We arrived at the Kg. Gelugor mosque just before dawn, performed the morning prayer and changed into our trekking outfit. Conveniently there’s a food stall next to the mosque where we had breakfast and waited for our ride to the trailhead. Soon enough we were transported to the starting point, and it was a fun ride. We laughed and giggled at the constant bumps while dodging tree branches from slapping our faces as the truck zigzagging through the jungle. The trek is fairly easy and before noon we were already setting up camp at our favourite spot at the third cascade of the waterfall (of overall 7-tiers waterfall).

Away from the city madness and our hectic day-to-day life there was nothing much to do up here except to enjoy the nature, eat and relax. The guys tried their luck at fishing, while the kids frolicking in the water and scares all the fish away (LOL!). After lunch some of us continued climbing to the main waterfall, but since we were with kids we decided to stay and lazying around. With the crickets and insects cooing and chirping at the background to the calming sound of  gushing waters and the gentle breeze caressing your hair – it was easy to fall asleep; and that was exactly what we did apart from swimming and eating throughout the whole weekend. That night we have chicken barbeque for dinner, and the next day a sumptuous nasi lemak – a hearty meal despite being miles away from civilization. After dinner and several rounds of poker we decided to call it a night before continuing the same routine the next day.

Oh, did I tell you that sleeping in the jungle and on top of a mountain is the best sleep in the world?

The pickup truck ride to the start of the hiking trail

The first tier of Berkelah Falls, with parallel  streams

The third cascade, where we camped for the night

 Calm and serene

The water glitters when hit by the morning sun; the river flows smoothly like a silk studded with thousand diamonds that it was almost difficult to look at.

While the kids asleep I had my try on macro shots.

 There are plenty of subjects to shoot at, if you are patience enough (steadying your hand while waiting for the wind to stop, that is!).

The first fish caught before it managed escape. LOL.

Several hours later. Learning from earlier mistake the catches were put into a more secure entrapment. By the way I didn’t get to taste these blokes, I think the gang totally forgotten about them. Darn. Well, I’m not a fish lover anyway (read: self-consolation *_* ).

 Sejuk!!!

P/S: I’m sad to see there are trash everywhere, and Berkelah is no longer like it was 10 years ago.  Rusty food cans, discarded gas canisters, decayed plastic bags, broken styrofoam box, tissue papers et cetera, et cetera, et cetera scattered around behind the bushes and trees. It is a shame how little people treasure nature and our earth these days, and ignorantly throw rubbish as freely as they like. Remember, we did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, instead we borrow it from our future generations. We should start enjoy nature, responsibly. Save the planet.

Went to Perlis last Christmas holiday for a relative engagement ceremony. Arriving Arau at 11.00am; the hotel check-in only starts at 2.00pm so with a few hours to idle we headed for the border to catch up with a bit of shopping. Perlis is the smallest state in Malaysia, just a few hours needed traversing from one end to another. It’s bordered by Kedah on the south and Thai up north, and that’s where we were going.

The road at Chuping, bypassing plantation fields of rubber and sugar canes, with limestone outcrops as it backdrop.

There are two border exits at Perlis to Thailand, either via Padang Besar or Wang Kelian-Wang Prachan. It was Sunday, so we decided to check out Wang Kelian first.

Wang Kelian is a small bordertown in Perlis, and on Sunday it’ll get hectic as traders from both Malaysia and Thai flock the road connecting the two countries, and visitors are allowed to cross over without passport (limited within the 1km span of the market).

The Thai border gate of Wang Kelian-Wang Prachan.

Thai immigration checks at Wang Kelian-Wang Prachan. A queue already building up at the immigration counter, mostly foreigners who intend travelling up north to Satun and Pak Bara, before hopping to Koh Lipe or Phuket, Thailand’s ‘earthly’ paradises. In contrary, visitors to the market are not required to show any identification, they can walk straight to the other side unchecked. Anyway it is better to have your IC with you, just in case (who doesn’t?).

My first overland border crossing in just 5 minutes walking. Done.

Wang Kelian-Wang Prachan market. The second border market I visited this month.

The market strecthes a few hundred meters down the road. Cloudy day, and walking downhill was easy.

The stuffs sell here, simply the same thing found in any Malaysia-Thai border market. Colorful comforter, or mostly referred to as TOTO is one of them, and Malaysian aunties and grannies are so crazy about them. A must in most Malaysian house including mine. Cheap, comfortable, foldable and easy to wash. Handy especially if you have relatives visiting.

Another typical reason  for visiting the border market – cheap Indian metal pots! I’m not so much into cooking so I gave it a pass.

We spent about 20 minutes just at this booth – sampling session of dried shrimps and anchovies, DH favourite pass time.

Owh, not forgetting the brick red shrimp paste, which look more like child clays to me.

As for me, I would rather sample these, any day!

Tidbits, at Wang Kelian – Wang Prachan.

Load stocks of garlics, Wang Kelian – Wang Prachan.

Piles on motorbike.

Odd-colored drinks in odd looking containers spotted at the market. I was thirsty but the colors didn’t look so appealing let alone the cloudy stains on the plastic containers, so I make do with water bottle instead.

Road sign, Wang Kelian – Wang Prachan.

Thai officers on duty.

Kid on pickup truck, Wang Kelian-Wang Prachan. My watch showed 3.00pm, and the market was about to close as vendors were seen packing and cleaning up. Nothing caught my eyes really, so I left the market, empty handed.

11 Dec 2011.

It was our third and last day in Kuching. We went to Pasar Satok first day in the morning before catching up with the flight back to KL in the afternoon.

There is nothing extra-ordinary about meandering through the crowded market, and it could get really hot and stuffy under the canopies. In fact, Pasar Satok is like any other typical morning market throughout Malaysia. I won’t miss it nonetheless, as some of the products sell here are uniquely Sarawak. Starting its operation from Saturday afternoon until Sunday the next day, the market hosts traders from various parts of the region making it a one-spot-centre for getting local products and handicrafts.

