam.....what was class 3 could easily be class 4 to 5
- Music Festival with Major International names....macam mini-loolapalooza/reading festival/woodstock
- Outdoor Adventure Sports Fair and Education, where products are being introduced, children outdoor education, outdoor sport-movies in the open together with star gazing activities........
How to fund all of this.......Govt must give sikit la and at the same time get the key corporates involved as well for sponsorship.......instead of sponsoring some orang kaye sports .....(quick check how many folks could actually become F1 Racer or Mahal nak mampus Sailors on some fancy boats?????)
If you wanna make it interesting kasi taruk satu toll at the base camp- mintak orang bayar 1 ringgit satu kepala for conservation fees of KKB........
If you noticed....I did not mention any motorized activity..such as 4X4.......u wanna know why.......I fucking hate those fucks........i went out on a trip with them....masuk hutan.....hancus siut...sikit tak respect the environment...potong sana potong sini....main tibai aje semua pokok....pastu nak buat campsite macam khemah kenduri kawin........I'm not generalising ......they're all of the same species......hancus.....but there are also good opportunity around the area especially treks up in Pertak (the old logging road I mentioned earlier)
So Mr Kamalanathan...........do consider what I've written ...try to put the pieces together.......get someone credible to manage the whole project.....do not give empty promises to the electorate
build KKB as a brand to be recognized........make it an International destination not to be missed if you are in KL.....and for the folks around lembah klang.....make it their favorite weekend retreat.....
I see too many fat/unfit people in their SUVs...........in KL.....tell them the S stands for Sports......
Kamalanathan.....you do have my Vote on this........Good Luck........