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.