I went to Kuala Lipis today which is estimated around 200km from Subang (oh, I forgot all about setting the mileage meter for today's drive). It basically took me a 2 and half hour drive from the start of East-Coast highway in Gombak where you need to pay RM5 at Gombak toll booth and another RM3 at the Bentong toll booth. It was a very peaceful drive as the whole stretch of journey were not burden with heavy traffic unlike travelling in Kuala Lumpur city centre. Personally, I don't fancy the idea of driving alone towards the town as the road is rather quiet and there are no pitt-stop in between Raub to Lipis, so am lucky to be able to have a good friend accompanying me for the trip.
Geographically, Kuala Lipis town is located at the confluence of the Lipis and Jelai rivers and used to be the administrative capital of Pahang for 57 years from 1898 to 1955 until Kuantan was picked as the new capital. The town is currently segregate between the old town and the new town to cater for the expansion of populations. The central part of the old town of Kuala Lipis is rather quaint one-street town rows of Straits Eclectic shophouses facing opposite each other in similar planning like those found in small towns all over the Peninsular Malaysia.
The most interesting part of Kuala Lipis is the legendary "0" milestone located closed-by to the Post Office in Kuala Lipis. It was said that it represent a distance marker used by the old, pre-independence British administration as well as marking the centre of Kuala Lipis. It was also said that it was the marker of Kula Lipis being the central town in Malaya back then. Current fact was, Temerloh is the central town of Malaysia.
