Bukit Tambun Street Art Murals

This is the latest attraction in Bukit Tambun during my trip back in June 2015. The idea of a street art mural in this quaint little town in South Seberang Perai, Penang came from the village headman with cooperation with the residents to beautify the village.

Malihom Private Estate

I had a unique experience at Malihom Private Estate last weekend. My parents and I had a opportunity to visit Malihom Private Estate, which is a hilltop retreat in Balik Pulau, Penang Island, Malaysia. A driving expert is needed to reach there as the journey is rather a steep and windy uphill road not for the faint-hearted. On either sides of the road are durian orchards. Malihom means 'the village of fragrant rice' in Thai. 

Once at the hilltop, the estate commands the views of both sides of the island from the comfort of the bedroom suites (styled as barns). The entire atmosphere is picturesque, secluded and private given that this place is relatively unknown even to many local Penangites. The bedroom suites sit among the durian orchard designed in a form of Thai rice barns on stilts, a finest example of tropical architecture in the region. There are a total of 8 named barns: Baanmai, Aloun, Khanun, Dhamma, Sankara, Sripatum, Sanook and Jhana.

Within the estate there is a swimming pool, a koi fish pond, hammock, outdoor bathroom, deck chairs, cafes, common lounge and gazebos equipped for the guests to relax and hang out. The indoor and outdoor spaces are adorned with wood carvings, Buddha statues, earthenware and pottery to reflect the tropical setting of the retreat. There is also a peacock farm greeting visitors at the entrance of the retreat. 

Room rates of the retreat ranges between RM800-RM1,000 per night. The estate can be reached via Balik Pulau hill road from Bayan Lepas right after Bukit Genting Leisure Restaurant. The hill road which leads to the resort is on the right side before reaching the hill road viaduct to Balik Pulau town. 

Bedroom suite at Malihom

Bedroom suite at Malihom

Aerial view of Bukit Genting and Pulau Betong on the west coast of Penang Island. 

Aerial view of Bayan Lepas and Pulau Jerejak on the east coast of Penang Island.

Hammock and seating at the bedroom suite

Bedroom suites at Malihom

Aerial view of Balik Pulau on the west coast of Penang Island.

Bedroom suites at Malihom

Lower deck of the bedroom suites at Malihom

Koi fish pond at Malihom

Swimmming pool and pool deck at Malihom Private Estate. 

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Mossy Forest, Mount Brinchang, Cameron Highlands.

Mossy Forest is a forest reserve in Mount Brinchang (Gunung Brinchang), the highest peak in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia at 2,000m above sea level. The forest is unique to Malaysia because you will find various trees and plants that are only grown naturally at a high elevation. Its microclimate of constant mists and high moisture due to low level clouds created an ideal places for the growth of moss, ferns, lichens and orchids. When one scales up the slope of the Mossy Forest by walking along the boardwalk, one may experience a chilly and misty ambiance like the scene from the Misty Mountains in the popular J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Mount Brinchang is also the location of the highest road in West Malaysia and the highest mountain in Malaysia accessible by road. The mountain can be reached from the road in Kea Farm which also leads to the Boh Sungai Palas Tea Estate. 

Moss growing on the tree branches

Signboard indicating the state border of Perak and Pahang along the boardwalk

A signboard indicating the current elevation of Mossy Forest

Timber boardwalk through the Mossy Forest

The Mossy Forest landscape at the end of the boardwalk

The end of the boardwalk which leads to Gunung Irau through the dirt tracks.

Rainforest canopy view from the boardwalk

A gazebo for rest and shelter along the boardwalk which loops back to the main path

The boardwalk with railings leading down the slope 

Panoramic view of Cameron Highlands from Mount Brinchang

Moss and ferns growing on the tree trunks and branches

Peak of Mount Brinchang from the Mossy Forest boardwalk

Hutan Pelajaran Air Hitam Dalam (Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest)

Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest is a fresh water swamp reserve in Sungai Dua, Butterworth, Penang. The park is managed by the Penang State Forestry Department and has an area of about 10 hectares. According to the park ranger, this park has opened to the public about 2-3 years ago. This park has been a centre of attraction for many bird watchers and nature lovers as this place is home to many migratory birds and various faunas.The trip to the park with my parents is one of the many off beaten tracks as this park is still very much unknown to many locals. 

Prior to this trip, my parents and I have never heard of this place until I stumbled upon a website which featured the place on the internet. We decided to go there as we wanted to go for an evening walk. 

