Out and about is good for you, someone once told me here, and here I was, away for almost 3 days of travelling, to an enchanted sanctuary that only a few could have the chance to see it.

courtesy from one of my classmates, enhanced by me

My last 48 hours was though a bit tiring, but a fruitful one. My former schoolmate has organised a day trip in Ipoh for one of our peers and the rest of us celebrating her brief return to this memorable land of Malaysia.

We have not been able to see her every since she has migrated to the States and with fate, we managed to find each other again through the reunion event carefully and tirelessly planned for months. She was not able to return on the actual day, but we managed to re-ignite anther reunion through my former schoolmates' efficient planning.

And one of our stops is this beautiful sacred place, where only those who could afford for it could enjoy for a few days - The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat

Malaysia has been famous for non-seismic activity because of the age of the land (not the country) for it is slightly off the Ring of Fire; yet there are still some places where hot springs exist and it is now preserved as spa retreat for a few.

When you are there you can't help but understand why it is done in that manner; as it isn't huge and it is well hidden deep by the limestone hills that Ipoh is so well known of.

Here, the developer of the place has painstakingly preserved some of its original trees and cultivated a herbal garden, where guests of the retreat could enjoy serene quiet fresh air by nature, with some help of the heli-fans that has become quite a hit in this humid tropical Kinta Valley.

You can see the heli fan is really huge (probably the size of a real helicopter's blade), and it really enhances the air flow to keep the place cool from the hot spring's temperature.

You can see the hot spring is really not huge, but it gives a really beautiful view for those who needed the mind, body and soul's spa. And because it's temperature is from 40-44 deg C, you cannot really stay too long in dipping in it. We did not get into the water since we are not staying there; but we were very privilege to have a foretaste of what it is like to dip into the therapeutic pool with our tired feet.

courtesy from one of my classmates, enhanced by me

While the girls had some fun being pampered, the boys decided to become our professional photographers of the day.

This was "caught" at the greenery

Of course, they could not run away from my lens heh, heh, heh...

One of my classmate even said it was not fair because I was using the big gun , while their's were just mobile phones. But when the shots are out, their satisfactions were my reward.

Besides the beautiful scenery we also had a chance to visit the man made caves, where you could see these really awesome decorations by real unpolished crystals

Is it just me, or does this also reminded you of Superman's the Fotress of Solitude ?

This night lights in meditation room (it is air-condition!) reminded me of Groot's fire lights.

And if you need a quick sweat, you could just walk through this Steam Tunnel and you will be drenched in a matter of minutes!

So if you ever visit Malaysia, or you need to get away from the busy urban city, deep inland, do give this beautiful sanctuary a try at:

The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat

Current ratings are 4.3/5.

Note: This place is a little pricey so that the place is kept low traffic of visitors and preserve the serenity of the area.