A single day at Lembah Bujang

I have an interest in history, specifically the movement of peoples across regions and the settlements they founded. Sometimes when I am in a very old or ancient place, I try to imagine the sights and sounds of the place when it was thriving. On a visit to the Colosseum in Rome, I stood and looked around and somewhere in the back of my mind I could see and hear the crowds, the noise, the activity… One of my favourite photos from that visit was a picture of my feet and the feet of a few people around me - coincidentally all clad in sandals.

I had looked down at my feet for a moment and saw the symmetry with 2000 years before when other feet, similarly shod, stood on those very steps too, their owners watching Gladiators face imminent death in battle against man or beast.

Before the time of Christ or the Romans, there were people here.

Long before the Roman Empire was even a bright idea in a hunter-gatherer’s limited mind, there were people already settled in the Malay Peninsula. The earliest visitors and colonisers were people form South Asia, who’d travelled through what is now Burma and Thailand to settle in the northern part of the Peninsular.

One of these areas is Lembah Bujang, or the Bujang Valley. I’d come across it in 2007 when I was cycling through the area. I had then made a detour to check out the Museum, regularly signposted on my route. I had, for some reason, expected an easy ride down into a valley but instead faced the steepest climb of my ride. It was then that I realised valleys could be at a high altitude - they were, after all, simply the gap between two or more mountains.

And so Lembah Bujang turned out to be. The Museum was not a very inspiring place and as I could not then lock the bicycle and my bags anywhere safe, I could not explore the Chandis (burial structures) scattered around. I swore then that I would make a return trip but it wasn’t until 11 years later that I did. This time by car, and with my wife in tow.

I remembered a beach...

We drove northwards from Penang one morning, taking a detour to a little beach area called Pantai Merdeka, hoping to stop there for lunch. I’d spent an afternoon here on my ride and I hoped there’d still be a hawker centre we could have lunch at.

Pantai Merdeka is at the mouth of the Merbok River and when I went there in 2007, there was a set of chalets which were being renovated, a large hawker centre, a broad expanse of beach and a seawall upon which I dozed through the hottest of the midday sun, as an endless line of fishing boats chugged past, bringing their catch up river.

We drove along a familiar hilly road and arrived at a place that tickled some memories though some changes were evident. The chalets were now a medium-sized resort and the hawker centre was still there. Even larger than I remembered, actually. There was a seawall still, but as it was high tide, I could not see if the beach still remained. I could see a narrow strip of sand not inundated by seawater so perhaps the wide expanse was still there. Across the river we could see some buildings, though overall the area did not appear over-developed.

This little kitten ambled along with us for a couple of hundred meters. 

Everything was shut and mostly devoid of life, except for these two girls zooming around on an electric scooter. 

Boat ramp for launching the life guard vessel. 

What we could not find, though, was food and drink of any kind. It was Ramadhan and every single shop was closed. We walked around a little, looking for something, anything that might be open. A few workmen renovating some of the facilities were resting under a shelter and as we walked past I asked if there was anywhere we could have lunch and their answer was in the negative. And so, after walking around the entire area, we decided to drive back the way we’d come and hoped to find something to eat somewhere.

Perhaps Pantai Merdeka’s target audience is mainly Malay. I can’t help but think though that this is an opportunity lost - that there is here some potential for local or foreign tourism and if so, then services need to cater for all.

Past Padi fields and into the valley

We headed back out past the beautiful padi fields, full of young green padi, poking up through the surface of the irrigated plots. This part of the country is really the rice-bowl of the nation and the miles and miles of padi fields can be exquisitely picturesque, depending on the season.

We eventually drove in to Sg Petani and found a fantastic lunch stop. An Indian Rice stall that looked unremarkable but the food turned out to be anything but. If you’re ever in Sg Petani, look for the Hong Leong Bank at Jalan Kampung Baru, Taman Patani Jaya.The stall is in the block next to it, along the main road.

She's responsible for the great lunch we had.

An 'ancient' museum of ancient stuff

Lunch done, we drove up that steep road to the museum, parked the car and walked in. No entrance fee is imposed and I am glad because the quality of the museum and the exhibits leaves a lot to be desired. Lighting is poor, the exhibits are poorly curated, the airconditioning is not switched on and on this sweltering day this was severely uncomfortable. We didn’t stay long.

Around the back of the museum, scattered in a large well-tended garden area are a few sets of Chandis, reassembled on this spot for visitors to look at. Also on display are some artefacts from the era. There were a few heavy stone presses which we thought were for threshing or husking grain but turned out to be for squeezing juice.

