Breakfast at The Smokehouse

This entry was originally written in September 2016

Breakfast at Smokehouse had always been an enjoyable experience. But gone were the days when you woke yourself up to the aroma of freshly baked croissant.

The breakfast now was a more sedated affair. I remembered back in 2009 when the place had a proper cook, the smell really perked you up, and you could even order some leftover scones from the day before.

The English breakfast was also a full plated, kept you full for the rest of the day affair. Now, it was nothing more than just some sausages and a piece of bacon. Even the fresh fruits were just some melon. It used to fill a whole plate. Then came the croissant which were really supermarket level being heated in an oven.

I ordered some omelette but it turned to be just some glorified fried eggs. A sad affair.

It just reflected the decline of this once great place...

The State of The Smokehouse

This entry was drafted in Septeber 2016

2009, 2012, 2015 and now 2016. Those were the times we made the trips up Frasers Hill and stayed at Smokehouse. And over the years the place had suffered a steady decline.

Last December was the worse in terms of the facilities. At least now after some renovations were made, a few more rooms were opened and the place felt to buzzing again. But other things especially good had suffered.

Not only that you get less portion - a decline in quantity - the quality had also been really poor this time. I wasn't talking about breakfast, even the once-famous afternoon tea with scones - their flagship meal - had lost their shines.

Gone were the complimentary hot chocolate for nightcap in a small pot, where you enjoy a chat at the main common room in front of the TV or during the cold season, some fire. We only got a mug, and it wasn't fantastic.

It was a great shame since they had done a good job renovating the place. And looking at the stream of people coming over the couple of days, they shouldn't have much problem filling up the place especially during afternoon tea. If the scones continue to decline, they might just lose their business.

The rooms remains cosy and Parameswari, the housekeeper of almost 30 years was still there greeting us, remembered us from our previous stay. The nights were still cool and the beds were still warm. The hot shower in the morning still reminded me of my student days in England. The common room was still inviting and terraces and the dining tables were still inviting. The charm were still there but the glow was missing.

Such a beautiful establishment deserved a better group of people running them ...

Foggy Morning

This entry was originally written in September 2016

I planned to do an early morning around the town after waking up very early. Unfortunately the cool mountain air produce a fog which have yet to lift. It threaten to rain as well, hence I decided against taking off.

But the fog did create some serenity. Combined with the cool fresh air, it was really a sight to behold.

I ended up sitting around enjoying the view instead until not was time to have some breakfast back at Smokehouse...

Flying Over the Smokehouse

The entry was originally written in September 2016

So far, all my droning was done around KL and Putrajaya. And come to think of it, we haven't really travelled much since the Langkawi trip. I never really had the chance to take the drone out of KL.

Understandably, I was quite excited to do some flying during the trip to Frasers Hill.

Luckily the weather was OK after the drizzle when we first arrived. And flying there was a joy despite the lack of sunshine.

Rather too windy for comfort but the drone handled it well. There were hardly any shakes in the footage.

I only managed to do a couple of flights. The first was around the Smokehouse on our first afternoon. The second was the next day during lunch time in the town center, fulfilling my wish to fly around the famous clock tower.

I shot the flyover in 4K before realizing that I did not bring with me an extra memory card - you can't get a new one in these neck of the woods. By the time in was midway on the second flight, I ran out of space.

So, for the first one I did a few passes above the Smokehouse, with the visitors giving a wave when they heard the buzzing. It was really green and tranquil around there.

I should've brought an extra memory card for the drone...

Firmware Time

This entry was originally written in September 2016

The drone had been dormant for almost a month. A new firmware had arrived and since I planned to take the drone up Fraser's Hill, I might as well get things up to date, in fear of not able to fly at the venue.

I decided to use the MacBook to download the software and connect the drone directly after. Alternatively, I could use the DJI Go software on my iPad for the update but the update through the computer was more straightforward and made more sense.