Flowers, at Pasar Satok. The market is divided into sections - wet market, dry market, plants and livestocks, clothes and handicrafts etc.

A hawker waiting for customer.

Non-dried, salted Herring fish are the must buy if you are visiting Kuching. An appetizer; the fish has to be rinsed and deep fried, and best eaten as condiment with hot rice and other local dishes.

Apart from getting it raw, there are also grilled version of the fish.

The Dabai fruits (Sibu olive), a rare and seasonal fruits only found in some part of Borneo such as Sibu. The fruits have to be immersed with hot boiled water (to soften the skin) before it could be eaten, either by itself or as an ingredients for local dishes.

The market is also a place to look for local delicacies, such as Tapai Sarawak and local kuih.

If Bandung, Indonesia is famous with brownies, Kuching on the other hand is famous for its colourful and sweet layered cakes.  We bought a handful of various flavours from this uncle, and turned out his layered cakes taste better than the famous Dayang Salhah. We also bought some Kuih Cincin and Tebaloi, Melanau traditional cracker made of sago powder.

Leaving the food section we arrived at the pet section, and saw these gold fish in the plastic bags.

Rooster, Satok Market.

Not far from the pet section is a row of stalls selling local handicrafts and souvenirs. From my observtion, the price here is cheaper than from the shops at main baazar, though the choices are limited.

Coin box made of bamboo, with local ethnic motifs.

Sarawak sarong, also in local motifs.

Colorful wristbands, Pasar Satok.

We had our breakfast at a nearby eatery, and I ordered this Teh ‘C’ Peng Special, a popular three-layered tea only found in Kuching. The layers are combination of tea (top), evaporated milk (middle) – denoted as ’C’ in its name (later learned that it actually derived from a local evaporated milk brand name Carnation) and gula apong, a local version of palm sugar (dark colored liquid at the bottom), while peng is a Malaysian slang for ‘iced’.  In simple English it is actually iced milk tea, and obviously to drink you have to stirr the concoction with straw until it forms a smooth light brown color.

To compliment, I also ordered the Sarawak Laksa - rice vermicelli in thick spicy soup, garnished with thin strips omelette. After a mouthful intake, I think I like the Penang assam laksa better.

We left the market and headed to the Sarawak River. I intended to visit the Dayang Salhah Cake House at Kampung Gersik, after reading so much about its popularity of delicious layered cake. We parked the car at the roadside in front of the Main Bazaar and walked to the jetty next to Hilton. 

Unoccupied perahu tambang, seen from across the river.

Spotted some anglers on a boat. Sunday, and a great day for a little diversion out of the ordinary routines for these village folks.

Kampung Gersik is located at the other side of the river, so we took the perahu tambang to get across.

 Fishing boats docking at a jetty, as seen from Kampung Gersik.

A man repairing his boat, at Kampung Gersik.

A girl looking for a cake at Dayang Salhah Cake House. The price ranging from RM10 for a simple cake up to RM35 – RM40 depending on the ingredients and designs. The making of the cake involves a rather tedious process of baking and layering, thus explain the price. After sampling a few, frankly I still prefer the one I bought earlier at Pasar Satok as it is soft and moist. 

Leaving Kampung Gersik and on our way back to the car, we saw a small booth selling Gambir Sarawak manned by a young lady. The plant is famous as a pain relief for tooth ailment, a traditional remedy for small cuts, fever  and mostly sought after by local man for its ’potent’ power.

An obligatory photo by Acha; a visit to Kuching is not complete without a pose with the city mascot.

The End.

From Bau, we continued our journey to Kota Sentosa and took the left turn towards Jalan Penrissen. We drove past the Semanggoh Wildlife Centre on our left; on checking my watch we still had time to catch up with the Orang Utans feeding time later. We initially planned to take the kids to the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, but the entrance fee is so ridiculuosly expensive even for fellow Malaysians. It would be a definite frustration if the place is not more than the typical Mini Malaysia in Malacca or the Taman Mini Indonesia in Jakarta, after paying such handsomely fee. But I always wanted to experience the longhouse myself with the hanging skulls (some of the tribes were practicing death cult of enemy headhunting – the cult had ceased in the 30′s) and tatooed men in loincloth (that’s kinky!), and the fact that you’ve never been to Sarawak really if you have not been to the longhouses. From my research (thanks to google) I was made  known about a real longhouse that is open for visitors, and conveniently located very near to the Semanggoh Wildlife Centre which was in our itinerary. An alternative to experience real culture, budget style.

Welcome to Kampung Benuk! The entrance fee is RM6 per person, compared to RM60 to enter the Sarawak Cultural Village but off course without the cultural show and other touristy elements.

Located at Penrissen Road, 35km from Kuching, the Kampung Benuk longhouse is one of the last remaining Bidayuh longhouses in Sarawak. Bidayuh, or the Land Dayaks is one of the indigenous groups in Borneo, apart from the Iban (Sea Dayaks) and Melanau to name a few.

The longhouse was huge, in fact it was like a few small longhouses interconnected with one another (imagine the whole village living on the same house). It was built on stilts with thin, worn out bamboo flooring, which creaked helplessly on my every steps. I walked around gingerly out of fear that it would break, but had my apprehension rest assured when I saw some kids running around and playing cheerfully without worries.

The house is separated into many private units, with common hall and corridors. Most of the units were unoccupied as the residents had move to more decent brick houses nearby. This one even had the pay-perview satellite television service installed.

One of the unoccupied lot.

Abandoned reading table, Kampung Benuk longhouse.

I walked further and arrived at the narrow bamboo bridge, connecting one quarter with another. Note at the back the red, a double storey brick house – the type of house where most residents now live.