You're at the Museum when you see this weird sculpture in the carpark.

A large diorama showing the surrounding area. In 2007, I saw the hills and my blood froze - I hate cycling up hills...

They were a pretty advanced civilisation even all those years ago.

The sign says that big stone wheel was used to press cane juice. A mistake?

The name Bujang is based on the Sanskrit Bhujanga which means Serpent and so this area could be called Serpent Valley. It is the site of a Hindu-Buddhist settlement that dates back more than 2500 years. Like the museum, the Chandis we looked at here were not inspiring - poor signage and the fact they’ve been displaced somehow diminished the sense of wonder that we were looking at some very old structures.

We dug up something much more interesting

We got back in the car and drove off to Sg Batu some kilometres away, along Highway 253. We’d seen signs for the digging sites there so thought we’d see more interesting things there.

And boy did we…

As we drew up to the only site with a carpark, a young man on a motorbike was dragging a barrier across the entrance. When I mentioned what we wanted to do though, he happily dragged it back and let us in, inviting us to take our time.

We left the car in the carpark which was big enough for a few coaches. There was even a public toilet structure as well as a ticketing booth. It was now near closing time though so the place was deserted save for those who worked on the site and who stayed overnight to protect the area.

We wandered in past the open gate. All around the site was oil palm estate but within it lay bare earth under a number of shelters. The various excavation plots were marked off with string so we could not get too close. The first one on the left had a sign that explained it was last an iron foundry and dated back to 100AD!

Around us were other plots with signage indicating what it was and when it dated back to. One further in was a large mound which had now been excavated to reveal a large circle of bricks with a circular opening in the centre. A large mirror hung from the roof, allowing us a glimpse into this hole. A banner hanging further back also showed a colour photograph with an overhead view of this structure.

Another plot was laid out in a checkerboard pattern and gave us some insights into the process of excavation. This plot had been divided into roughly one square meter sections. Each alternating square was then slowly excavated. As the hole grew, so did the walls around them. Artefacts could thus be found as the square was dug up, or revealed in the walls of the adjoining square, in 3D. Notes marking out discovered artefacts were pinned here and there.

This area had been an oil palm estate and oil palm trees had been grown over these plots until the significance of the area became known and there was commitment to doing an archaeological dig. In the last few years, quite a few areas have been marked off for digs and they were similar to the one we were now in, save for not having any visitor facilities.

On a normal day I guess there would be a guide here to explain things. On this evening we had only the signs and a few quick questions asked of the young man who’d let us in.

From what we could tell, the Sg Batu area has been populated since around 100AD and was settled for at least a thousand years. Quite remarkable. Sg Batu itself is a small river just at the back of this site we were in. It fed into the much larger Sg Merbok which headed out to the sea where we were earlier in the day - at Pantai Merdeka. Abundance of fresh water was probably the reason this area could remain populated for such a long time.

As I looked around at the oil palm plantations surrounding us, I wondered what else it was about this place that compelled a little knot of civilisation to plant itself here for over a thousand years. What manner of man had trudged through jungles to reach this point? Why had they wandered these hills and how did they live?

We spent an hour or so wandering around the site then told the young man we’d seen earlier we were leaving and we dragged the barrier across behind us as we drove out. I’d certainly like to come back again one day when there is a guide we can pose some of our questions to. There’s so much of our history that’s been buried (pun intended) and I’d like to know more about the Peninsular’s early inhabitants.

I'd encourage you to go have a look at Sg Batu as well. A lot of our history has been hidden by historians and educators who favoured an Islamic slant, ignoring the fact a Hindu and Buddhist empire once had an outpost here.

Day trip to 3 northern lakes: Beris, Muda and Pedu

Wow, it’s been a few years since I updated this blog. There’s actually been quite a bit of travelling in the meantime, but I’ve just gotten so used to the more concise and immediate form of Facebook posts that I’ve neglected this blog. 

I think I need to post more here so will start with a simple one-day drive that Mei and I took just yesterday. Eager to leave the island (Penang lah - I’ve been living here since the end of 2014) and explore a few more lakes to add to the list of lakes we visited last year, we headed north towards Pedu.

Lunch at Sik turned out very well.

We took the highway up to Gurun then headed east along Highway 175 towards Sik where we figured we’d stop for lunch. As it turned out, I needed the loo rather urgently and so when we arrived in Sik, we had to look for a clean enough restaurant or coffeeshop rather than just a tree-shaded gerai. Around the back of a block of shops we found a little place which seemed to fit the bill. The food in the bainmarie was all covered which was a good sign. The shop was also pretty clean and so we decided to stop there.

