Destinations: Northern Part of Malaysia

Exploring Northern Part of Malaysia using Public Transport

Text & Images by NADJWA TAJUDIN & FARIDAH DAHALAN

Gaya Travel team recently explored the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia by using only public transport for the ‘24 Hours Challenge’ contest organised by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) Malaysia in collaboration with Malaysia Airlines and Hotel Adya Chenang Langkawi.

By using public transport, “I have no car” is not an excuse anymore because you can now travel by bus, train or flight to anywhere in Malaysia. Follow us through these pages as we first travelled to Ipoh using the Electric Train Service (ETS) and then to Kuala Kedah before finally arriving at Langkawi by ferry. There are many interesting stops that you can do along the way that is bound to your journey memorable!

What to visit in IPOH, PERAK

» Ipoh Railway Station

A visit in Ipoh is not complete without taking a memorable picture of the Ipoh Railway Station. Completed in 1917, it used to be the main gateway to transport tin to far-flung places and now it serves as the state of Perak’s main railway station served by Malayan Railways’ (KTM) ETS service. As you arrive at the station, you will get to see the glimpse of the bygone era by admiring the station’s architecture designed by A.B Hubback, a British architect. You might notice that the station is almost similar to the one in Kuala Lumpur in terms of grandeur, which looks glamorous when you start playing tourist and take aesthetic pictures of it to wow your followers on Instagram!

» Nasi Ganja Yong Suan

Besides limestone hills and cave temples, Ipoh is renowned for its mouth-watering food scene! One dish that travellers should try is Nasi Ganja (a plate of steamed rice bathed in different types of curry accompanied by other side dishes of your choice). Loosely translated, the name literally means ‘marijuana rice’, but not because cannabis is involved in its preparation – the dish is called so because one taste of this dish could excite diners and make them clamour for more! Just mention ‘Nasi Ganja’ to the taxi driver and he would know exactly where to take you; Yong Suan coffee shop is no stranger to anyone who has been to Ipoh. Bear in mind that it gets crowded during lunch hour but hey, table sharing is the norm in Malaysia! Wolfing down this dish while being surrounded by walls covered in peeling paint that render its rustic charm is an experience not to be missed, and you are bound to return to this eatery for more of this dish!

» Kinta River Front

Also known as Ipoh Riverfront Park, this site allows visitors to engage in various recreational activities. There’s nothing more appealing than walking along a river front that is covered in greenery. The river is crossed by a bridge where various padlocks with sentimental messages can be found.

Although it is not the same as the one in Paris, it does feel good to leave something that symbolises your love towards someone (or even yourself ). Coming here with children is also a great idea since the place is spacious for them to play around. We came here during the night and surprisingly it was lively! We rented bicycles and explored the riverside and night market. There are various types of bicycles that you can try such as family bicycle or tandem (twoperson or even three-person) bicycle, among others.

» Gerbang Malam Night Market

Located between the pre-war shophouses in Ipoh, Gerbang Malam night market opens every day from 6:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. You can get your hands on almost anything here such as apparels, telephone accessories and home decorations, including stalls and kopitiam (traditional coffee houses) serving local specialties. You could also find Ipoh-related souvenirs that are handcrafted by locals! Checking out this night market is a perfect ending to our Ipoh sojourn before continuing northwards.

What to visit in LANGKAWI, KEDAH

The majestic view of one of the untouched islands in Langkawi from our speed boat.

Langkawi is a major gateway destination and of course we have been there a few times. However, during this trip, it was the first time for us to reach there by ferry. After filling our stomachs at Alor Setar Breakfast Station (http://asbreakfaststation. blogspot.com/), we headed to Terminal Penumpang Kuala Kedah, the place where travellers catch the ferry to not only Langkawi but also Koh Lipe and Penang. The ferry service to Langkawi is operated by Langkawi Ferry Line Ventures Sdn Bhd. Travellers may opt to buy tickets online or at counters provided at this terminal. The daily ferry service starts from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. You can book your tickets or check the ferry schedule on https:// www.langkawi-ferry.com/.

