Malaysia (Covid-19 & Staycation No 37 to Templer Park, Batu Arang & Sungei Buloh New Village, Selangor) Sunday March 11 2021

 

Batu Arang Heritage Town, Gombak District, Selangor 

Templer Park Golf & Country Club, Rawang, Gombak District, Selangor 

Sungei Buloh New Village, Selangor 

" Open your heart & eyes when travelling. LIFE can be different " 

My Staycation & Jalan Jalan (Walkabout) free & easy day trip to Templer Park, Batu Arang & Sungei Buloh New Village on Sunday April 11 2021 (06.30 > 13.00), travelling by my brother's car together with my sister Inn, Peng & Mei; my 37th outdoor trip after the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO 1.0) by the Malaysian Government on March 18 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic; MCO 2.0 ended on March 4 2021 & switched to Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) on March 5 2021 allowing inter-district border travel but not interstate; my first time visit to Batu Arang Heritage Town in Gombak district, Selangor)

Travel Itinerary (by car): Subang Jaya > Taman Equine (Sister Inn's home place) > Subang Jaya > Sungei Buloh New Village > Batu Arang > Templer Park, Rawang District, Selangor (approx 80km one way)

Total costs incurred: Rm20 (petrol +toll) + Rm20 (food) = Rm40 (US$9.50) per pax (group of 5) 

My travel buddies: brother Weng & sisters Inn, Peng & Mei 

Travel Highlights: 

The start of our early morning leisure drive from Subang Jaya towards Sungei Buloh / Rawang direction to pay a visit to Sungei Buloh New Village (eating only), Batu Arang (jalan jalan or walkabout) & Taman Eko Rimba, Templer Park (drive-thru only due to parking issue on Sunday weekend & over crowded in the recreation area)

1) Sungei Buloh New Village, Selangor - Sungei Buloh in English means bamboo river, strong in agricultural farming (many nurseries selling potted plants & fertilisers along the main trunk roads) in the earlier years of 60's but now has an established SME (Small & Medium Enterprise) with 1,500 factories, Sungei Buloh is also a colonial-era leper colony, one of the largest in the country, local eateries & restaurants in the new village are known to offer good food hence our visit to sample their dim sum breakfast here !   

Subang Jaya > Sungei Buloh - 24km (25mins by car)

2) Dim Sum breakfast in Restoran Kong Mah, Jalan Public, Kampung Baru Sungei Buloh, Selangor - ordered 15 assorted dim sum dishes Rm108 (US$25.70) + a pot of Chinese tea (brought a packet of our own tea leaves) for a table of 5 ! 

3) Batu Arang Heritage Town, Gombak District, Selangor - a small country town located approx 50 km from Kuala Lumpur, was once the center of coal mining industry in Malaysia, coal was first discovered in the region in 1908 when British authorities found large deposits of coal reserves that could be commercially viable & fuel a railway system ! The local authorities have identified 11 historical sites to guide visitors so take your time to discover this quaint little town at your own pace ! 

Sungei Buloh > Batu Arang - 22km (33mins by car)

4) Dewa Yoke Wong Chinese Temple, Batu Arang, Gombak Distrcit, Selangor 

5) Chapel of St Michael, Batu Arang, Gombak District, Selangor 

6) Chap Khuan National School, Batu Arang, Gombak District, Selangor 

7) Batu Arang Heritage Town Column, Gombak District, Selangor 

8) Jalan Batu Arang (Old Street), Batu Arang, Gombak District, Selangor 

9) Batu Arang Police Station Site, Batu Arang, Gombak District, Selangor 

10) Batu Arang Fire Brigade Station, Batu Arang, Gombak District, Selangor 

11) Masjid Jamek, Batu Arang, Gombak District, Selangor 

12) Green Avenue, Batu Arang, Gombak District, Selangor 

13) Fishing Pond (Kolam Pancing), Batu Arang, Gombak District, Selangor - if you enjoy lure fishing, comes to this park, your lucky "harvest" may be a big size fresh water exotic fish ie Amazon Redtail Catfish, Asian Redtail Catfish, Pacu, Mekong Catfish, Giant Snakehead (Toman), Patin, Tilapia, Harun, Grass Carp ..... pay Rm100 (US$24) for a 3 hours lure fishing adventure & a good fight for a fish over 7-8 kg from the pond ! 

14) Taman Eko Rimba (Forest Reserve) Kancing Templer Park, Rawang, Gombak District, Selangor - Templer Park is a forest reserve in Rawang, 1214 hectares in size, it was named in honour of Sir Gerald Templer, a British High Commissioner in Malaya, consists of multi-tiered waterfalls, jungle streams & trails, picnic grounds, fishing spots, parking lots, public toilets & stalls etc; as the parking area was full on this Sunday afternoon, it was just a drive-thru for our group & look forward for another visit in the near future, may be during the weekdays with lesser crowds ! 

Batu Arang > Templer Park - 28km (28 mins by car)

15) Templer Park Golf & Country Club & the surrounding, Rawang, Gombak District, Selangor - entries for club members only ! Scenic landscape & lots of greeneries ! 

16) After 6-7 hours of Jalan Jalan (driving & walkabout) in Sungei Buloh New Village, Batu Arang Heritage Town & Taman Eko Rimba (Forest Reserve) Templar Park, our group headed home towards Kuala Lumpur thus ending our Sunday weekend with a joyful mood !