Rosmani with her grandaughter and her husband is the one in green behind her.

Toilet needs sorted out, we had our lunch and it turned out that the food was not only hygienically displayed, but also delicious. We hung around a few minutes then when I got up to pay at the cashier, the Malay proprietress sat down to chat with Mei. My first thought was that this was going to be fun as Mei’s Malay is virtually non-existent. But then I thought I heard a smattering of English and when I went back to the table, true enough, they were having a jolly conversation in English.

Rosmani was now retired, as was her husband who did most of the cooking. She had been with RTM for 31 years and her husband had been an Inspector in the CID. They used to live in Penang until their retirement whereupon they returned to his hometown, Sik. A catering contract with a school and some government departments provided for them and some family members and when those contracts lapsed, they looked around and finally found this little shop to set up.

As we’ve been in F&B for the last few years too, we found a lot in common with Rosmani and so lingered chatting and sharing thoughts and ideas for some time. She was very keen to get some feedback and was happy we liked what we’d eaten, and also that we appreciated her attention to detail - the cleanliness was something she was especially proud of.

So if you’re ever in Sik, do give her place a try. I’ve included the map and a picture of the storefront. It’s off the main road and facing in so is not obvious.

Lots of Resorts, mostly closed or rundown.

After lunch we headed up north towards the Beris Lake, still on Highway 175. The road was lightly trafficked and very pleasant to drive on. For some reason Mei was quite drowsy so I drove for the most part mainly deep in my thoughts. Beris lake and Dam are only about 12-15 km away form Sik and there are quite a few signs for resorts and chalets here. A few we saw were in some state of disrepair though so proceed at your own peril. At a scenic spot we found what looked like an RnR and stopped to have a look. Some of it was cordoned off and it looked to be generally abandoned though in the same car park, a car was stationary with its engine running, the occupant busy on her phone.

We got out, stepped over a cable laid across a service road and had a look around. Behind us, and along the main road was the RnR, empty and quiet. To our left was a large roofed structure which at some point must have been a dining hall with two stall spaces at the far end. The long side was open to a panoramic view of the lake. Grey green in the afternoon haze, it was nevertheless quite spectacular. An island lay out a little to the right and beyond that on the far shore we could see some structures mid-construction. On our left was a promontory upon which some buildings could be seen. Obviously a resort of some sort.

The hall we stood in had a lower floor, the stairs to which was blocked off by tape and a warning sign. In the open area below was a tarmacked area which could have been a car park or something similar.

At this point the car in the car park was driven off and then we heard a female voice calling to us. It turned out the RnR was not abandoned after all. The lady suggested very politely that we should not go beyond where we were and we assured her we would not. When asked, she explained that there were a few stalls still operating and that they were open at night. Her own stall had Thai food cooked by Thais who’d come from across the border nearby. The low structure was also chalets and I later discovered this was called Tasik Beris Inn. It all looked a little sorry though so I can’t imagine who would stay here. 

We stopped every now and then to take pictures. The old CRV ran very well.

Still, the view was quite nice and if this place was tidied up a bit and made more festive, it would be a very pretty place to sit down for a meal and drinks in the evenings. The lady who’d called to us was back at the front with her husband and both waved to us in a very friendly manner as we drove off so perhaps this place is not a lost cause.

We continued north past the resort next door called D’Puncak Beris Lake Resort. Not even at a last resort I think for it looked in even more parlous a state than the one we’d just seen. 

Small town honesty

A little after passing the next town of Gulau and taking the northeast road towards Pedu, I realised I’d forgotten to fill up at Sik. We’d been so happy to chat with Rosmani we’d just driven off, forgetting our plan to top up. Though I had maybe about 90km of fuel left in the car I decided not to chance it so made a loop back to Gulau and found a small petrol station just as another guy in an old Proton turned up.

This was a tiny 2-pump station which seemed bereft of life. One side of the double glass door to the station office and shop was shut and the other half was blocked by a snacks shelf on wheels. Inside a TV set was screening some daytime cartoon but no one responded to my ‘hellloooo’. The guy in the Proton stepped out of his car and brought out a small plastic jerry can and waited patiently. We both did, then 2 minutes later, a scooter whizzed into the station, a woman on board with two young school-age children. The owner of the station, she’d obviously popped out to pick up her kids from school. Leaving the station virtually unlocked. Small towns are much better on honesty than big ones I guess.

Just as suddenly as she’d appeared, a whole mob of motorcyclists converged on the station. It’s almost as if they knew she’d be away and would be back at a certain time. They all waited quietly in turn and it was quite nice to observe, actually.