We were glad that we chose this mode of transport. The ferry smoothly traversed the crystal waters that us left breathless. The two-hour boat ride was quiet, scenic and relaxing! By the time we arrived at Jetty Point Kuah, it was already at high noon, and we were looking forward to check into our hotel to freshen up. There is no problem for travellers to search for e-hailing service once they are in Kuah, Langkawi’s main town. Since there were six of us, we selected a van that could accommodate all of us. Our driver, Pak Alias, was very chatty during the whole ride. He explained the various legendary places we should visit while we were there.

Where to stay

We were so lucky that our hotel, Hotel Adya Chenang Langkawi (https://www. facebook.com/Hotel-Adya-ChenangLangkawi-262798614424877/) is in walking distance to popular tourist attractions such as Cenang Beach, Underwater World Langkawi, Laman Padi, Telaga Walk and more. The hotel’s breakfast and dinner buffets offer abundant options that emphasise on local fare. All of our diet plans went out of the window once we began to dig in. Hotel Adya Chenang Langkawi also has attentive staff who would go out of their way to make guests comfortable. Why we like it: The staff in this hotel are god sent! When one of our travelling companions was down with sickness, one of the hotel employees quickly helped by going to the convenient store located in the next building to procure the relevant medicine.

Where to shop

Telaga Walk Chenang is an amazing spot to shop while letting the ocean breeze lightly caress your face. This beach town is lively at night with local and foreign tourists. The long stretch of road filled with souvenir shops and ecletic mix of cafés. Travellers looking for cultural and musical performances at night should check out the many beachfront restaurants. To catch our breath after a long walk, we relaxed by the beach with cool drinks in hand. The sky was ablaze with red and orange hues at sunset. The islanders wowed us with fire breathing performance as well. Our jaws dropped because most of the performers are still teenagers but are already skilful entertainers.

The Highlight of Our Trip

Traditional fishing boats moored at Kampung Sungai Badak Jetty.

Equipped with good camera, extra batteries and barely contained excitement, we journeyed along Sungai Kubang Badak. Our biogeotrail began from Kampung Sungai Badak jetty (fishermen jetty) at 12 noon. The boat operator briefed us about the existing wildlife and mangrove jungle now listed by UNESCO. Our first stop was a pre-war kiln that was used to make charcoal over 150 years ago. We crawled inside the small triangle-shaped kiln and found that the wall was sparkling while listening to our tour guide’s engrossing tale about the kiln.

Meandering along the Siamese River is such a serene experience with sounds of nature at the background. Once we arrived at the next stop, we hiked for a bit up to Gua Pinang (Areca Cave) to witness interesting fossil collection and geo formation. Part of the walls at the entrance of the cave resemble the shape of elephant trunks, leaving us all in awe because these experiences were new to us! First time being in a cave, we discovered that is was dark that even the torchlight from our phones is not enough to shine our way. We truly felt small inside this majestic cave!

We then headed back to our boat and set out to the open sea to visit the unspoilt Dangli Island. Since we have never heard of the tiny island before, we didn’t expect anything much. But our smile grew bigger as the water around our boat became clearer. The island was truly untouched with crystal blue waters, making it such an underrated tourist spot! The aquatic life swam with glee; we even saw jellyfish and sea urchins in their natural habitat. We took some crackers with us and jumped off the boat. Instantly, all sorts of beautiful fish, including butterfly fish and damselfish, surrounded us for a bite! A truly out of this world feeling…

Do check out Kampung Sungai Badak Facebook page for updates or to book a tour: https://www.facebook.com/BoatTour-Sungai-Kubang-Badak-MangroveLangkawi-Geopark-697573993618078/

Sunrise chasers should catch the orange hues at dawn on the grounds of Masjid Zahir, Alor Setar.