Spotted one resident at her lot.

Saw another watching tv.

I noticed that most of the folks still living in the longhouse are of the older generation, and my observation was confirmed with a friendly chat with one of the residents. The lady was doing some knitting in front of her house, and greeted me when seeing that I was out of the place. “Sik“,  said her when I asked the permission to take her photo. I thought ‘sik‘ means okay in Bidayuh, and I was about to lift my camera when she suddenly waved her hand in denial gesture. I asked her again whether she don’t like to be photographed and she replied, “auk“. Okay, so ‘sik‘ (sound like seek in english with the longer ‘eek’) means no and ‘auk‘ means yes. She asked me a few other questions in thick Bidayuh dialect which I wasn’t able to comprehend, and seeing my trouble understanding  she then asked me, “Kitak darik mana?“, which I guessed means ‘where do you come from’, and I answered with a smile, “Kuala Lumpur“. Knowing that I’m not a Sarawakian, we continued our conversation in standard Malays, and from her I was made known that most of the younger generations had moved to the city for work, leaving the elders at the village.

Another resident of Kampung Benuk.  She glimpsed at me, a stranger at her village with questioning eyes.

An array of jutting out bamboo flooring.

A pile being stacked up, to be used as firewoods.

Cocoa being put to dry under the sun. Cocoa cultivation is the village main activity apart from paddy planting, rubber tapping and farming.

The traditional wooden mortar (lesung, in Malay) used for grinding rice into flour.

Rattan basket.

Unfortunately the house ceremonial chamber or Pangah, where most of the skulls and tools for rituals are kept, was closed for the day. So I traipsed around and took some photos, before leaving the house and walked back to the car. At the village front office I met Ms Isabell, the housekeeper.  She walked me to the village orchard nearby, connected by another bamboo bridge over a small stream.

I walked cautiously to the middle and have a look down. It is easy to fall considering the large gap in between the handrails, and the fact that bamboo surface is rounded and quite slippery. But that equals to nothing to the villagers. Thank god it is such a shallow stream, and is not that high. (Fact: I didn’t get to the other end).

It was almost 3.00pm so we thanked our friendly host and sped off to Semanggoh. Exiting the village we passed by a canopy with colorful balloons, national and state flags. Somebody is celebrating a birthday? Or, is it VVIP coming down for some political speech? These questions popped up in my mind, and being curious (called me kepoci) I asked a guy whose making up the table. Guess what, they were preparing a wedding party! With flags and all, I would say it would be a patriotic union.

Fifteen minutes later we arrived at Semanggoh, and the timing was perfect.

Most importantly, our charming hostess and her adorable son were already there to greet us.

Orang Utan, which literally means ‘the man (or woman in this case) of the jungle’ are among the most intelligent primates, and exclusively Asian. An endangered species, their likes currently could only be found in Borneo and Sumatra, and they are under strict monitoring by government and NGO conservation and rehabs facilities such as the Semanggoh Wildlife Centre.

The Orang Utan breeds at every eight year intervals (no wonder they facing extinction!) and the babies will cling to their mothers until they come of age. With that kind of bonding, they aren’t shy in displaying their love and affection, as shown by our hostess and her son. Awww, ain’t that cute?

The spectators at the Semanggoh Wildlife Centre. From a few identified Orang Utans by the rehab centre, only two were present. But that’s good enough. I was told that it was fruit season in Kuching, and the jungle could definitely offer more than what the rehab could provide. These two simply coming out of courtesy.

Acha with the Orang Utan watching.

In contrary, Ahnaf seemed more taken on the other side of the seating. Wonder what interests him.

Obviously he was taking photo of the  small  stream (more of a drain, but scenic, yes). This one was taken by me.

Self-explanatory safety reminder.

Pepper plant.

Pitcher plant. Have you ever seen them grow so many like this?

Feeding time only last for about half an hour, and so were we at Semanggoh. Semanggoh was the last in our itinerary of the day, and after a long drive, our evening back in Kuching was spent resting at the guest house. At night, we went out again for dinner at Topspot, Kuching famous seafood joints. Black pepper crabs, steamed Barramundi with ginger, Batok (Sarawak dish, like otak-otak), butter fried prawns, grilled squids and mix vege (midin, Sarawak fern shoot was sold out) were our dinner that night. Seafood is quite cheap in Kuching compared to KL, and sorry no photo of the food as they went straight into the gullet once they arrived at our table!

>>End of Day 2.

10 December 2011.

We woke up very early on the second day and without long found ourselves driving to Serikin, a small bordertown 80km from Kuching which famous for its weekend market. The road cutting through the Kalimantan thick jungle, so it was blue and green all the way.

The weather was nice, and Garmin was a bit of help. Road signs aren’t many and there is no direct indication from Kuching, so we have to take one place at a time. From Kuching we aimed Batu Kawa, then Bau and from there starts the sign to Serikin.

We arrived at Serikin ten minutes past nine, and it was already tailgating to the market.

We managed to get the parking in spite of the many vehicles, and started walking to the make-shift shops lining along the narrow street.

It was very hot in Serikin although it was only 9.30 in the morning, so we chose to walked in the shady side. Serikin is very much in proximity to the equator thus the sun is directly overhead sooner than elsewhere.

Some of the goods are local, but mostly Indonesian made. In fact most of the traders are Indonesian themselves.

I lost count on the shops spotted selling something similar to that found in Jakarta and Bandung, such as these intricately embroided fabrics.

Beaded pouch bags, with Sarawak tribal design.

Local crafts – bamboo baskets used by the Bidayuh as ‘backpack’ whenever they go hunting or collecting jungle products, and the Bubu, the traditional fish trap made of rattan.

We heard someone’s excusing himself at the back, it was the food peddler selling Minang dishes with his push cart which we immediately gave way. Push carts peddlers are common in Indonesia, same with the guy holding the kitchen towels. I’d seen this kind of business modus operandi back in Java and Sumatra.

