Malaysia (Covid 19 - Transition to Endemic Phase - My 3 Days Cuti Cuti Malaysia & Staycation No 27 to Taiping, Kuala Sepetang, Kuala Kurau, Bagan Serai & Parit Buntar, Perak) Sept 6 2022 Day 1

I Love Taiping !

I Love Kerian !

I Love Tanjung Piandang ! 

" A journey well shared is a journey well enjoyed " 

" My 3 Days (Sept 6 > 8 2022) Cuti Cuti (Vacation) Malaysia & Staycation No 27 (Transition to Endemic Phase) free & easy visit together with my wife, brother Weng & sister Mei, travelling by my brother Weng's vehicle from  Subang Jaya to Perak; my 60th outdoor trip after a National Lockdown (Movement Control Order / Emergency) imposed by the Malaysian Government on May 6 2021 due to a spike in Covid-19 cases; a National Vaccination campaign is currently being implemented by the Malaysian Government (Phase 1 started in Feb 2021), as at Feb 5 2022, a total of 22.9 million individuals or 97.9% of the adult population in Malaysia have completed their Covid-19 vaccinations; Malaysia is now under the Transition to Endemic Phase starting from April 1 2022, an exit strategy that could allow Malaysians to return to near-normal life after nearly 2 over years of battling the pandemic "

My travel buddies: my wife, brother Weng & sister Mei

Travel itinerary: Subang Jaya (Selangor) > Taman Equine > Kuala Sepetang (Perak) > Matang > Taiping > Bagan Serai > Parit Buntar > Tanjung Piandang > Ban Pecah > Kuala Kurau > Taiping > Taman Equine > Subang Jaya (mileage 809km) 

Total cost incurred (3 days 2 nights, a group of 4): Rm202 (US$45) per pax

-Hotel: Rm80 per pax (2 nights, twin sharing)

-Petrol: Rm40 per pax 

-Toll: Rm18 per pax 

-Food: Rm64 per pax 

My last visit to Taiping / Kuala Sepetang was in Aug 2020 during the MCO (Movement Control Order) period imposed by the Malaysian Government. Domestic tourism then was at the lowest ebb hence many of the touristy places I visited were quiet (visitors very much lacking) & most businesses were operating below capacity & closed temporarily ! 

After a lapse of 2 years, things have improved considerably as air & land border crossings were relaxed (including health protocols) & opened giving the tourism industry a new lease of life ! 

For this Cuti Cuti Malaysia trip, my group decided to re-visit Taiping (how not to fall in love with this town called Taiping which in Chinese literally means Great Peace !) & Kuala Sepetang (pronounced in Chinese is 18 Thing !) & also took the opportunity to travel north to country towns & nearby touristy places ie Bagan Serai, Parit Buntar, Pantai Piandang, Ban Pecah, Kuala Kurau & Bagan Seberang, all within the state of Perak. A number of these visits were farm / factory related (highly educational) ie traditional charcoal factory, rice milling, salted egg making, organic mushroom growing, coffee milling etc, others were historic, religious / cultural & nature related ie temples, fishing villages, lake garden & beaches ! 

As you will observe, I had taken a number of I LOVE catchy slogans (at least 8) in various places of interest my group had visited in this trip, hopefully more to come in my forthcoming Cuti Cuti Malaysia or Staycation visits before 2022 fades away !  

In a few weeks time, Christmas is coming ... how nice to listen to jingle bells jingle bells, jingle all the way in my world of travelling thus far ! As for my home country, Malaysia, the wet monsoon season is about to begin (usually November), so I have to plan well in my Cuti Cuti Malaysia in the next few months, otherwise in some places I yearn to visit, I will have rain drops keep falling on my head - wet to the skin ! 

Happy travelling ! Life is uncertain, so eat your dessert first (KM's delight - cendol, iced kacang, tong sui when travelling & my wife's home-made bubur cha cha & my sister Inn's carrot cake when at home !) 

