Things to do in Pangkor

the beach at Teluk Nipah

 

1. At Teluk Nipah (where I stayed), you gotta try the banana pancake (lempeng pisang ye kawan2). Well, may not be as grand as Krabi Pancake, but at least we've got one also. And the taste is not bad. Eat it while it hot . It'll cost you RM1.50 per piece and open daily around 4 pm onwards. During weekend, you'll see a long queue and that's when you know you are at the right stall. 

Travel essentials

 

2. Compared to 5-10 years ago, night life in Pangkor and Teluk Nipah in particular could be dead boring. But all is not lost. Albeit the lines of street vendors and dim light, there is this Raggae Bar for shisha and coffee enthusiast (no liquor though). You will not miss it cos it's just by the road side facing the beach, right in front fo Lorong 2. Open daily until wee hours.... So, burung2 pungguk sekalian, korang boleh la lepak situ. Brader yang meniaga pun very friendly and quite a chatter box.  And, there's music too. If you are lucky, buskers will play there. Otherwise, layan je lagu from its jukebox.
3. HORNBILLS SPOTTING. Yup. Don't forget to look up when in Pangkor. You could spot hornbills flying and lepaking around almost an instant. In fact, there's this one chalet famous for its activities of feeding these wild Hornbills. If you wanna catch it, be sure to be in front of that chalet about 4-5 pm daily. Oh yeah, I forgot the name of that chalet. But it's located at Teluk Nipah. Be friendly and ask around. The people there knows. :) 

4. Pangkor also famous for its seafood by-product. Err... that's processed food, yes? I visited and shopped handsomely at Chop Ha LI at Pangkor town. It's located slightly inward from the jetty. Cheap and you can bargain if you buy more. Well, most shops sell at affordable price.  

the road to Chop Ha Li

The variance is around 10-50 cents I think. But it makes all the differences if you buy a lot kan. 5 posen diskaun boleh jadik 10 inggit kalo beli banyak... Well, not that I'm a cheapskate. You do the maths hehehe.

5. ACCOMMODATION. There are plenty of budget chalet hostel around. Pangkor is a good destination for backpacker, students or those who travel on a budget. Teluk Nipah have a number of alleys (lorong) that offer chalet and hostel at affordable rate. The rate starts at RM20 per nite. Most accommodation that I've seen are cosy and comfortable enough for your stay. After all, when you are on vaccay, you will not or should not stay in your room. Go explore. The room is for your good nite sleep only. Kan? Or am I wrong? Heh.

6. RENT A BIKE - MOTORCYCLE OR BICYCLE. Mark my word. Do not rent a car. It's a waste and Pangkor is not huge to begin with. It's merely half of Langkawi and its accessibility would only require two-wheelers. It is in fact, the best way to explore the island because again, Pangkor is relatively small. The good thing is, most resort / chalet / hostel offer bike rental. And yes, you gotta go and scout first. Boleh dapat harga murah. Normally, the rental cost is RM30 per day for motorcycle. 

7.INSIDER'S SECRET: At beach, apart from water sports (canoe, banana boat ride, speed boat, island hoppings, etc.) and swimming, you should have a stroll along the beach line. There, if you are lucky, you will spot local villagers donning an activity called "yatyat harvesting". Yatyat is a snail-like creatures and there are abundant of 'em hiding in between the wet sands. The locals like to deep fried the yatyat and serve with rice. Below are the yatyat:

8. GOOD FOR MONEY: Be on the ook out for budget beach resort because the motorcycle rent there gonna cos you RM30 per day. Others, between RM40 and RM50. Oh yea, this is the rate during peak seasons, weekends and holidays. 

9. When you have a bike, go to the Dutch Fort located about 1.5km from the jetty. Not many tourists know or even bother about this historical site especially backpackers. Well, not to blame them, the promotional part of it also lukewarm and it is not even highlighted anywhere. People will know bout it when you go on a guided tour.

  10. Wait, the excitement doesn't stop there. About 50m or so from the Dutch Fort, there's this Batu Bersurat (inscription on the stone). The Batu Bersurat marked the presence of Dutch merchants in Tanah Melayu back in the Kesultanan Melayu Melaka heydays. These inscriptions dated as early as 1743.

11. The inscription depicted:
a. Story of a Dutch baby  snatched by Malayan tiger at nite.
b. Letter VOC - a registered trademark of Dutch ship.

12. The best part is that there was no whatsoever descriptions or story behind these huge Batu Bersurat. The museum authority built a roof to cover it from ruin. That's just about it. 

