Assalamualaikum and hello! This is gonna be a brief post on my weekend gateway to Sungai Lembing, Pahang. I first stumbled upon this post by Fadza and Nina from Journeykita about their getaway account and I'm kinda inspired to go and experience it by myself. Actually I first learned about Time Capsule Retreat from somewhere I can't remember, you know when people share stuff on Facebook, hehe! It led me to Google for any good reviews about that place since I am a firm believer of reading blog reviews and I stumbled upon Journeykita blog, I became so happy after reading their positive experiences and I told myself, why not? 

I have weekend classes, hence finding a suitable date to go there was quite challenging. I finally got to clear my schedule on 17-18th October and did my room booking + bus ticket booking. I wanted to book my accommodation at the capsule but on the said date, it was fully booked so I took the cottage room instead, okay la since the price is cheaper and the room is more comfortable with its attached bathroom.

Rapid Kuantan bus number 500 to Sungai Lembing : Platform 11 at Hentian Bandar

I took the express bus from Puduraya at 10am on Saturday morning, arrived Terminal Kuantan at 1.20pm in the afternoon and from there, I had to take Rapid Kuantan bus number 303 to Hentian Bandar and change to Rapid Kuantan bus number 500 to go to Sungai Lembing. The journey by bus from Hentian Bandar Kuantan to Sungai Lembing took me roughly around 45 minutes and if you're going there by bus as well, Sungai Lembing is the last stop so don't worry about getting lost or missing your stops. When I arrived at Sungai Lembing, I had my late lunch at the Medan Selera there (right in front of the bus stop) and the nasi ayam there was good and cheap!

The quaint town of Sungai Lembing. Kecik je pekan dia :)

Entrance of the White Cottage

my room at the White Cottage.  the outside toilet for people staying at Time Capsule Capsules...why you fully booked masa I nak datang (T_T)

Time Capsule Retreat is located just behind SMK Sungai Lembing, around 7 minutes walk from the bus stop. At first the owner of Time Capsule Retreat was quite worried if I might feel tired to walk there and she wanted to fetch me from the bus stop but since I arrived too late, she already left for Kuantan. I was actually dreading about how far I must walk but later I found out that "hey, it's not far at all and I really enjoy walking around here!". I didn't take any pictures of this place during the day because I arrived late and I was tired from the journey, muahaha! My room was spacious, comfortable, very clean and the attached toilet is big!

On Saturday, I spent my evening sightseeing the small town of Sungai Lembing before dusk and I spent the night appreciating how comfortable my room is and ate instant noodle as dinner XD at Time Capsule Retreat, you're allowed to use the kitchen and utensils but remember to wash everything properly and keep it back in the store after use. There are BBQ equipment provided if you wanna use them and at Time Capsule Retreat, the staffs there can prepare BBQ food for you if the request is for at least 6 pax, and the price will be RM28 per pax. You can also bring your own food for BBQ and just pay RM50 for charcoal and use all the BBQ equipment and utensils provided.

BBQ area in front of the White Cottage

kitchen area for light cooking

That night, the owner of Time Capsule Retreat, Mrs Young, whatsapped me to ask if I'm interested to join the trip to Rainbow Waterfall on Sunday morning. Since I don't have any plans, I said yes. The fee for Rainbow Waterfall trip is RM40 per pax. I woke up at 5.30am in the morning and my tour guide Simon fetched me and a group of Chinese fella from Time Capsule Retreat using his modified Hilux. We had breakfast first. Since I'm a Muslim, I had my breakfast at Kedai Kopi Salmah which only opens at 6.30am while the rest of them had breakfast at the food court, operated by Chinese hawkers and they start business as early as 5.45am.

a brief stop to see sunrise halfway through the ride to Rainbow Waterfall

At 7pm, we begin our journey to Rainbow Waterfall. It was an hour of bumpy ride through the woods and it was very awesome because we crossed streams, puddles, mud and we went up and down the jungle terrains. When the road ended, another chapter begins where need to do jungle trekking for 30 minutes to reach Rainbow Waterfall. Firstly, I had to change my Skechers to some random pair of rubber shoes because I clearly don't wish to wet my only shoes XD the rubber shoes was funny and it was too big for my size 6 feet but it was alright, I survived without any blisters or injuries. 

end of road before trekking to Rainbow Waterfall rubber shoes ftw~

the crossing before you start trekking to Rainbow Waterfall

Rainbow Waterfall

We crossed the river first, and then the trekking begins. There was a rope for us to hold on to but the current was slow, no problem. I say the trekking was not hard for me because I love jungle trekking and at sections where it is a bit geographically challenging, you won't be in so much trouble because ropes are provided for extra support. I was among the first in my team to arrive because I was so excited and my pace was fast, hehe! Rainbow Waterfall is truly a place you must visit, the scenery there was breathtakingly beautiful and I absolutely have no regrets of paying RM40 to get there. Seriously worth it! 

Me trying to figure out my future :p

Journey back : bye boulders, see you again soon XD

We left the place at 10.30am and went back to the small town of Sungai Lembing. I hate to pack back to KL but I have to :'( Well, even though I didn't get to do much but I really don't mind since my number 1 aim to go there is to recce the place and plan for my next trip. I now know that if I go there by bus, I'll need a maximum of 3 days and 2 nights to enjoy many attractions there. I will go there again next time with a better planning, proper budget and maybe some companions? Well, most importantly, I really had an amazing weekend at Sungai Lembing and I can't wait to go there again!

Cost breakdown :

Express bus ticket from KL to Kuantan (return trip)    : RM50

Rapid Kuantan bus (4 trips)                                            : RM 10

Standard room at White Cottage                                   : RM118 per night

Meals at local restaurant                                                : RM 5-7 per pax per meal

Trip to Rainbow Waterfall                                               : RM40 per pax

Attractions at Sungai Lembing :

So yeah, I think that's about it. Feel free to drop your comments if you have anything to ask regarding the journey to Sungai Lembing, Time Capsule Retreat and if you have any suggestions on where should I go next ^_^