Thursday, March 18, 2010

Desaru Beach, Kota Tinggi


Since we were already on the East side of Johor, we realized that we were only like 40 minutes away from the popular Desaru Beach. So, my chauffeur (a.k.a. my dearest hubby) decided to continue his driving, with me at the co-pilot seat struggling with the map and trying to look for directions. Nevertheless, driving along the roads to Desaru was rather enjoyable.


We came across a stall selling Putu Bamboo (i.e. a traditional Malay delicacy, made from ground rice flour, with generous amount of Gula Melaka (palm sugar) mixed in the middle, steamed in bamboo casings and served with grated fresh coconut) by the roadside. So we made a quick stop and ordered some of this delectable Malay kuih.



It was a beautifully sunny afternoon when we reached Desaru. There were an array of hotels, motels and chalets along the road towards the beach but we went straight to the public beach area, a popular spot for the locals to have their weekend picnics with friends and family. It was our day-trip to Desaru so we wouldn’t need a room anyway. Not on this trip at least. We parked our car at the Desaru Holiday Chalet’s car park, and made our way to the beach.


From afar, we could hear the raging waves. It was in late November so it was still the monsoon season – that explained why the waves were rather strong at the time. But, there were hundreds of people having a great time swimming in the not-so-crystal-clear water despite the strong waves. It was kind of dangerous.



But for us, we brought along our beach mat and 2 small pillows and after settling ourselves at a good spot, we just sat back and enjoyed the scenery while my son had fun playing with the bubbles.





We then had our lunch at a restaurant near the public beach. It was a ‘so-so’ kind of restaurant that serves local food. The food was nothing to shout about but since we had not much of a choice, and since that was perhaps the nearest outlet for us to have our meal without having to drive out of the place, we allowed ourselves to succumb to the notion. I ordered for a plate of Mee Hailam (i.e. yellow noodle cooked in dark soya sauce with lots of vegetables, meat and seafood) while my hubby asked for a Mee Bandung (i.e. yellow noodle cooked in sweet sour sauce, with meat, eggs and seafood but without any veggies for him). Those piping-hot noodles were served to us within minutes. Great! We were already quite hungry at that time.



And what did my son have for his lunch? This picky-eater just enjoyed his 2 scoops of chocolate ice-cream and some french fries.



If there is one thing I must warn you if you intend to visit Desaru just for a day trip (without any room bookings at any hotels), it had to be the public toilet. If you really, really need to ‘do’ it, then you have no choice but to close your eyes and trash into this one pathetic-looking toilet at the public beach area. What is it with Malaysians and their Public Toilets? They just don’t jive together. Is it just me or is it because we, Malaysians often regard Public Toilets as ‘Dirty Areas’ that do not warrant any bit of cleanliness at all? Believe me, you would rather hold your ‘needs’ and go search for the nearest petrol kiosk, or a hotel or any proper restaurant nearby. You wouldn’t mind holding it because the stench from the toilet could put you off even if you are still miles away. Malaysia Boleh? Malaysia Boleh Memalukan Bangsa Asing Kalau Perkara Sebegini Tidak Diambil Perhatian. What a shame!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Kota Johor Lama (Fortress of Johor Lama)


“Often said that if you didn't know history, you didn't know anything. You were a leaf that didn't know it was part of a tree.” (Michael Crichton, Timeline)

Thus, allow me to bring you to one of the most historical places in Johor this time. As we made our way to the East Coast of Johor, we discovered a place that was once the capital city of Johor during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II (1540-1564) up until the glorious era of Sultan Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II (1574-1587). It was, and still is, known as Kota Johor Lama.


Located somewhere 27 km away from the town of Kota Tinggi, it is believed that the fort was built in 1540 and was constructed from rock and soil. It was the actual site of fierce wars and battles amongst the local Malays and outside invading forces. This fort was the best defensive fort among all the defensive forts that were built along the Sungai Johor. After the fall of the Malay Sultanate of Malacca in 1511, Sungai Johor became the reigning centre and the defensive fort to counter attack the Portuguese invasion of Malacca. Its elevated location and its natural setting made it easier to supervise the movement of ships especially in anticipating the threats from the Acehnese and the Portuguese. Sadly, in 1587, the fort was attacked and destroyed by the Portuguese. The whole fort was burnt down and all assets including weapons and armours were taken away.


A bit of history on the great Old Johor Fort courtesy of Tourism Malaysia and Virtual Malaysia website (duly adjusted and summarized accordingly, of course).