Indrawati and her husband; an Indonesian. Prolly that's how she's got the name from.

My doodle on Indrawati. heh.

13. I was lucky to have met Indrawati Gunawan, a Dutch traveler who happened to be on the site. She was very friendly and warm and she was the one that shared the story behind this Batu Bersurat and the meanings of the carving on the stone. **a bit embarassed I must admit. Heh. 

14. At nite, Teluk nipah offers an array of seafood. There are plenty of 'em specializing in all-you-can-eat seafood from grill, tomyam, deep fried, tiga rasa and list go on and on. The trick however, is to find the good one and cheap. So far, I've been unlucky. The stalls I went to it's either delicious but expensive, cheap but tasteless or worse, expensive and tak sedap. Puih. Better luck next time!

15. To go from ferry to Teluk Nipah or elsewhere, use the public transport - the PINK VAN. Easily available and they roam all throughout the island. It'll cost you RM15 per trip to Teluk Nipah. That RM15 is per van, not per person. If you are alone or forever alone (haha) try to find someone and tumpang la. The van can accommodate about 6-7 people. 

Resit kena simpan!

16. The ferry ride from mainland to island cost RM10 for return trip. KEEP THE STUB cos you need it on the way back (they check!!)

17. I guess that's just bout it for Pangkor Island. 

Thanks for reading. MMuuahhhh.

apekTRAVELS

Bali Kuno (Viewer's discretion advised)

This is the old video I've gotten from youtube. The documentary about bali long before tourism hits. I must say, it's very rustic, pristine and amazingly beautiful. Bali today is definitely not the same. Luckily the culture still thrive and closely guarded. 

So guys, enjoy! 

I survived!

I dunno whether this is true or not. But poking fun at ourselves is always good. Reality check too!

Ok now. In relations to the previous post, I think it's about right to write a little bit more about travel essentials. This time around, Imma write about:

Gila time nih. Just arrived at Moi International Airport, Mombasa. Masa arrived ni la coincide dengan IAAF Mombasa International Marathon. Waiting time: 3 hours. Pastu naik Kenyan Air yang mana sangat scary cos condition of the seat and lighting yang kelip-kelip. Macam dalam twilight zone.

 SURVIVING LONG HAUL FLIGHTS 

[crazy transit, unexpected delay, re-time and everything unimaginable in between]

You gotta remember. Dalam ketawa dan sengih tu kena pahatkan dalam diri yang kita kena berubah. Jangan nak forever last minute packing. Even in previous entry pun I've reminded that last minute packing could cause catastrophe and even more so if you travel in group - your problem would become everyone else problem. Kat airport dah buat hal... that kinda set the benchmark of what to expect for the rest of the trip, provided your group doesn't leave you la kan. hehe. Consider this my other warning. 

happy people, happy time, happening at the Buddha's Bar

Anyway, sharing from my personal experiences, traveling long haul flights are really exhausting. It tire your body and mind and by the time you reach the destination, you'll be half alive or half dead - depending on how you look like upon arrival.  Hiks.

Seriously. I've been to African countries with back to back trip with change of airlines to re-purchasing flight tix on the spot to spending the night at the airport countless times. After a while, you kinda get the hang of it and your body would adjust to the circumstances. 

Muka penat gila sampai kat Jomo Kenyatta Airport, Nairobi. Pastu kena tunggu lagi 45 minutes or so for the bus to the city. Bayangkan lah!

For instance, one of my trips to Kenya with 8 hours transit at Dubai and arriving at Nairobi very late in the evening. Spent 2 days in Nairobi then off to Mombassa with another flight before heading to Oman. We did it all in a course of 7 days. 

Well, although it's not a 24 hours long haul flight, the rush and the dash and the run from one airport to another was just insane. All that because of improper planning - this is another story to tell. Nanti-nanti la. You see, I am digressing, AGAIN.

Ni masa flight delay kat Dubai. Stranded kat airport for more than 7 hours. Gila! Dah mcm pelarian.

My point here, with you do not take care and prepare the body and mind properly before arriving, it may screw your travel plan. Pegi jauh-jauh.... in the end lepak kt bilik hotel. Baik tayah gi memana, dok KL je lah. 

Now, rules of thumb when travel. I am sure you've heard of this plenty of times:

1. DRINK LOTSA WATER

Advisable a glass for every one hour in flight to stay hydrated and active. Dah kenapa aku salin ayat atas? Demmit! hahah. Anyway, apart from allowing you to stay active and alert, it'll also prevent your skin from drying out. Dalam flight to air-cond and god knows what else in the confined cabin. Water reduces, if not eliminate any unwanted skin irritation and keep your skin moist. 

