“I am going on an adventure,” said Bilbo and so he did.
Aereon Wong, a travel content creator from Kuala Lumpur finds himself in awe of the peculiar views of J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle Earth in the cool temperatures of the misty mountains Cameron Highlands.
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Located high up on the hills of Pahang in Malaysia, the region once known for its tea and strawberry plantations but is now Hobbitoon, a Shire-inspired tourist attraction that opened its doors in Cameron Highlands to fans of Middle Earth.
The Lord of The Rings fantasy series is set in Middle Earth where wizards, men, elves, dwarves, dragons, and hobbits live a life fighting the dark forces of the dark lord Sauron.
Peter Jackson, a Kiwi filmmaker breathed cinematic life to the books as he produced and directed the trilogy in 1997 in New Zealand. The film set remains a popular tourist attraction to date.
Tolkien’s work has inspired fans from across the world because now we have Hobbit holes in Southeast Asia.
“Hobbitoon definitely reminded me of the beautiful scenes in Lord of The Rings, especially when Gandalf entered the tiny Hobbit hole,” Wong said.
From Minas Tirith to the dark shadows of Mordor and from the Misty Mountains to the deepest darkest pits of the Mines of Moria, Tolkien’s The Lord of The Ring has enthralled generations of bookworms and nerds.
Fans of the works of Tolkien even formed an official group—endorsed by New Line Cinema and all— since 1999 and are still active.
Wong dubbed the films and books a “masterpiece” and finding out about Hobbitoon in Malaysia was a pleasant surprise to the photographer because it was only a three-hour drive away from Kuala Lumpur.
The books are a part of a trilogy The Fellowship of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King has inspired three multi-award winning blockbuster films throughout the years. It even inspired a prequel film trilogy from the original series.
There are more reasons to celebrate Tolkien’s work this year; Lord of the Rings trilogy celebrates its 70th anniversary and the premier of a new film.
The animated fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The War of The Rohirrim film is set to premier in December with a star-studded line of casts including the original cast of Eowyn, Miranda Otto who will return to lend her voice to the character for the animated film.
The film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama from a screenplay written by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.
Wong said he could not wait for the story to unfold in this new film, describing the works of Tolkien in three words: Adventure, fantasy and mythological.