Chips seller with cowboy hat, Serikin. Chips in high containers like these are also common back in the land of the Garuda.

A gemstones seller, sat next to the shop selling some old-school ovens.

Another one crowded with interested patrons, spotted a few blocks away. The gems, mostly agate are crafted as ring stone and the aura resonate from the stone is believed to have some healing power.

The market not only focus on local handicrats and Indonesian products, but also the rare and the wierd. The Tokay Geckos, or known locally as Tokek, are the most sought after lizard by men these days and the price could reach thousands, as it is said has the essence to boost the libido and remedy to many diseases including the incurable AIDS. However, there’s no scientific research made to confirm the claims.

The Salak fruits, scientifically known as Salacca Zalacca (sounds more of Harry Potter hocus pocus to me!) are a species of palm tree fruits mostly found in the jungle. It’s easily distinguishable by its reddish brown scaly skin. It could be eaten raw, which taste bitter sour with a tinge of sweetness,  and thus often made into pickles. Not my kind of fruit though.

It was a long walk to the end of the market and Acha complaint that her sandals were causing blisters, so I bought her the new padded stripy flats at RM15 a pair.

I gave the PnS to my darling Ahnaf, and these were what he captured out of it. Sorry kiddo, you know that won’t happen.

It was unbearably hot, Serikin and the heat was giving us headache, so upon reaching the untarred road we decided to turn back. More over, it was the same thing being sold throughout. It was about lunch time too and since we hadn’t had any decent breakfast in the morning, a brunch was more than needed. Exiting the market we walked to a nearby stall selling ayam penyet (again?) and chicken rice, and we opted the latter.

We left the market and headed back to Kuching via the same road, and decided to drop by Bau township which situated along the way. It is just like any other typical small town, but it was not the town that we actually wanted to see.

We actually wanted to visit the scenic  Tasik Biru (literally means Blue Lake) of Bau, formed from the gold mining activities back in the old days.

The lake is really blue, and under a bright sun it turns color to turquoise green which we at first thought a reflection of the surrounding lush vegetations and the blue sky. Despite looking so beautifully serene, we later learned that the greenish color was in fact due to the high levels of arsenic, a toxic element. Too bad.

On close look we spotted a shabby looking path on the nearby island. Wonder who’s living on the other side.

At a distant there’s a stream of waterfall, the source of the lake I presume. This is how much my telezoom can make out of it. The stream is said to even have higher level of toxicity. The lush and peaceful surrounding, the crystal clear jadded water and the calm sounds of the waterfall – the place is indeed a beauty, and it is ironic that such beauty is untouchable.

9 Dec 2011.

During the recent school holidays we took the kids for a short trip to the capital of East Malaysia state of Sarawak, which cheap tickets I managed to grabbed during the AirAsia’s Visit Malaysia promotion. The flight to Kuching was scheduled at 12.30pm, and soon we were flying above the vast South China Sea.  The travel was smooth, and I spent the time shifting in between The Borneo Post left by the previous passenger and  the in-flight magazines. The kids were excited too, and occupied most of their time (and mine, definitely) asking questions on the whereabout, like every 10 minutes interval. As they were competing to sit by the window thus explain why I don’t have the obligatory bird-eye view photos of Kuching.

We safely landed at Kuching International Airport on time, despite the 10 minutes delayed during departure. Immigration was a breeze, and the officer greeted us with a welcoming smile. Unlike travelling to other part of the country, we were required to show our identification card at the immigration counter, and for kids, birth certificates are required. I don’t like to be bogged down with all the documents, so I just used the passports instead.

The Kuching immigration stamping that made its way in our passport.

We made our way to the city center via the newish Hyundai Accent 1.6, which we rented from an agent at the airport lobby. The drive to the town took about 20 minutes, and along the way we were served with a vista of a rapidly developing city. It really didn’t feel like we were actually on a distant land, separated from the peninsular by the marginal South China Sea.

The first thing we did upon reaching the town was looking for accomodation, which I had booked through Internet. The guest house that we were looking for is located at Abell Street, a stone throw from the waterfront and right above the AirAsia Service Centre.

Brookes Terrace, our budget lodging  for the next 2 nights looks nothing much from the outside but clean and comfy once stepping inside – the room is spacious with carpeted floor, free WiFi and a 32 inch LCD tv. Even recommended by TripAdvisor.  

I was looking from the window of our room into the back alley, and the first thing I spotted was a cat on the rooftop. What is Kuching without the cat, rite?

Another one spotted at the window sill. Eventhough the city name sounded like kucing, meaning cat in Malay, it was actually derived from a fruit; locally known as Mata Kucing or Longan which is plentiful in Sarawak. Nevertheless, the notion of a cat city was more easily accepted and thus everyone favourite pet became the city mascot eversince.

Here, kitty kitty…

As Kuching iconic landmark is the Sarawak River, the visit to Kuching would not complete without a visit to the famous esplanade. So, after a short rest and a late lunch at the nearby cafe,  we headed to the riverfront for an evening stroll. Above is a photo of the  perahu tambang, the water taxi synonym with the image of Kuching, while at the back is the Astana, the palace and the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, the Governor of Sarawak.

A walk along the esplanade, we came across a small, white fortress facing the river, directly opposite to the Astana. It is the Square Tower, an annex to the Fort Magherita and a sentry post of the Sarawak River, Kuching main thoroughfare during the old times.

The only tower of the Square Tower.

A window, Square Tower Kuching. 

Across the road is the Charles Brooke memorial, in the compound of Kuching Court House. The monument was erected to commenmorate Sarawak second White Rajah. Amidst the posh five-star hotels that sprawled in the city, Kuching is also proud of its numerous beautiful colonial architectures, legacy of the Brooke family.

