What Brought Us to Pontian?

PONTIAN, AGRO-TOURISM HAVEN

As Malaysia’s top pineapple producer, the state of Johor exported pineapples worth MYR1 billion in the year 2022. We find agrotourism interesting and wish that there are more agriculturalbased tourism destinations available locally. To our delight, we discovered that there are plenty of farms offering visitations in Pontian.

Here are five that we found suitable:

» Nictar Pineapple Park

FB: Nictarpineapplepark

Pineapple lovers get the chance to see 12 different species of pineapples at the park, be in the midst of thousands of pineapple shrubs, and some vegetable plots. Simply pay MYR8 entrance fee and you will get a bottle of natural pineapple juice.

Address: PTD 10822, Batu 24, 81500 Pekan Nenas, Johor Opens daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

» Pena Agro Farm

FB: penaagrofarm

If you were interested in mixed farming where crops are planted and livestocks are raised, come and visit Pena Agro Farm, which uses the least commercial manure and weed control.

Address: Lot 48, Kampung Jeram Batu, 81500 Pekan Nenas, Johor

Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m;

Wednesdays: 2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Fridays: 8:00 a.m. until 12pm, then 2:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

» Uncle Tan Orchard Stingless Bee Farm

FB: uncletanorchardstinglessbeefarm

Learn about the six types of stingless bees (Kelulut) at this organic orchard. Take a guided tour of the bee farm, fruit orchard and learn more about the eco farming system.

Address: Lot 569, Lorong Parit Bilal Laut, Jalan Kukup, 82000 Rambah, Johor Opens daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

» MyKerang River Cruise by Komuniti Perikanan Pulai Sebatang (MyKP)

Cruise along Sungai Pulai Sebatang, a river that is lined with mangrove trees. Witness and experience its ecological biodiversity – keep your eyes open and watch out for monkeys, birds, and various shellfish. Witness and learn cockle harvesting, processing, and grading. This cruise is currently conducted only on weekends.

Contact via WhatsApp +6 011 2641 6345

» Pineapple Agrotechnology Park

Alor Bukit

This park is run by Lembaga Nanas Malaysia (LPNM) focussing on pineapple planting and product development activities. Visitors get the chance to learn about pineapple planting and cultivation, making paper and threads using pineapple fibres, including visiting the gallery and kiosk selling pineapple-based products.

Address: Bahagian Pembangunan

Teknologi Nanas, Alor Bukit, 81500 Pekan Nenas, Johor Tel: +6 07 687 1688

Opening Hours: Sunday to Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Other Attractions

Nature lovers may know Pontian is home to two national parks: Tanjung Piai National Park and Pulau Kukup National Park. Did you know Pulau Kukup is the second largest mangrove island in the world? Mangroves have a critical role in mitigating climate change and reduce the impacts of storms and sea-level rise. Mangroves are also home for many species of fish, birds, insects, and reptiles.

» Tanjung Piai National Park https://johornationalparks.gov.my/ tanjung-piai

Even though it is the smallest of the five national parks in Johor, it is the most visited one. You can take a walk along the 1.2-kilometre boardwalk, visit the gallery and even camp here.

Address: Taman Negara Johor Tanjung Piai, 82030 Mukim Serkat, Pontian, Johor Opens daily from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

» Pulau Kukup National Park https://johornationalparks.gov.my/ms/ pulau-kukup

This uninhabited mangrove island is a sanctuary for rare and threatened species of animals and plants. You can take a boat tour around the island or tread along the five-storey high suspension bridge to enjoy the panoramic view of the area. To get here, you need to board a boat at the Kukup Jetty.

Address: Taman Negara Johor Pulau Kukup, 82030 Mukim Serkat, Pontian, Johor Opens daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

» Bugis Museum https://tourismjohor.my/muziumbugis

This museum showcases the heritage of the Bugis community who originated from Sulawesi and have migrated to other areas throughout the Malay Archipelago, particularly Johor. There are more than 2,000 artefacts displayed at the museum, ranging from weapons, clothes, coins, and others.

Address: Taman Rekreasi Sungai Rambah, 82000 Rambah, Johor Opens daily from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

» Laman diRaja (Royal Site), Tambak Pontian (Pontian Weir) and Taman Tepi Laut (Seaside Park)

We group these attractions together as they are almost connected to each other. While there are interesting monuments within these sites for you to visit during the day, nothing beats visiting these sites at night. You can rent a bicycle, scooter or mini car to cruise the sites while taking in the night breeze and the view of the Straits of Malacca.

There are also many food outlets on Tambak Pontian in the evenings and it is a popular spot for fishing too.

WHAT TO EAT – THE PONTIAN FOOD DIRECTORY

ASAM PEDAS

We came across many shops selling asam pedas during this road trip. It must be a local staple. Since Pontian has access to fresh seafood, do not miss the chance to savour this traditional Malay dish.

Asam Pedas literally means sour and spicy. It is usually fish cooked in chillibased thin gravy, with added aromatics like daun kesum (Vietnamese coriander), lemongrass and bunga kantan (red torch ginger flower). Tamarind is added to further enhance the taste of this mouth-watering dish. In Johor, the Asam Pedas dish also comes in other versions like chicken, beef trimmings and oxtail. We love to eat asam pedas with plain rice and a dash of sweet soy sauce.

» Asam Pedas Belanga Restaurant

This restaurant has a good selection of kampung-inspired dishes, and we decided to pack some to bring back. They thoughtfully pack the dishes in disposable plastic containers to survive the journey.