Next stop - Muda Lake and Dam. A little road off to the right gave us a view of the small dam and as we proceeded along it and up a slope, a better view of the lake behind the dam. That road ended in a steel gate, a barbed wire fence and an armed guard at the guardhouse next to it. When asked he explained the dam was a regular dam, not hydro and after a quick look, we carefully reversed the couple of hundred meters back down the narrow road.

Another exit a few kilometres further along Highway 175 indicated some sort of recreation area with boating or other water sports. Whether this was still in use is not certain.

The Muda Dam

Rubber Trees look so much better than Oil Palm

And so on we continued, enjoying the sweeping curves along gently undulating terrain with occasional views of lakes to our right or rivers beneath bridges. A really nice road to drive on. Light traffic, hills and mountains and lakes. Agriculture in this part of the country - besides the hectares of rice in the lower plains - is mainly rubber. I’ve always preferred the sight of rubber plantations to Oil Palm. The latter seems to denude the surroundings in a voracious way, whereas rubber presents in a less aggressive way. Well, this is the way I see it anyway. There is a certain beauty and aesthetic quality about rubber that is missing from Oil Palm and I am glad to be living in the northern states where there is less Oil Palm.

There is a road that runs along a long section of Pedu Lake and we drove down this undulating road. Narrow and not well used anymore, it nevertheless remained clear enough to suggest something was at the end.

Along the way we spied a ruined entranceway - perhaps to a resort of sorts - down one branch off the main road. Some other branches were overgrown and didn’t invite exploration. We continued down this long road and eventually reached the end where we faced a closed gate with a No Entry sign on it. To the right of this was a signboard proclaiming it to be the Mutiara Pedu Lake Golf and Lake Resort. The guard house on the left was not currently manned but was clearly still in use.

We could see far beyond, some evidence of the resort but it was clear that like the others we’d seen all around these three lakes, disuse and disrepair were the order of the day.

Far off in the distance you can just make out bits of the resort.

What a strange clump of trees. One has leaned in on the main tree (banyan?) and been absorbed into its trunk. And the main tree itself has a few trunks so you're not quite sure which was the original. 

The lake was bathed in a blue-gray afternoon haze but looked quite inviting nonetheless. I’m not sure why this area’s tourism didn’t take off. Like so many other things, the system is a complex one with many interlocking components and a failure along one branch can lead to the collapse of the whole.

Malaysia’s tourism scene is such that there are no guarantees of success even when the offering is exceptional. There are so many other factors at play. This area has a lot of natural beauty and potential and perhaps there will be a time when it will once again be a favoured destination. It isn’t that far from a major airport and is easily driveable as our day trip shows.

Pedu - all gone bar the fishing

After leaving Pedu, we headed back along the road and nipped in the branch that had the abandoned structures. Right at the end was an abandoned building and a boatslip. A couple of cars were parked here and a few people sat around fishing. They weren’t especially warm so we wandered around this abandoned chalet complex a bit and then headed back out to the main road. Along the way we stopped to take some pictures next to wild elephant dung.

This was not the main road but instead what's left of a network of service roads for the abandoned chalets in this area.

Oooh Poo!

For years I’ve tried to sight these creatures but despite hundreds of kms driving along roads they are frequently sighted crossing, I have had no luck. Yet again I have to be content with evidence of the creatures, but no actual sighting.

We took a parallel course back to Highway 175 and ended up in Sg Petani for dinner. We’d had a wonderful Indian Food lunch in the old part of town some months back and this time as we drove around, we sighted something else ‘Ribs’ and the idea of some pork ribs suddenly seemed very inviting.

This is the rice bowl of Malaysia of course so beautiful rice fields lay on either side of the road for miles and miles. 

We're close to the Thai border and everywhere is evidence of that - including this temple complex we paused at.

We stopped for a cup of tea and a toilet break at a small town called Kuala Nerang. Beautiful riverside facilities.

The river here is very fast flowing indeed.

A sadly frequent sight...

Dinner in Sg Petani. A Rib set for me and a Meatball Spaghetti for Mei. Some weird things happening here but the overall experience was pleasant.

The topiary appears to be a victim of an overzealous pruner.

We circled around and discovered the place was open, but it was a Halal joint and so it would be Beef Ribs. Which turned out rather nice, actually. Mei had a pasta which was quite pleasant in a very local way - strange sauce but pasta done quite al dente.

All in all, a nice day’s trip, capped off with an unexpectedly nice dinner.