Unlike many other popular parks in Malaysia where many of the facilities were damaged, and disused due to neglect and poor maintenance, much to our surprise, many of the facilities there including the concrete-paved boardwalks, suspension bridge, observation tower and the gazebos were in good condition. Besides that, there is also a dyke with a footpath that runs along the Sungai Air Hitam and Sungai Jarak which flows into Prai River. The riverbanks and swamp area are mainly covered with nipa palms. However, there was no caretaker or staff manning the information counter. 

This habitat hosts a myriad of wildlife such as crab-eating macaques, squirrels, monitor lizards, otters and different species of birds. 

Overall, it is a serene and tranquil park worth visiting. 

Information board at the front car park

Gazebo overlooking the swamp area

Barringtonia racemosa fruit (Powder-puff tree or putat in Malay)

Concrete-paved boardwalk leading towards the suspension bridge and observation tower

Squirrels at the park

Monitor lizard swimming in the swamp under the boardwalk 

Suspension bridge 

Boardwalk leading towards the riverbank

Meandering Sungai Air Hitam with nypa fruticans (nipa palms) thriving along the riverbanks

Gazebo along the riverbank

Observation tower

Crab-eating macaque

Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest can be accessible easily by the North-South Expressway (E1) via the Sungai Dua interchange. If you were coming from Penang Island or the south, turn left into Jalan Sungai Dua (P198) at the interchange. After about 1.2km from the interchange, take a left turn into a road (P205) towards Kepala Batas and Tasek Gelugor. Upon reaching a junction which after about 3km, turn right into a road (P3) towards Kubang Semang direction. After that, take a right turn into an open car park next to the park before the bridge. 

More information and details about Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest can be accessed through the Penang State Forestry Department website here. 

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Wang Kelian, Gua Kelam and Padang Besar.

My parents and I went for a shopping trip to Wang Kelian, a border town near Thailand in Perlis during the Thaipusam holiday. It is one of the northernmost towns in Malaysia located behind the limestone mountains. This place is well-known for its local weekend market which is located on both sides of the border where traders from Southern Thailand would come to sell their goods to tourists. On the Malaysian side is Wang Kelian, while on the Thai side is Wang Prachan, Satun Province, Thailand. What is unique about Wang Kelian is visitors can cross the border freely without having to show their passports or border pass. Most of the goods sold here, namely clothes, food, snacks, toys, are mainly cater for the lower end market and they are of similar standard as those you would find in any other border towns like Bukit Kayu Hitam and Padang Besar. Below are the photos of the market at the Thai side of Wang Kelian after we passed the border. 

Perlis is the northernmost state, and a mainly a rural state in Malaysia. Although seems to be lagging behind in terms of development due to the fact that the state is rather sparsely populated, Perlis is home to many natural wonders. Limestone mountains straddling the vast paddy fields are unique to the state and it is one of the hidden gems of the state. Among these limestone mountains are caves and Gua Kelam is the most famous one. On the way to Wang Kelian via the Changlun-Kuala Perlis Highway is Chuping, which is home to the largest sugar cane plantations in Malaysia. 

Most of the areas are pretty much 'ulu' (rural) and to our surprise, there were hardly any petrol stations and it was a tough time finding it until we reach Wang Kelian. Even food was a problem as it was a problem for us to find restaurants and food stalls for lunch. Most of the shops in Wang Kelian and Kaki Bukit were closed for business. We managed to find a Chinese coffee shop in Kaki Bukit that serves all kinds of paus which we had for lunch. 

After lunch we proceeded to Gua Kelam, a popular tourist attraction in Perlis which is located in Kaki Bukit, at the foothills of the Nakawan mountain range. This cave is actually a 370m long mining tunnel which is part of the limestone cave system which enabled the British to transport tin ore from the valley. The entrance fee is RM1.00 for adult and RM0.50 for children. The cave has two openings which lead from the main entrance in Kaki Bukit to the secret garden at the valley hidden on the other side of the mountain. There was another cave which is only accessible via a trolley train but unfortunately it was no longer operational. There was a reception area but there were no staff manning the counter. 

Inside the cave was a stream flowing under the timber walkway which was generally well-kept. These were supported by horizontal beams. 

At the secret garden there were lakes, small streams, bridges and gazebos. There was a observation tower that look out to the secret garden. A stone's throw away there was a deer park but unfortunately there weren't any deers around. 

We continued our trip to Padang Besar, another border town in Perlis which leads to Sadao, Songkhla Province, Thailand before we headed home. There was a huge bazaar selling mainly clothing and bite-sized snacks. This is the location of the main road and rail crossing between Malaysia and Thailand besides Bukit Kayu Hitam.