My Perak Vacation 2019

Eiyo friends,

I just got back from my Perak vacation last week. That's why I haven't been blogging for almost 2 weeks. Today, I am back to share with you my Perak vacation, in a short and simple account.

To foreigners who haven't heard of or been to Perak, let me share with you a little summary about Perak. Perak is the fourth largest state in Malaysia. The state is situated on the northwest side of Peninsular Malaysia. Perak was, once upon a time, famous for tin mining. Perak's administrative capital is Ipoh, while Kuala Kangsar is the royal town, i.e. where the Sultan of Perak's palace is located.

During my Perak vacation, I visited Lumut, Batu Gajah, Pangkor Island, Taiping, and Pasir Salak. In this post, I'm gonna share with you some information on these five places. Now let's get started...

1) Lumut

Lumut is a coastal town in the Manjung District. Lumut is 84km away from Ipoh, and 12km away from the town of Sitiawan. Lumut is the main gateway to Pangkor Island. Travelers can take a ferry ride from Lumut Waterfront to Pangkor Island. Lumut is famous for seashells and coral handicrafts. Lumut was once a small fishing town, but now the government of Perak has developed the coastal town into a tourism spot and a home base of the Royal Malaysian Navy.  I stayed at the Swiss Villa in the Swiss-Garden Beach Resort, Damai Laut which has a beautiful beach to watch the sunset. I also Around the vicinity is another lovely beach, Teluk Senangin, where backpackers can set up camp easily.  For those who enjoy shopping, the Aeon Mall Sri Manjung is quite well furnished with familiar shops and eateries.

Swiss-Garden Beach Resort. This is where we stayed in Lumut.

With my Mom and Dad at Damai Laut

We spotted a jellyfish on the beach

Beautiful sunset at Damai Laut

I love this picture a lot! The tree really glows!

The Halloween decor at Aeon Mall Sri Manjung

At Teluk Senangin

2) Batu Gajah

Batu Gajah is the capital of the Kinta District. Batu Gajah was also famous for tin mining during the British colonial days. The small town has many British colonial buildings that are lovely to look at, such as the old courthouse which is now part of the District Office, and some portions of the Batu Gajah Hospital. My visit to Batu Gajah is like going down memory lane with my dad who resided there as an impressionable young boy. In fact, he began his primary school in the English School, Pusing, which is currently Sekolah Kebangsaan Pusing.  The old house in the police housing complex in front of the renown Sultan Yusof School is now gone, but the Hindu temple in front of which he used to wait for the bus to go to school in Pusing, is still standing.  My aunties used to go to St Bernadette Convent, and now it is Sekolah Kebangsaan St Bernadette. The old railway station now functions as shophouses, since the station has been moved to Kampong Pisang.

One of the main attractions in Batu Gajah is Kellie's Castle. The castle is actually an unfinished mansion. It was built by a Scottish rubber plantation owner named Sir William Kellie Smith during the British colonial times in Malaysia. Sir William Kellie Smith built the castle for his beloved wife, Agnes, but he died of illness before the mansion was completed. Upon his death, his wife moved back to Scotland and so the mansion project was abandoned and mysteriously remained like a "broken dream." And as with most uncompleted old buildings,  the castle is said to be haunted.

At Kellie's Castle

At Kellie's Castle

With Sir William Kellie Smith's poster (he is the man who built Kellie's Castle)

In front of the old courthouse. Now it's part of the district office.

