For local author and poet Liew Suet Fun, 63, her magical place is an old colonial bungalow on Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut), just outside the town of Taiping.

A hill station built in the late 19th century, The Nest was a place that Liew and her husband called home from 2016 until this year.

While she may no longer reside there, the experiences she had there remain close to her heart, as evidenced by her essay and poetry collection in “Why Can’t We Stay Here Forever.”

Liew, a self-described late arrival to the writing scene, told FMT Lifestyle that she had longed to be a writer since childhood.

“I always wrote copiously in school and every job I took had writing elements in it, be it advertising or public relations,” she said.

“Why Can’t We Stay Here Forever” is a product of her feeling of loss after having to vacate The Nest. “It came from wanting to revisit some of the things that meant much to me whilst living there.”

Surrounded by pristine jungle, The Nest is a particularly remote area, which results in experiences one cannot possibly have living in the city.

“Writers write because they need to understand themselves,” said Liew. “I wanted to share a sense of what it’s like to live in a place like that, and what it does to you spiritually and physically.”

She had actually visited the place when she was 15, so walking up the forest path as an adult to the derelict home was certainly thought-provoking.

“I myself enjoy staying in remote places,” she said. “People who like to write tend to live like that, because they need contemplation time.”

Due to its age and location, life in The Nest was not simple, with frequent power cuts and arduous treks through a leech-infested path.

Still, life there was worthwhile. “The air was so good. It was quiet, surrounded by animals living next to you. You were in a society with them. It made you feel like part of the universe.”

Given its location, The Nest received feathery, furry and scaly visitors frequently, with Liew recalling how a certain viper showed up regularly in her kitchen.

Liew also welcomed human visitors, who often came to stay the night in a place removed from hectic city life.

She recalled how visiting children were fascinated with the place, despite it lacking some modern comforts.

“Many kids who came, the first thing they would ask me was, ‘What’s the Wi-Fi password?’” And when Liew told them that The Nest had no Wi-Fi, gasps of despair were common.

Without internet connectivity, these children actually started to observe their surroundings, finally taking in the beautiful world outside their digital devices.

In fact, the title of the book is derived from an actual question a young girl, who was reluctant to leave The Nest after a memorable stay, asked Liew.

Liew understands this fascination. “Just to see the mist rising up the hills, to hear the quietness that falls before the cicadas come out at night, it made the place magical.”

“Every sunrise was different,” she said, “being either misty or bright. Every day was memorable in its own way.”

Still, Liew had to move out at the end of March this year and she has not returned to The Nest since, saying it is emotionally difficult.

“Why Can’t We Stay Here Forever” is thus Liew’s way of spreading the magic. “This book is for anyone who wants to experience a place like that,” she said.

She said protecting places such as this before they are lost to time is vital. “We must have a sense of wonder for such places. We don’t know what we are losing or have lost.”

“Why Can’t We Stay Here Forever” is available from Gerakbudaya’s retail outlet and online store.