Korang mesti nak keluar dari flight looking FLAWLESS and RADIANT and GLOWING and FRESH and what not kan. Barulah cantek and macho. So, MINOM AIR! Tayah fancy drinks. Plain water is enough. Now, go and bother the flight attendant tu.

2. CARRY ON

So, what's a carry on? Well, basically it's the important stuffs you carry onto the flight. This is quite tricky in the sense that I could not tell what you should bring. Well, we are all different and have our preferences. But this,  I just have to shove it to your face. It is that important: BRING CHANGE OF CLOTHES ON YOUR CARRY ON for journey of more than 8 hours (include transit, change flight, etc.). 

To me, headphone or walkman is the utmost important item!!!

We often like to pack all of our clothes in the luggage and have it checked-in. There has been far too many cases nowadays that the airlines mysteriously lost your luggage or it reach to different location and this is a nightmare at its best. 

I've always packed additional clothing in my backpack to carry on flight. This is especially important during long flight and when you encounter delay. Urghh. I know. Annoying.  

Been there. Done that. Once bitten twice shy kaedahnya. Never again. Some individuals even change their attire once the seat belt sign is off. They dash to the washroom and change to pyjamas or track bottom or anything that allows your body to flex its muscle and relax. 

Tapi, jangan la buat camni, huduh sangat!

You want to relax, not to scare the bejezuz out of everyone else! Kang ada yang kena tangkap dengan air marshall pulak. 

Anyway, as long as you are comfortable, to hell with everyone else. I've seen many mat and minah salleh did this. Maybe we ought to give it a try too. Change back to your normal attire before the flight land and you'll be looking all fabulous again.

Your typical day at any international airport. I've been to many airports with many circircumstances and plenty of stories to tell. But, let it be another entry post.

 

3. FOOTWEAR

This may sound cheesy or unimportant but if you observe well, your footwear helps a lot in your travek. In fact, they are the unsung heroes during many of my travels. You gotta choose appropriate shoes for the kind of travel you are embarking in. Pakai Converse to snowy place is a no-no even though you are peminat susah mati. Kang ada yang kene gangren. 

It's cold in Edinburgh. Demi Converse and making mark punya pasal, I braved the cold weather pakai Converse. Pakai two layers of stockings ye FYI. Hehek. Crazy things people do kan!

Same goes wearing heels when you know that you are climbing the Great Wall of China. Walaupun ada boipren sado, agak-agak la nak menyusahkan orang pun. That is not the acid test of your relationship whether he is willing to carry you all the way or not. It's just a plain stupidity and the dumba** is you. Jangan sentap la kalo kena tinggal or worse kene humban pulak nanti. hahaha. You've been warned.

Hi-Tec Sierra. Bought in the UK with the assistance from Julie; friend studying there. Simply because Malaysia does not have this model. It comes with Vibram Technology - reduce foot fatigue. It works!

Ok2, coming back to footwear. I have few, well few is understatement of the year. haha. I've plenty of shoes to fit in my travel style. Before flying off, buat la research sikit on the type of weather you'll be experiencing upon arrival. 

Yup, Nike sandal pun sedap pakai buat travel

For beaches and islands trip, it's always good to bring sandals or buy one. In flight, sneaker is suffice. 

This! Simple, fast and easy. Converse for life. Eh.

 

If you are going to cold places, then boot would be my weapon of choice. But the ones with heat trap so that you won't get cold feet. Like, literally cold feet. I like Hi-Tec. They have range of footwear for travelers going to different type of weather. Visit their site here for range of products:

http://www.hi-tec.com/

Hi-Tec : My weapon of choice when traveling across Europe in 2013

Ingat: KAKI YANG PENAT, AKAN MENGGANGGU PELAN PERJALANAN ANDA. 

Below, some of the footwear that I have over the years:

Ok, selain kasut, flight socks juga equally important. It helps with your blood and muscle circulation especially when you moves too little in flight. Ye la, sitting in the middle or window aisle susahnya lahai nak bergerak fearing you are disrupting other people. So, the answer is, use flight socks. Readily available in travel shops or even Guardian and other pharmacies. A bit pricey but helps a lot. Ala, spend ribu-ribu on tepon boleh. Yang ni cost less than 100 buck je pun. Tamo berkira pls! 

Hah, read below for thorough explanation:

I hope this snippet shed some light and provide some useful tips to you guys (chewah, macam la ada yang membaca. hahaha). Until next post, tata!

[apekTRAVELS]