Address: Kampung Rimba Terjun, 82000 Pontian, Johor

Contact: +6 014 270 3240

Opens daily from 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., except Fridays.

Traditionally, Asam Pedas can also be eaten with Burasak, a compressed rice parcel wrapped using young banana leaves and cooked in coconut milk. Burasak is a Bugis dish that is usually served during Muslim festivities like Eid ul Fitr (the day of celebrating after fasting month) or Eid ul Adha (the celebration commemorating the Muslim pilgrimage called Hajj). Another popular dish to be eaten with Asam Pedas is Lepat Lui, a glutinous rice parcel mixed with coconut milk and steamed.

If you are curious about Burasak and Lepat Lui, do head to these shops:

» Selera Tradisi Catering

IG: seleratradisicatering

Address: 290-A Jalan Alsagoff, 82000 Pontian, Johor

Opens daily from 12:00 noon until 11:00 p.m., closed on Wednesdays.

» Burasak Abah

FB: burasakabahjohor

Address: 14, Jalan Utama 2, Taman

Utama, 81500 Pekan Nanas, Johor

Opens daily from 7:00 a.m. until 2:30pm, except Fridays.

» Burasak Induk

FB: BurasakINDUK

Address: DH153-A Lorong B-4, Pekan Nanas, 81500 Johor Bahru

Opens daily from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Coffee

For coffee lovers, don’t miss the chance to sample local coffee. Pontian is the state’s second biggest coffee producer, after Batu Pahat. Almost 90% of the coffee grown in Johor is of Liberica variety, which is the least cultivated and only accounted for only 2% of worldwide coffee production. The café culture has hit Pontian too; we noticed that there are plenty of coffee places in the district. According to our local friends, most of these places only open in the evenings until late. There were too many cafés to list, so we suggest that you take a slow drive along the Jalan Kukup trunk road where you can spot interesting cafes.

Our friends have also recommended some of their favourite Pontian food haunts:

» Murtabak Hamid

FB: murtabakhamid

This stall has been in business since 1971. Uniquely, this stall starts its business early in the morning, and it is uncommon to eat Murtabak (spiced minced meat wrapped in thin dough) for breakfast! We were lucky to buy some as they were closing shop for the morning session.

Address: Pasar Peladang Pontian

Opens daily from 7:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. (except Saturdays), then 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. (except Fridays).

» Gerai Manja Corner

Prawn lovers do not miss this! This stall’s specialty is Prawn Noodle, but there are plenty other prawnbased dishes on the menu. It is located not too far from the Bugis

Museum.

Address: Kampung Rambah, Kampung Parit Bilal, 82000 Johor

Contact: +6 019 799 1733

Opens daily from 3:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m., except Fridays.

» Legasi Engkong Johor

FB: LegasiEngkongJohor

If you are familiar with Nasi Ambeng, a traditional Malay rice dish of Javanese influence usually served during gatherings. It is a big platter of rice and side dishes that often consists of soy chicken, serunding (savoury coconut floss), fried yellow noodles, and fried long beans. This big platter is meant to be shared among three to four people. Ayam Engkong is what makes this Nasi Ambeng different from what we had in other places. The chicken is served whole, and it is not cooked with soy sauce. Instead, the chicken is cooked using spices for long hours.

Address: 136 Kampung Parit Panjang, 80200 Ayer Baloi, Johor Opens daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., except Mondays.

» Riang Ria Corner Tepian Sungai

Nasi Goreng Gearbox and Mee Bandung Gearbox came highly recommended by many. “Gearbox” is the local slang for mutton marrowbone. In Malaysia, it is common to see this dish served together with a drinking straw to extract the bone marrow from the nook and cranny of the bone.

Address: Jalan Jelutong 6, 81550 Gelang Patah, Johor

Contact: +6 014 932 5794

Opens daily from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., except Tuesdays and Fridays.

» New Kukup Seafood Restaurant

FB: New Kukup Seafood Restaurant SINCE1965

There are a few seafood restaurants lining the road leading to the Kukup International Ferry Terminal, the most popular one is the one closest to the terminal, New Kukup Seafood Resturnt. We had chilli crabs with fried buns, oyster omelette, cereal prawns, deep froed baby squids and vegetables.

Address: No. 1 Kukup Laut, 82300 Pontian Johor Opens daily from 10.30am until 8.30pm.

For more information about Johor and Pontian, Visit Tourism Visitor Center or browse: https://tourismjohor.my/

What To Buy

Since Pontian is an agro-centric district, you should not miss the chance to buy fresh local produce. We brought along a cooler box, knowing very well how the day is going to end! While driving, keep your eyes open for stalls selling fresh produce. We feel this is the best part of any road trip: stopping by at unplanned places during the journey!

Here are some markets you can explore in Pontian:

» Pontian Kechil Riverside Fresh Fish Market

This is a convenient market to visit. It is just a stretch of stalls selling fresh seafood by the roadside. Though we think the price is similar to what we are used to in the city, the seafood sold is surely fresh!

Address:1120 Jalan Bakek Jaya Utama, Kampung Atap, 82000 Pontian, Johor Opens daily from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., except Mondays.

» Pasar Tani (Farmers’ Market)

We love Pasar Tani as it has various selections of raw ingredients and cooked food. The market is held from Thursdays to Sundays from 7:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at the grounds of Pontian Mini Stadium.

A BIG THANK YOU!

We would like to express our gratitude to our friends for their suggestions of places to eat in Pontian. The list was so long we think it is enough to keep us going back to Pontian every other week!

See you again, Pontian!

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