Sarawak in history belonged to the Brunei Sultanate, but in the 18th century it was rewarded to James Brooke, an Englishman who managed to put down the rebellious attack of a local tribe. James Brooke  and his descendants ruled Sarawak henceforth and was known as the White Rajah. Kuching was its center of administration until it fell to the Japanese during the World War II. Sarawak then became part of Malaysia on 16th September 1963, six years after Malaya gained its independence from the British. (Source : Wiki).

Bronze bas-reliefs of historical fact are paved along the walkway.

The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building, silhouetted on the north bank of the river.

We strolled leisurely along the promenade, enjoying the serenity of sunset. The peace was suddenly broken by a noise coming from the white, luxury boat cruising the river, of which we immediately turned our head to out of reflex. I always wanted to go for a river cruise, but the RM60 fare per person (in our case to be multiplied by four) is way too much.

I saw one perahu tambang coming towards us, and we quickly went down to the pier. Perahu tambang would be a cheap way to explore the river, and the feel is more authentic too!

Inside the perahu tambang. The small wooden boat is a vital transport for the village folks that mainly lived on the north riverbanks, to ferry them across the Sarawak River to the main bazaar on the south. Though there is a bridge connecting the two sides of the river, perahu tambang is still widely used as it is fast, convenient and cheap with regular rides across the river at 50 cent per trip.

Our boat crossed path with this blue and green fella, while at the back majestically stand the plush Hilton, Crown Plaza and Harbour View. Modern versus the old.

With motorized engine it was a quick trip back and forth, less than 15 minutes. Arriving back at the pier, we dropped the fare on the boat floor like others, and help ourselves with the balance. Often enough the fare is handed to the boatman himself, which he is more than happy to accept.

 The view of Sarawak River at sunset.

We lingered a while at the waterfront until darkness quitely crept in, enjoying the sparkles and the colorful lights that adorned the Astana.

The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly at night.

It was almost 8.00pm when we left the waterfront, and headed looking for cheap, local chow. The only place I knew was the famous TopSpot, but gave it a pass as I want to save that for our last night in Kuching. Others recommended by our guest house front person were mostly the ludicruosly expensive kopitiam with Ayam Penyet as its main course. The Indonesian Ayam Penyet was such a favourite here, almost all eateries from the decent cafe to the roadside stalls have it in their menu. Unfortunately I didn’t have the appetite over some ’pressed’ chicken too (I had enough of that during my previous Indonesia trips) and was craving for something more authentic and more like Kuching. Google searches suggested a few eateries but satellite reception was so lousy we couldn’t get Garmin and Google Maps to work properly. Road signs in Kuching were unhelpful either, most of them not in place where they were mostly needed. With the lack of proper road signs and Garmin kept on triangulated us the location, we ended up going in circles.

Tired, hungry and frustrated, we nearly given up hope and thought of having instant noodles for dinner instead. We gave it one last final shot to Satok, and upon entering the town area we spotted rows of roadside eateries. “That’s more like it”, I said to myself. We parked the car at the nearby shoplot and started counting rhyme of which stall we should choose. We ended up sitting at the one adjacent to the satay seller.

Satay seller, Satok.

I ordered the ordinary Pattaya fried rice for the kids, their favourite dish everytime we have an eat out.  Eventually it turned out not so ordinary. When the food arrived, a glimpsed under a shady fluorescent lamp I saw a crumple of black ‘something’ which I thought fried Kue Teow (which I didn’t order) but the cook insisted that it was ours. On closer look it was indeed fried Pattaya, fusion style, garnished with chicken and black pepper gravy on top of it. Sarawak is well known as one of the world black pepper producer, hence it is no surprise that the spice ended up in most of the dishes including the Thai.

Me and DH tried out Mee Kolok and Mee Kolok Sapi (the beef version), the famous local dish for the first time. The look and taste is something similar to Chinese dried wonton noodle. And of course Kuching satay from the nearby satay seller!

End of Day 1.

I said goodbye to Perhentian with mixed emotions. Due to some unforseen event, half of me can’t wait to reach home the soonest possible, but Perhentian charming beatuy insists my other half to stay behind. Three days were simply not enough. The boat that took us back to the mainland  arrived in the afternoon, and the morning was spent lingering around taking some photos.

Coral Bay, Perhentian Kecil Island. The view from our balcony.

The red stairway to our room.

Room 41, our shelter for the last 3 days 2 nights.

Another view of Coral Bay, Perhentian Kecil Island.

A lone coconut, being washed ashore.

Stray cat.

A rough looking  boat, specially allocated for the French divers?

A small boat overlooking the vast South China Sea.

In case you are getting sick of too much sea, there’s always other things to keep you occupied.

A pose before we say goodbye.

A boat at the jetty. Note a school of fish, seen as a dark shade under the boat.

A drive back to KL via the East-Coast Expressway. Scenic and friendly route, compared to the Gua Musang old trunk road.

En route, we stopped by Kg. Losong Haji Su, a famous fish keropok (read: cracker) maker village in Terengganu. Keropok stalls could be found along the way.

A worker wrapping the keropok losong for the customer. A name derived from the village itself, I presumed. Keropok losong is a steam version of Keropok lekor, a long and chewy deep fried fish sausage. Best eaten fresh and hot, with a dip in a specially made sauce. The taste? – Authentic.

The End.

17 Sept 2011.

We were doing another round of island hopping and snorkeling, around the Redang Marine Parks. The park comprises of 9 islands, with Redang as the biggest. Unlike  its neighbouring Perhentian, Redang is less known to the world but it is famous among divers.

Our first visit of the day was the marine park at Pulau Pinang (not the other Penang, although the name is the same), and seemed that we were not there early enough. The place was already littered with snorkelers, and the big boat that ferried them of which our boatman referred to as like “a boat of illegal immigrants”.