Home Made Carrot Cakes
& Bubur Cha Cha

Travel Highlights: 

1) Kuala Sepetang Fishing Village, Perak

2) My Charcoal Factory (1930), Kuala Sepetang, Perak

3) Wonder Farm Mushroom (1990), Kampung Setia, Matang, Perak

4) Taman Tasik Taiping or Taiping Lake Gardens (1880), Taiping, Perak

5) Raintree Walk, Taman Tasik Taiping (Taiping Lake Gardens), Taiping, Perak  

6) Masjid Warisan Banjar (1897), Bagan Serai, Perak

7) Bagan Serai Town, Perak

8) Parit Buntar, Kerian, Perak

9) Taman Pinggiran Sungei Kerian, Kampung Permatang Tok Mamat, Parit Buntar, Perak 

10) Zhejun Taoist Temple (2015), Jalan Pantai, Tanjung Piandang, Perak 

11) Ban Pecah, Tanjung Piandang, Perak  

12) Kelang Beras Hai Hin (2019), Kuala Kurau, Perak

13) Joo Hong Chan (1950) Salted Egg, Kuala Kurau, Perak  

14) Bagan Seberang Kuala Kurau, Perak

15) Chew Boo Kong (1935), Jalan Gula, Kuala Kurau, Perak

16) Hua Seng Kong, Jalan Gula, Kuala Kurau, Perak

17) Antong Coffee Mill (1933), Taiping, Perak

Day 1 Tuesday Sept 6 2022

Travel itinerary: Subang Jaya > Taman Equine > Subang Jaya (Selangor) > Kuala Sepetang > Matang > Taiping, Perak (approx 340km)

1) The start of my car journey (driven by my brother Weng) from Subang Jaya, Selangor > Kuala Sepetang, Perak (via North South Highway, approx 340km & toll fee Rm27 = US$6) - My 4th Cuti Cuti Malaysia in 2022 ! 

2) Makan Makan (Eating) - 1st stopover for lunch (mainly local small eats ie fried noodles, mi rebus, wan tan mi, apam balik totalled Rm23 = US$5.10) in Jit Jit Seng Kopitiam, Kuala Sepetang, Perak, after approx 4 hours of leisure drive from Kuala Lumpur !  

Mee Rebus Rm4.50 (US$1)

Wan Tan Noodle Rm6,50 (US$1.45)

Fried Kway Teow Rm6 (US$1.30)

Apam Balik @ Rm0.60 (US$0.13)

3) Kuala Sepetang (previously known as Port Weld, named after a former British Governor, Frederick Weld), Perak - a coastal town located in Larut, Matang & Selama district in northwestern Perak, now a popular tourist attraction, visitors may consider taking boat tours to nearby fishing farms, eagle feeding, mangrove swamps etc, my last visit was in Aug 2020. 

4) Port Weld Scenic Bridge, Kuala Sepetang, Perak - as  a tourist or visitor to this place, I could probably called it a "Lover's Bridge" as you could take some nice pictures of this fishing village at any time of the day & make your day a "lovely" one ! I was in "cloud nine" again as this was my 2nd time (last visit was in Aug 2020) setting foot on this pedestrian bridge in this quaint little fishing village in Perak .... approx 340km from my home place in Kuala Lumpur !  

5) Kuala Sepetang Riverside, Perak - nice to have a walk & get a feel of this quiet place far from the hustle & bustle of city life, away from the madding crowd ! 

6) Tourism posters promoting Kuala Spetang boat tours eg eagle feeding, visiting fish farm, Kuala Sangga, firefly viewing in the evening; 3 in 1 tour package costs Rm25 (US$5.90) per pax 

7) Scenery of Kuala Sepetang fishing village as viewed from both sides of the Scenic Bridge, magnificent views, peaceful & tranquil, just imagine if you are an oldie (like me) from Havana, Cuba, standing tall on this bridge holding a cigar in your hand & keep puffing but puffing (mimicking the behaviour of Sir Winston Churchill), training your eagle eyes watching fishing boats passing by or eagles flying high - what a beautiful day ! 

What a beautiful day ! 

A fishing boat passing by !

An eagle flying high ! 

8) My Jalan Jalan (Walkabout) in Sepetang Fishing Village - where are the people ? Taking a power nap at home or busy attending to household chores or indulge in fishing activities ? Perhaps I am one of the few travellers at this time of the day (mid afternoon) wandering around under a scorching sun in this fishing village ! An un-noticeable but warm welcome indeed to three of my travel buddies including KM ! 