This place was once the Batu Gajah train station

Laksa Sarang- one of the most famous dishes in Perak

3) Pangkor Island

Pangkor Island is one of the most beautiful islands in Malaysia. It is also a resort island located in Manjong District.  Pangkor Island is known for its beautiful beaches like Pasir Bogak, Teluk Nipah, Coral Bay, and Pasir Giam. From the jetty at the Lumut Waterfront, we took a half an hour ferry ride to Pangkor Island. With a rented car we drove up to the beautiful floating mosque, the Masjid Al- Badr Seribu Selawat in Kampung Teluk Gedong, as well as the nearby Dutch Fort. The Dutch Fort is a historical landmark in Pangkor Island and was built in 1670 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) during their occupation of the Malay States. The fort was built as a storage and protection for tin supplies. Overall, Pangkor Island is a beautiful island to visit especially for those who love nature and water sports. Pangkor Island is a good place for snorkeling, kayaking and island hopping, and famous for the gorgeous ikan bilis mata biru (blue-eyed dried anchovies).

Beautiful Pangkor Island

The Masjid Al- Badr Seribu Selawat in Kampung Teluk Gedong

This mosque is so spectacular!

At The Dutch Fort

4) Taiping

Taiping is an urban town in Perak. It is also Perak's second largest town after Ipoh. Taiping is known for its well preserved colonial architecture. We visited the beautiful Taman Tasik Taiping (Taiping Lake Gardens) which is the first public garden established during British rule.  It was raining heavily when we visited, and of course,  Taiping isn't Taiping without a downpour. That made us scrambled to the nearby Taiping Mall and the Novotel for a delicious Malaysian hi-tea with roti jala and chicken curry, samosa, cakoi, curry puffs and sago gula Melaka.

At Taman Tasik Taiping

At Taiping Mall. Gosh!!!!! I love this ferries wheel.

Malaysian Hi-Tea at Novotel Taiping.

5) Pasir Salak

Pasir Salak is a historical riverside town in the Perak Tengah District. Pasir Salak is the place where British colonial official J.W.W Birch was killed. Birch was the first British Resident in Perak. He was assassinated on 2 November 1875 by Dato Maharaja Lela (a Malay nationalist in Perak) and Sepuntum (Dato Maharaja Lela's assistant) for disrespecting the local customs and traditions, which raised tensions with local Malay chiefs. Dato Maharaja Lela and Sepuntum speared Birch to death when he was taking a bath at a river near Pasir Salak.

In Pasir Salak, we visited Kompleks Sejarah Pasir Salak (Pasir Salak Historical Complex/ KSPS). KSPS is a historical folk museum that pays tribute to Malaysian warriors such as Dato Sagor and Dato Maharaja Lela, who led the local people against the forces of the British colonial administration. KSPS was officially opened in 2004. The complex is a pleasant compound of traditional Malay architecture buildings and it is built alongside Sungai Perak (Perak River). The main attraction at KSPS in the Terowong Sejarah Pasir Salak (Pasir Salak Historical Time Tunnel/ TSPS). TSPS is a museum with a series of dioramas inside arranged in chronological order. The dioramas are interesting and tell us the history of the Malay nationalism in Perak as well as some nationalistic incidents in other parts of Malaysia.

Other attractions at the complex include a watchtower, Belotah stage (harvest dance), the Lela Rentaka (an antique cannon used by Malay people), the Rumah Kutai (a traditional Perak house), and a wooden mosque. This complex is an interesting spot to visit; in fact, it is a must-visit in terms of its historical significance. The only snag is it needs a facelift and a proper marketing and promotion strategy.

At Kompleks Sejarah Pasir Salak

Terowong Sejarah Pasir Salak

Sungai Perak

Puteri Perak Costume

The road to Pasir Salak is so green and serene with padi fields.

These are the five places I visited in Perak.  During my road journey, I also noted many vacant shop lots and tourist spots that are in dire need of improvement and maintenance in this state. I think the concerned authorities, such as the state government and local councils, need to work harder to spruce up the state and market Perak further to attract visitors. Overall, Perak is a beautiful and interesting state that has the potential to be developed for historical and cultural tourism, as well as a foodie paradise. With good vision, proper planning, and strategic management,  Insya'Allah, one day Perak will be a famous tourist hub with loads of local and international tourists.

That's all for now. Thank you for reading.

XoXo,

Fadima Mooneira

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