Snorkeling was a bit difficult; the park seemed too small for us that it was difficult to enjoy the underwater view without constantly bumping into each other.

Sensing our problem, our boatman brought us a bit further to the where a shipwreck lies, a more than 100 years of age. He said that it is much worth the visit compared to the previous site. And it was less occupied too.

A peeked over the boat into the water and I guessed he’s right!

Jumping into the water and we were welcomed by our colorful hosts.

We swam to the shipwreck and it was fully inhabited with corals and colorful fishes, which made the place as their playing ground.

The fish playing inside the wreck. It was like peeking into a big aquarium.

The corals.

Another angle of the shipwreck. Despite the amazingly breathtaking view, being near to something that is old, lonely and might had claimed a few souls sent shivers down my spine (perhaps I was just being a coward). So I quickly swam back to the comfort of our small chugging boat and waited for the others. DH on the other hand, followed our daring boatman, looking for the huge moray eel which hides inside the wreck.

Our expert boatman calling and capturing a fish with bare hands (to be used as a bait in order to lure the eel out from its hiding).

Moray eels coming out from hiding. According to our boatman, moray eel is actually blind, hence it will hunt its prey based on smell (in this case a fish blood). Thank god I wasn’t around cause I’m terrified over anything of 3s – slimy, slippery and snaky. Pheeww!

While DH and the others were busy looking for moray eel, me and my kids were enjoying the above-the-water scenary.

Our boatman then brought us to a few other locations and islands, more secluded, private and untouch. In fact we found ourselves quite alone, and had the whole place for ourselves. The following are some of the photos of the underwater beauty that we able to capture. I can’t really remember which photo refers to which location cause they all look the same to me. But there’s this place, the last one in our itinerary that I found it enchantingly beautiful – the most beautiful of all. When I said ‘enchantingly beautiful’ I really meant it – have you ever seen something so beautiful and breathtaking that it really creeps you out? Yup, that’s the place to me. It is so out of the world, and being alone at such place really gave me a chill (I was so enthralled with its beauty that I hadn’t realized I had wandered too far and got separated from the others). Unfortunately the camera was with DH so I didn’t managed to snap any pictures as proofs. Seemed that I was the only person who had been granted ‘the view’ as the others went to the other side and according to DH they didn’t get to see anything cause the water was a bit murky due to strong current. I didn’t want to give a wrong message but I felt like I was being ‘watched over’ when I swam around the said area, although there’s nobody around. Ain’t that creepy! (Again, ignore me cause these are just some lunatic words of a coward!)

 Redang underwater paradise.

 A school of Silver Pomfrets (or commonly known as Ikan Bawal in Malay). Goreng pun sodap!

The corals here are in a much more preserved state compared to the touristy marine park of Pinang island. The best thing is, we got the whole view for ourselves.

It was much more beautiful in reality compared to what was only captured by my camera (and my lousy skill). Praise to god; the grand master of all creations!

Cute little blue and yellow fish. Somehow Dory’s favourite song started humming in my brain like forever. ”Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming…”. Okay, that’s enuf.

The garden of the underwater world in all hues.

At first I thought these were a type of coral or anemone, but on later research I discovered that they were actually a species of a worm, known as the Christmas Tree. Euw! Nevertheless I have to admit that they are the cutest worm that I’d ever seen!

Some corals at Pulau Lima.

We were so engulfed with the underwater beauty that time seemed to be passing by without notice. It was almost 2.00pm that we realized that lunch was overdue, so our boatman took us to the Redang Long Beach for lunch.

We had our lunch at Redang Lagoon, the only decent accomodation available at Long Beach surrounded by posh resorts and hotels. While waiting for food to be served,me being  typical myself ventured around the area for some photo hunting.

Lying in the hammock under the cool shade of the coconut tree, lazying around all day with the gentle sea breeze touching your face softly - is total bliss. I immediately fell in love with the place. Definitely will come back again for some retreat.

Adjacent to Redang Lagoon is the posh Redang Beach Resort.

Deep blue sky, pristine turquoise water and a long stretch of white sands – Redang is really a paradise on earth.

You could either opt to sit back and relax like these bunch of people,

Or play with the fish at the shore. Note the crystal clear water. Being idle has never been so much fun.

Later. After some rendezvous at Redang, we were back at sweet Perhentian. Night beckoned, and we were served with the most charming sunset.

But the most unforgettable of all, is having the fried Snickers for the first time!

End of Day 2.

16 September 2011.

Thursday the 15th, and I quickly finished off my job and rushed home. We will be embarking on a long distance driving that night to the east coast with a few friends. The Malaysia Day falls on the next day, so we were having an ample 3 days off  which will not be wasted away. The fact that we were just coming back from Krabi  means that I had not got the chance to do any packing yet.

We met the others at the petrol pump near to Genting Sempah at 10.00pm, and from there onwards we convoyed to Kuala Besut, Terengganu via the Gua Musang old trunk road. Shortly after our previous journey to Kota Bharu in 2010 (see HERE), I had made a mental note to never use the road again. Not only the road cuts through thick, secluded Malaysia most virgin jungle, but the most fearsome factor to me is having to cut through a line of trailers carrying lumber. Very bad especially when climbing uphill. To survive it alive is totally at god’s mercy. There is actually another road to the east coast; the distance is much longer but it is also much safer. Since the gang has already decided, we just followed along.

As much as travelling via the road is bad during the day, it is worst at night. Without proper road lights, we had to totally rely on headlights of the incoming vehicals when it comes to decide whether or not we should overtake a car or a lorry. And thank god that those slow lumber trailers were not on road that night. The whole ’cutting queue’ business is too much adrenalin pumping to me, so I decided to sleep through out most of the journey. I had to admit that it was a bit cruel and selfish to leave DH doing the driving alone. Sorry dear!