My Charcoal Factory, Jalan Taiping, Kampung Menteri, Kuala Sepetang, Perak - owned by Chuah family (now 3rd generation) since 1930's, main export market is Japan & nearby countries, an educational & interesting visit especially for 1st timers.

1) Traditional kilns used for the baking of mangrove woods / logs into charcoal

2) Mangrove logs to be used as raw materials, sawn in standard length stacked neatly in rows in front / inside of a kiln ready for smoking; not much action when I visited this place in Aug 2020 during the MCO (Movement Control Order) period but for my 2nd visit, there was a bus load of local tourists joining a guided tour to this cottage charcoal factory - curiosity was the order of the day as soon as they stepped into the factory especially for 1st timer ! 

3) After the baking process (over 3 weeks) to remove 80% of the moisture, these 100kgs of mangrove logs smoked in kilns were reduced to 26kgs of charcoal favourably known as "black gold" ! Some of the moisture captured in the process are bottled & sold as insect repellent ! 

4) Smoke emitting from a heating kiln 

5) A new kiln being built ! 

6) open drying of mangrove wood logs & a small boat parked nearby to be used in the transportation of logs from river upstream to the charcoal factory site. 

7) Charcoal by products on sale at a retail outlet located off the Matang main road before entering the Charcoal factory ie mangrove charcoal, mangrove wood vinegar & spray, natural handmade soap charcoal & shampoo ...  

Wonder Farm Mushroom, Kampung Setia, Matang, Perak

1) Wonder Farm Mushroom Showroom & Visitor Centre - 1.2 hectare land, established 30 years ago by a Tan family, given a guided tour of the farm & explanation of how mushrooms are grown & harvested, very educational & interesting ! Fresh & dried mushroom on sale at the visitor centre. After the tour, a free cool nutritional drink was served to visiting guests, our group bought home a few packets of home made black fungus flavoured noodles & dried black fungus; very impressed with this visit, now that I have a better understanding of how mushrooms were grown & harvested ! 

2) Making of raw rubber wood sawdust for further processing to cultivate mushrooms in a commercial scale. 

3) Mushroom production area - different varieties of mushrooms are grown & cultivated organically here ie oyster & grey oyster mushroom, Tiger Milk mushroom & Reishi (Ling Zhi)

Taman Tasik Taiping (Taiping Lake Gardens), Taiping, Perak - 64 hectares, 1st public garden in Malaysia developed by British colonists in 1880s, lush greeneries, beautiful landscape, ideal for family outings & leisure walks, an evening walk for our group after our hotel check-in. 

Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill), Perak - a popular hill resort in Perak, the area was developed by British colonists in 1884 !

Hotel Accommodation - my 2 nights stay in Knight Alley Hotel, Jalan Chung Thye Phin, Taiping Town (Room tariff Rm80 = US$17.80 per night, king bed, twin sharing), lift under maintenance, non smoking room, 3 reserved hotel parking lots for early birds ! 

Makan Makan (Eating) - our group's dinner in Kedai Makanan Yew Lee; ordered a plate of fried kway teow (Rm6), fried glass noodle (Rm12), fried Hokkien mee (Rm6.50), stir fried baku vegetable (Rm8), ginger onion fish fillet rice (Rm10), bitter gourd fish fillet rice (Rm10) + a pot of Chinese tea - totalled Rm56 (US$12.50)

Fried Kway Teow Rm6 (US$1.30)

Hokkien Mi Rm6.50 (US$1.45)

Fried Glass Noodle Rm12 (US$2.70)

Stir Fried Baku Vege with Saled Egg
Rm8 (US$1.80)

Ginger Onion Fish Fillet + Rice
Rm10 (US$2.20)

Bitter Gourd Fish Fillet + Rice
Rm10 (US$2.20)

Plaza Perbandaran, Pasar Baru Taiping, Jalan Chun Thye Phin, Taiping, Perak - evening walk to the Plaza & bought 2 red bean moon cakes @Rm4.50 (US$1) to be eaten as snack for our following morning visit to Parit Buntar & Kuala Kurau ! 

Taiping Mall, Jalan Tupai, Taiping, Perak - window shopping after our dinner before retiring to bed !