The place was very quiet and serene. I bet not many people knew the existence of this historical site, anyway. The day was exceptionally hot and I could feel the warm sea breeze gently touching my face as we walked towards the fort, on a climbable hill overlooking the great South China Sea. The view from the hilltop was magnificent, that made even more exciting for us to walk around the place even though the scorching sun was right on top of our heads.



And if you need to learn more about what had happened during the celebrated period of the Johor Sultanate, and the complexities behind the history of Malaysia’s Monarchy, particularly Johor, there’s a Museum nearby displaying all the remnants of this historical settlement, replete with wonderful stories and pictures of the pasts. The Kota Johor Lama Museum itself was a huge stunning Malay wooden house with lots of elaborate Malay carvings on its doors and windows. For a moment, it brought me back to the golden days of Tanah Melayu, just like the one you would see in some P.Ramlee’s movies :-).






Oh yes, there were also two tombs that can be found near the fort. They were believed to be of Sultan Alauddin’s and one of his warriors. Exciting, right?


After the brief tour, we made our way to Desaru Beach. I'll tell you about it in my next entry. Stay tuned... :-)

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Kampung Nelayan @ Kukup, Pontian


Pekan Kukup is a rather small fishing village located in the district of Pontian. Throughout my life I never got the chance to see how a real Kampung Nelayan (i.e. fishing village) is like. With a bit of online research, my hubby found a place with some interesting things to offer. So, we went off to experience, for the first time ever, the fishing village in Kukup.


After driving for more than 80km from Johor Bahru, we arrived in Kukup just around noon. We parked our car at the parking bay near the Kukup bus station and made our way on foot to the village area. There were houses and shops and restaurants along the small road, all were built on stilts. From far we could smell the unpleasant aroma of fishes and sea during low tide. The smell was quite strong it took us quite a while to get use to.



As we reached the end of that small road, we saw a group of people queuing at the jetty next to a Chinese restaurant. My hubby, being ever so curious, asked one of them and we were quickly told that they were waiting for a boat. So, there is a boat ride for us? Great! After purchasing our tickets at one of the restaurants, we joined in the queue. There were actually many boats and when ours arrived, we got ourselves in it with ease. I put a life jacket on my son and one for myself as we settled in the boat. Personally, the boat was OK but not that clean. It was in fact the actual fishing boat that they used for fishing. Hmmm...




Throughout our first 15-minute ride on the boat, we could see many wooden-stilt kampung houses along the bank. It was actually a very unique sight for us. I have seen many kampung houses before, but the one we saw here were on very high stilts. It was built that way for a reason - to prepare for the high tide, I supposed.



We were then brought to the Floating Fish Farm in the middle of the sea, not so far from the jetty. We had to walk on narrow floating wood planks that were built around the fish farm so we would be able to see the cages in the water where they keep the many types of fishes. Among the fishes we saw were Cod Fish, Garoupa, Star Fish, Baby Shark, Archer Fish and Puffer Fish. My hubby took the opportunity to touch the Puffer Fish. It was really amazing because the fish became bloated once he rubbed its body and I could see its tiny thorns around its body which some said could be poisonous. I wouldn’t want to touch any of them. I was so afraid :-).






The Archer Fish was another amazing fish! It has a remarkable ability to accurately shoot insects down with a squirt of water and eat them. The guide did show us by putting some small dried anchovies on the wood plank and within minutes, the Archer fish will squirt water to it which made the dried anchovies fell into the water and they ate them. It was really entertaining. I realized, that’s why it’s called the ‘Archer’ fish – suited to their natural skills of archery.

We wanted to go to the Kukup National Park, which was not far from the Floating Farm but the guide told us that the place was almost close for that day. He told us that we may need to come earlier if we would like to go to the National Park. Our boat’s Tekong (i.e. Guide) brought us to the front of the National Park jetty and I managed to get a glace at the operating time. Shucks! 4.00 pm. And it was almost 3.30 pm at that point in time. Well, it was not our day, I supposed, although The National Park looks rather interesting and tempting. We will definitely be back for it someday. :-)


Now, if you have the penchant for Seafood, then Kukup is the place! The seafood was really fresh and cheap. But we had to ask around to find out which of the many restaurants could offer Halal food for us. There was one Chinese restaurant (High King Restaurant) that served Halal Chinese-style seafood. We had our late lunch there, relishing their succulent crustacean offerings. Their 3 best offerings were Deep Fried Nestum Prawn, Black Pepper Crab and Fried Chilli Calamari. 3 words for the 3 best offerings - finger licking good! Sorry guys, I didn't get to snap any photos on the food. My camera was out of battery at that point of time... silly uhh?