Praise to god, we safely reached Kuala Besut Jetty in one piece, thanks to DH safe driving. So, where we will be going next? To Perhentian Island, off course!

Kuala Besut township. It was public holiday so that explained the quietness.

 The time was already 9.00am but the goat was still sleepy. Too much partying the night before, eh mate?

The jetty. We had our breakfast at the nearby cafe and a simple meal costs us a bomb! We should had stopped somewhere for breakfast rather than having it there and then.  DH made a valid comment that since the place will be closed during the monsoon season, perhaps the price hike is to make up for those time. Oh, well.

Waiting for our boat. The price for return speedboat to Perhentian is about RM70.00  per adult (valid at the point of time).

The journey to Perhentian Island from Kuala Besut takes about 45 minutes by the speedboat. It was a bumpy ride, but I managed to take this shot in focus with one hand (using the point-and-shoot, of course!).

Perhentian Kecil Island, at last!

The Perhentian Islands (Pulau Perhentian in Malay) lie approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) off the coast of northeastern Malaysia in the state of Terengganu, approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of the Thai border. The two main islands are Perhentian Besar (“Big Perhentian”) and Perhentian Kecil (“Small Perhentian”). The Perhentians belong to Pulau Redang National Marine Park, which means that fishing, collecting coral and littering are strictly prohibited. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Coral Bay (Teluk Aur in Malay), a small and quiet bay of Perhentian Kecil Island. The other is Long Beach (Pasir Panjang in Malay) which is more popular and happening especially among backpackers.

At the furthest end of the beach is Senja Bay, the place where we spent the night.

 DH and Acha, a pose at Senja Cafe while waiting for our key to the room.

The key to our room, finally! A boat trip had been arranged later in the afternoon, so we took the opportunity for a nap especially DH as he’d been driving the whole night. 

As DH and the kids were all asleep, I on the other hand was fully awake (as I’d been sleeping through out the journey) so I decided to have a look around. The above is the view of Coral Bay from our balcony. What’s good about Senja Bay is that all the rooms fronting the beach so we got a personal view of the sea.

A lone boat and the pristine, cristal clear water.

Later. We hired a boat service from the nearby operator, and while waiting for the others I took some photos of the area.

Coral Bay, Perhentian Kecil Island.

Coral, of the Coral Bay.

Flippers. All the snorkeling gears are part of the tour package.

Canoes. Available for rent.

The day snorkeling trip was to the nearby Shark Point, Turtle point, and some corals cove.

Welcome to Perhentian underwater paradise!

Praise to Allah the Almighty, it was such a sight to behold! Am truly grateful to be there!

Some cute and colorful anemone, something like Ahnaf’s colorful bottle brush.

 The Table Coral (Acropora Hyacinthus). No, I’m no coral experts. I googled the name.

 Some mushroom-like coral.

A couple of yellow fish playing around the Staghorn coral.

And of course, finding Nemo was number one in our list!

A blue clam, sorry I’m no biologist nor marinist so I don’t know its name. I’m glad if anybody could tell me. Thanks in advance.

Perhentian is trully an underwater paradise. My camera (and my lack of skill) did not do the  justice.

Our boatman doing the skin-diving, looking for Nemo I guess.

DH searching for the best angle.

The striking green Staghorn coral by DH. Too bad some of them were dead, otherwise it would be a picturesque image.

Now you see, then you don’t! My cracker gone in less than 10 seconds. That’s fast!

We then made a move to the Turtle Point, which is located nearby the Perhentian Island Resort. This time I didn’t get off the boat as it is quite deep and you’ll need a bit of chasing with the turtle. So I left the job to the rough and tough! Nonetheless, the turtle was quite friendly, he’ll peek off to the surface once or twice so that we could catch a glimpse of him!

Chasing turtle at Perhentian Island. Great photo courtesy of our superb boatman, Mr. Matt a.k.a The SnorkelerKing. Image taken using his Panasonic Lumix in underwater casing (which I’ve been eyeing for quite sometime, but due to the princely price I only managed to grab the substitute - Olympus Tough 800. And that already created a hole in my pocket!)

Face to face with Mr. Crush, the turtle. Watsup Dude! (Image is quite blurry cause DH was having nervous breakdown when Mr. Crush suddenly turned towards him). Not that he will crush you man. “A flapped on you face could make you dizzy for days”, said DH. That was really a lame excuse! (easy to say for someone who was on the boat!)

Last stop of the day was the Shark Point, located not far from the Turtle Point. Again I didn’t get into the water, for obvious reason!

Swimming and snorkeling consumes a lot of energy, and we did feel hungry. Especially after someone ‘considerately’ mentioned Fried Chicken Rice on the boat! So, upon reaching the shore, we quickly jumped off the boat and headed to the nearest cafe available!

While waiting for the food to be ready, Ahnaf and Acha went for a dip.

It was already sundown when the food were brought to our table, and we had an enjoyable dinner over the lovely sunset before going back to our room for a good night rest. 

Sunset at Coral Bay, Perhentian Kecil Island.

End of Day 1.

This is actually an overdue entry. Shortly after coming back from Bangkok, we have enrolled ourselves for another adventure – white water rafting at a river in Kuala Kubu Bharu, 60km from KL downtown. The event coincidentally fall on my birthday. What a way to celebrate, huh?

On our way to Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor via the Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh old trunk road. The day is a bit gloomy. Hope it would not rain heavily, otherwise we might miss the fun.

The small town of Kuala Kubu Bharu. Sunday, and the quite town seems to be occupied by only us.

Located on the route to the Fraser’s Hill, the second highland in Malaysia after Cameron, the weather at the town is cold and fresh.

 Looking for direction to Sungai Selangor, where the activity will take place.

And also direction for breakfast, of course!

