Relive iconic moments from ‘Winter Sonata’ at Labis farm

LABIS (Jan 7): ‘Winter Sonata’, a romantic 2002 Korean drama hit series, not only triggered the Korean Wave across the globe, but brought an explosive growth in foreign tourists, especially to Nami Island, one of the filming locations of the koreanovela.

It is no surprise that the half-moon shaped Nami Island or Namiseom, remains a huge and major tourist attraction not only because of its beautiful scenery but largely due to the outreach of ‘Winter Sonata’.

However, for those who have yet to visit the island, there is an alternative getaway destination that is almost similar to the colourful splendour of Nami Island in Malaysia, which allows you to relive the famous scene from ‘Winter Sonata’.

Sited about 5km from Labis town and 25.4km from Segamat, the agro-tourism Labis Sunrise Farm offers visitors a unique experience of watching the breathtaking view of the sun rising from Gunung Ledang and Gunung Maokil while savouring fresh fruits from its orchard, which is located on a hill at 350 metres above sea level.

Visitors to the farm will be taken on a tour of the orchard which boasts of a variety of fruits, and during the durian season, they get to taste the king of fruits fresh from the farm. Other non-seasonal fruits harvested at the orchard are nangka (jackfruit), jambu air (water apple), and pineapple.

Rising sun

This writer, who was part of the ‘Ekspresi Media Programme: Southern Hidden Gem’ organised by Tourism Malaysia on Nov 28, pulled herself out of bed as early as 5am to catch the spectacular sunrise from the Look Out Point at the guesthouse.

However, the sky at dawn was obscured by misty rain but it was a sight to behold to watch the red sun gradually creeping out from above the clouds and in between the two mountains.

The lush greenery at the farm, with temperatures averaging around 16 degrees Celsius, gives one a breath of fresh mountain air amid the tranquil surroundings. Getting up at the crack of dawn might not be one of life’s great pleasures, but watching a stunning sunrise definitely makes up for an early start.

But for those who wish to have a closer view of the sunrise, a Look Out Point is sited at the building which accommodates visitors. What’s special is, visitors get to soak in the ambience amid the cool morning breeze as they enjoy their breakfast at the tower.

This place which resembles a traditional Malay house complete with intricate local hardwood carvings that are unique to Johor, offers 20 guest rooms and each room can accommodate one small family.

Exploring the farm

According to Sunrise Farm managing director Tang Qian Wei, the 150-acre land which was once a hilly area, was bought by her father, Tang Chong Chon to start a fruit orchard business about 34 years ago.

“At first my father bought this land to grow watermelons and honey melons, but slowly he added more fruits to his farm such as guava, jackfruit, durian, pineapple, etc.

“Eventually in 2009, this farm grew into a one-stop centre for fruit wholesalers around Johor,” said Tang.

She said the farm is also a tourist attraction, especially among Singaporeans who visited the place for their personal experience at fruit picking.

“Many told my father what he did was a crazy thing to do, but who would have guessed, this farm is now a must-visit location for them whenever they come to Segamat or Muar,” she told Bernama.

“The popularity of the farm has also reached local tour agencies who later listed the farm as ‘a must-visit’ and ‘must-stay location’ for both local and foreign tourists.Labis Sunrise Farm House Resort was officially operational in 2015,” said Tang, who is managing the farm with her three siblings.

Instagrammable farm

The 16-member media team spent about one hour at the Look-Out Point to view the breathtaking landscape while having breakfast comprising jambu air (water apple), jambu batu (guava), markisa (passion fruit), jackfruit, and frozen durian, the farm’s signature fruit.

Tang then invited us to board a tracked vehicle and a pink mini bus to the farm which boasts of more than 30 types of local fruits.

For eight of us who took the mini bus, the trip rekindled fond memories of the younger days on our way to school.

During the 30-minute bus trip, we were struck by the awe-inspiring view at the 40-acre jambu air farm, and later stopped by to capture the moments at the picturesque betel farm, which resembles that of South Korea’s Nami Island.

According to Tang, the 10-acre farm which is planted with 6,000 to 10,000 betel trees, is also known as ‘Winter Sonata’ to visitors especially photographers who regarded this location as ‘Instagrammable’.”

We then proceeded to an orchard planted with nangka madu (honey jackfruit) trees, with the size of the fruit as big as a rugby ball, half of which is covered with newspapers.

Tang said what’s special about the farm is it adopts organic farming practices by utilising compost fertiliser that is produced from leaf litter and tree trimmings.

“The nutrient-rich compost is then used as environmentally friendly fertiliser to help the trees mature quickly and yield fruits which are sweet and fresh.

“On pest control, we adopt environmentally friendly biological control techniques throughout the farm which are not detrimental to the health,” she said.

It came as no surprise for us when the fruits served over breakfast were sweet, juicy, and fresh from the farm, which adopts the best practices in organic and environmentally friendly farming.

Farming experience

For camping and farming enthusiasts, Labis Sunrise Farm offers a tent rental package from as low as RM25 to RM338, depending on the capacity and facilities provided.

Tang said, the activity is the latest attraction which is gaining popularity.

“Guests or visitors are given exposure to the farmers’ lifestyle and get to experience the use of the excavator for digging and moving earth, packing, and wrapping fruits and giving food to animals such as rabbit, chicken, fish, and turtle at its mini petting zoo.

“At present, the campsite is sited on only three acres of land and we are planning to extend the area due to the encouraging response from the public, especially after the government’s lifting of inter-travel restrictions to boost domestic tourism,” she said.

Gac fruit, kelulut honey

In addition, Tang said the farm is also cultivating other fruits such as gac which is rarely found in Malaysia.

“Gac is notable for its vivid orange-reddish-greenish colour, almost similar to the traffic lights and it is sought after by cancer patients for the healing process after their chemotherapy treatment given its rich content of Beta-carotene and Lycopene.

“Gac grows as dioecious vines, meaning its male and female flowers are on separate plants, and is usually collected from fence climbers or from wild plants. Its flowers bloom around two to three months after the vines are planted, from November to February,” she said.

During the visit to the gac farm, the media representatives were also shown the madu kelulut (stingless bee honey) nest nearby.

“Since the gac fruit is dioecious, both male and female plants are needed for the pollination process, hence the need for the honey in the fruit-bearing process.

“Pollination, which is the transfer of pollen from the male part of the flower to the female part of the flower, is primarily transferred by honeybees. The stigma is just one of the female sections of a flower and without it, flowers would not be able to reproduce and bear fruit and therefore seeds,” she explained.

“This is a win-win situation whereby during the pollination process, the presence of the madu kelulut can produce honey with low glycemic index, helps reduce the cholesterol level in the body and serves as antioxidants,” she said.

Holiday packages

Tang said her farm offers various types of holiday packages including two days and one night stay and three days and two nights stay.

In addition, group visits are available, allowing visitors to experience collecting and picking fruits, recreational facilities such as karaoke, seminar rooms as well as Do-It-Yourself (DIY) handicraft activities for children, she said.

“We also provide seminar packages as well as  team building events for companies at reasonable prices. All 20 guest rooms are tastefully furnished with basic amenities and decorated with murals by our own staff here to create a relaxing atmosphere, away from the hustle and bustle of city life,” she noted. — Bernama