Kuala Sepetang

Today is not a Sunday,but the first day of the Muslim's New Year, a public holiday.

Kuala Sepetang is a fishing village some 16 km from Taiping. The town was formerly known as the Port Weld. The now abandoned Port Weld railway station was located at the centre of the town. The ticketing booth is now a Chinese coffee shop, and the railway signboard is thankfully retained to remind visitors of its past glory as part of the Taiping railway line which was the first railway line in Malaya.

The town itself is small, with a few seafood restaurants. There are cruises and fireflies tour available at the jetty. According to the operator, white dolphines can often be spotted in the river. 

http://www.kualasepetang.com/

The only souvenirs we can get are dried prawns, salted fish, etc.
 



Nearby are charcoal factories which produce high-quality charcoal for export. The wood comes from the nearby mangrove.

 
 

Unfortunately, we didn't visit the mangrove swamp reserved park. Kuala Sepetang deserves a second visit.

Ipoh Street Murals

The painting of mural at the back lanes of Jalan Sultan Iskandar was started early this year and the artists painted only on old walls, some with the top layer of cement came off after years of neglect, exposing bricks beneath. Some walls have plants growing out of them. Moss can be found at the bottom of the walls.

Around the world, people take pride in old buildings as they are part of their heritage. Very often, these buildings are well-maintained with fresh paint applied regularly to display the glory of decades or hundreds of years ago. These buildings were like old ladies, who used make-up to capture the beauty of their youth.

In Ipoh, as in many parts of Malaysia, there is no assistance from the state government or initiative from  their owners to maintain old buildings.

This is the first time I found that old buildings are treasured at it is in its current state. No repair and no repainting. Such 'dilapidated' state tells us so much about the passing of time, with artists painting pictures of bygone years to match. And this is pretty amazing.

These old buildings are like men in their twilight years. Their past grandeur is gone, but their wisdom accumulated over the years is written all over their faces.

 

Did we all play this when we were young?

We don't see children playing in these alleys anymore. In fact, not many people live in these shop houses. These shops are only for business.

Hide and Seek

An Art Exhibition

Children's Drawing Competition

Old Town Gallery

 

 

Perma Culture Farm, Lenggong

We stayed at the farm for one night. Everything is basic. No hot water shower. No air-con. No TV. No WiFi. And light only came on when it was dark. And we LOVED it.

There was no boring moment in the house. We played scrabbles, chit-chatted, and of course, ate.

The first thing that caught my attention when we arrived was a water-melon hanging from a metal frame. And they were in abundance in this farm.

The afternoon was hot, so we took a dip at a nearby river. Large leaf turned into a hat.

The evening was cool. There were no street lamps. The moon seemed brighter here. The place was in complete silence, except the sound from insects and animals.

Lots of poultries and animals here. We helped feed the rabbits and chickens.

The kitchen was the soul of this place. Food was served here. We chatted with the volunteers from England and the lucky owners who own this piece of heaven on earth.




Cow dung was used as fertilizer. We accompanied the owners to pick vegetables for dinner, and freshly laid eggs for breakfast.

A sumptuous, nutritious meal, without chemicals.

 Lots of screams and laughter riding in this rickety old car up a narrow, uneven country road leading to the farm. I would not trade this experience, not for the world.

Peeping Moo Moo

We waited until the cow came home in the evening to take this picture.

Dogs and cats quickly became our friends. And the dog became our bodyguard when we hiked up the hill.

And if you forget to close the door of the house before you sleep, you will find the cats sleeping outside your bedroom the next morning.

Sunrise

  A morning walk to a waterfall. So refreshing.

Tibetan Temple, Tambun.

Tibetan Buddhist sutra bells.

The temple is 13-storey high. We climbed up a spiral staircase to reach the top,where we enjoyed a panoramic view of Tambun with its limestone hills and pomelo farms.

The temple houses an 11.5m-tall statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, which is placed on the ninth floor

 

Perak’s tallest Amithaba Buddha statue. The impressive Buddha stands 24 meters tall, at the top of the temple.