We met our operators from Khersonese Expedition and other participants at the nearby mamak’s, and we were handed some forms to be filled in which we duly obliged (photo courtesy to our friend Spark, cause I was still busy devouring my nasi lemak)

From the mamak’s we were then taken to the “Put in” point (or the starting point) of the river adventure, a few kilometers away from Kuala Kubu town, where we assembled and put on the gear and the outfit.

The paddles,

The rafts,

And the helmets.

While happily snapping pictures, my el cheapo camera suddenly turned off. On close inspection, I found out that the battery had exhausted. To be totally dependant on other’s camera on my ’maiden voyage’ is absolutely unacceptable (blamed myself for forgotting to recharge the battery!)   The following photos were all taken and courtesy by our friend, Spark.

 Our guide and also team leader from Khersonese briefed us on the techniques and safety measures.

 Bai, our guide showing us the right way to hold the peddle and position ourselves in the raft.

The core techniques of maneuvering and rescuing.

We were then divided into groups of 6 per raft, and each raft was accompanied by 2 experienced guides.

And the journey begun! Surprisingly, I wasn’t frantic and screaming like I always do when going through a rollercoaster ride. I found myself very calm and enjoy every single moment!

Wading through one of the challenging rapids. There are about 6 or 7 altogether, which difficulty (or fright level, in our case) ranging from level 1 to level 4 (the most difficult is level 6).

Another adrenalin pumping moment, face to face with the swift current. Not to mention the awaiting, sharp boulders.

One rapid after another, all the way downstream.

The grin of satisfactions once the obstancles were conquered. Surely the two guides did most of the work, but the effort required should not be underestimated. Each individual crew played an important role to ensure the boat passes through the rapid successfully without being flipped - which after sometime, the constantly over-left, over-right, sit-in, front and back formation were becoming too strenuous and tiring.

Eventhough it rained heavily the night before, the water was a bit shallow at certain points, as the water level is controlled by the nearby dam. There were a few instances whereby we were required to pull the raft over dead tree trunks and narrow gaps.

The whole ‘cruise’ took about 4 hours, with one major pit stop nearby a waterfall where we had a break and some refreshment. Towards the end of the journey the river straigthened; the serene and peacefull surrounding plus the clear, shallow water were so tempting that we decided to float all the way to the finish line. 

We reached the finish line safely, all wet, tired and hungry. We were then treated with sumptious lunch (perhaps we were too hungry) at the nearby National Service Training Camp before bidding goodbye. Nevertheless we were all satisfied and having great fun – surely it would not be the last for us. In fact, the memories and the thought of returning still make us grin to this day!

 Yay, yippee kai-yay! We’ve made it, how about you?

Note: All the pictures were taken using my Nikon Coolpix S8000 and Spark’s compact camera.

The following are captions of the itinerary by Khersonese Expedition:

Full day white-water rafting inclusive of :
a) guides/raft/paddle/helmet/pfd on Sungai Selangor (Grade 4)
b) On-river snacks – mineral water, granola bars, chocs & fruits and packed lunch
c) Use of basecamp facilities

Itineraries:
0700am-Depart from KL to Kuala Kubu Bahru ( Own transport)
0845am-Meet us at Pejabat Post Kuala Kubu Bahru -Proceed drive to Rafting Site
9:45 am Introduction and briefing of safety
10:10 am Rafting skill briefing and Water confident
10:30 am Going wild with the water
3.00 pm End of rafting
3:30 pm Lunch & Depart back to KL

Important note:
1. Arrive 30 minutes prior to trip time
2. No alcohol before or during trip
3. Bring towels, shower items and a change of clothes
4. Dress appropriately for the weather: swimsuits, quick dry shorts, T-shirts, strap on sandals or tennis shoes
for warm weather, or wool synthetic clothes for cool weather (no cotton sweatshirts or jeans).
5. Be ready to have an adventure full of fun and excitement!

DO’S AND DON’TS
1. Do Not Litter
2. Bring All Rubbish Out Of the Raft.
3. Do Not Damage Any Plants Or Trees
4. Do Not Make Excessive Noise
5. Stay Healthy. Do Not Take Unnecessary Risks Like Climbing Up Rocks.
6. Always Listen To Advise Given By Your Guides.
7. Do Not Stay Away From The Group, You Can Easily Get Lost.

Safety Briefing:
A detailed safety briefing will be conducted before each trip. The rafting team for the trip explains what to do if the raft flips, how to help each other out of the water and what conditions to expect. We always gives the worstcase scenario so that people know what to expect from the trip and, therefore, have the choice to forego their trip after the safety talk. Once in the raft, you are instructed by your rafting guide as to how to negotiate the rapids and some practice is done before you set off. You are also briefed before each rapid on how the raft is expected to react.

Emergency
Hospital is just about 7km away from the rafting site, in case of emergency the following hospital will be the first entry of treatment.

Safety and precaution
•We always ensure all the participants wear a life jacket.
•We do not overload the raft.
•We do not go rafting after/during a heavy rain.
•The guides are qualified and well train.
•We are well know local weather conditions. We make sure the water and weather conditions are safe. Because water conducts electricity, it is wise to stop swimming, boating, or any activities on the water as soon as you see or hear a lightning.

Direction to KKB
1)PLUS highway, Heading NORTH
2)Exit at RAWANG
3)Heading NORTH follow IPOH sigh
4)Pass Rawang town/Serendah/Ulu Yam/RASA/Kampung melayu Rasa
5)Follow the turn off of BUKIT FRASER, RIGHT Turning at the Main road just after the Kampung Melayu Rasa Signboard
6)Pass some pond/lake, pass driving school right.
7)Traffic Light, take RIGHT turning.
8)You can wait at the Indian Temple. Just after the RIGHT turn at the traffic light.
9)Or else, you can take LEFT turn after traffic light to the PUSAT BANDAR, and meet at the 7-11/post office.

* You will take approximately about 1.5-2 hrs drive from Kuala Lumpur.