Before we left Kukup, we bought some seafood snacks such as dried cuttlefish sprinkled with sugar, salted fish, dried prawns, anchovies, fish biscuits and spicy seafood sauces to bring back home. It can be bought at the shops along the village area or on the floating farm itself and the price was relatively cheap and they were all fresh from their harvest.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Trip to the Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia – Tanjung Piai.


At the outset, nobody has ever heard of Tanjung Piai. So, when somebody mentioned to us that it is ‘The Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia’, we were curious to find out more about the place. Hence, Tanjung Piai became our first venture to discover Johor.

To our bewilderment, Tanjung Piai has never been widely promoted and was kept under-wraps for only god knows why. Perhaps the Johor State Government had better plans for it, I’m not too sure. Personally, I felt it was a waste of good resources.

Nevertheless, Tanjung Piai surprised us all. Situated within the district of Pontian, it was an interesting place for those who actually love nature and seek for a quiet breakaway from the hectic city life. Being surrounded by the mangling coastal mangrove it was a haven for a diverse species of flora and fauna. I also learned that is was also a hotspot for birdwatchers to observe the many types of birds during the migration period. It was so serene and almost untouched by modern developments. Why on earth did I not know about this place? Again, it is a puzzle waiting to be solved.




The journey to this beautiful place took us about an hour and half from Johor Bahru town by road. The long journey was never a bore to us because the panoramic countryside views of the many typical kampung houses, the small towns and the oil palm trees along the road were very welcoming. Along the way, we inadvertently came across a road sign showing ‘Muzium Bugis’ (i.e. Bugis Museum). My hubby quickly took a right turn and did an impromptu stop at the museum, wanting to see what the museum was all about.


It was a small kampung house that has been converted into a museum of sort. It has a vast collection of Bugis remnants on display such as old coins and clothing, the many collections of ancient chinaware and brassware, weapons from the past and some great treasures (i.e. necklace, rings, etc) too. Two things that really got me so amazed was a piece of thick wood that was cut and made into a pillow (I wonder, how comfy could that pillow be?) and a teacup that has a portrait of the legendary Puteri Hang Li Poh engraved at its bottom.





The owner of the museum was a Bugis Man himself. He took some time to share with us some stories and a brief history of the Bugis people (including the five famous Daeng brothers i.e. Daeng Perani, Daeng Merewah, Daeng Menambun, Daeng Celak and Daeng Kemasi) and how they initially paved their way to Tanah Melayu once upon a time ago.

After a brief walk down the historical lane, we continued our journey and as we reached Tanjung Piai, we realized that we were there during an “air pasang” (i.e. high tide) season. The water level was so high at the main entrance that we had to brush through the pool of water barefooted in order for us to get across to the main lobby of the jetty. We of course had to carry our son, Adam to ensure that his pants did not get soaked.




The ‘challenges’ we faced at the entrance were soon forgotten once we set foot on the long jetty towards the sea. The view was so breathtakingly beautiful.





But, boys and girls, beware! Monkeys can be found everywhere and anywhere, ever-ready to grab food and anything resembling food from you. One good advice from me, avoid bringing food on the jetty! Or if you have some with you, please ensure that it is hidden safely in your bag. Those monkeys can be quite aggressive when it comes to food.


And another piece of advice, do bring some water bottles because the walk board and the jetty can be quite a journey and tiring to some.

Anyhow, while enjoying the walk in the woods towards the southernmost tip of the mainland Asia, there were many rare trees and insects in sight. There was no one else, apart from us at that point in time, so it was quite a chilling experience to be in the woods with only just us.




As we reached the ‘final point’, there was a big world globe showing where exactly we were and a sign saying “Congratulations, you are now standing at the Southern Most Tip of the Mainland Asia”. And with just the sea as far as your eyes can see, it was a totally terrific feeling, as though we were somewhere else but Malaysia.



We had our certificates with our names on it, as a proof that we had already stepped foot at this significant point. It was like an achievement to me, personally. Yup, I was quite proud of myself because I am pretty sure that most Malaysians had never even heard of this place. And I am going to start telling my friends and other family members, so that they too could experience the same kind of adventure themselves if they have the chance to be in Johor.

Note: You must have been wondering why we were clad in several different clothes in the photos, even though my story sounded like it was just a day trip. The truth is, I have been to Tanjung Piai 3 times throughout my stay in Johor. We loved the place so much, we had to go there again and again and again to discover more things. The photos were selected from these 3 different occasions. How’s that so far? :-)