Serendah was a
small mining town. It is still a one street town where those travelers
on long haul would stop to grab a meal.
Just outside of
town were ex- mining fields, now slowly disappearing, replaced by
houses. In the north of town, there used to be beautiful Serendah
River and a forested area where the river made its way with exits below the
Main Highway 1. Now, the housing area had encroached into area just
beside the main road. Needless to say, inland too, more unseen developments,
such as vegetable farming and even some logging are going on
beyond the mining area. I am sure exploitation is going on this forested land.
The original site
where Peringi Tujoh is still there. In the early 60s this spot of the
river was canopied and within a forested area. The river then was
mixtures of gigantic boulders, sands and swirling pools. Water just
disappeared underground.
But the forested Hills with large boulders
is a scene of the past. It is now a level plain, the river flowing
through a big sludge pool and no tree in sight as far as the eyes
can see. Then a row of "Rain Trees" was planted to line
the river and to
mark the spot. This part of the river still maintain its elevation.
That is - on the higher ground
when compared to the nearby housing estate. The trees would be on to your
right when you have passed the first housing estate. From the housing
area, you could not make out the area of the river. A 5 meters high
bund blocks your view to spot this drop. First you will have to go all the
way until the
end of that new road. From the "Y" junction, make a turn back into a slip road with a stream
running parallel. This is the track next to the Serendah River.
Years ago,
the flow of the river would have reached this area dominated by huge boulders.
This group of boulders kept the land behind to its level. After the
rocky area, the ground level was brought down by old mining
activities. The river water coming in on higher ground permeated the gaps
in between the boulders and emerged at the base of the boulders some 15 meters lower.
The exact spot where the water was ‘sucked’ down resembled that of seven
whirlpools. The scenario was fascinating to the visitors but not that
safe for
the bathers.
The authority at
that time thought the scenario was strange and also dangerous to
unknowing bathers. They renovated the spot by replacing the drop with
a dam. Good decision or not, up to your judgment. In this case, the
fable of the "Seven Wells" worth more than the actual unique scenes. To retain its
flavor, seven potholes are installed to re-enact the whirlpools with
the river waters flowing out at the base of the dam.
The existence of
a waterfall here is only a memory, the present structure helps the
older generation to tell stories to the young ones. Like what I am
doing now!
