It’s the year of the Ox this year. According to the Chinese zodiac, many would have a turn of luck, a better year and better fortune for most especially for those under the year of Rooster and Dragon. I’m born in the year of Dog and well as much as i would like to deny any traces of superstition, i’m quite happy to learn that this year would be a better year for me. So, i’m crossing my fingers hoping i’ll stumble upon a bag of gold on the street :P.

Golden Ox at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Have a Happy Chinese New Year and have an ox-picious New Year everybody!

Continuation from:-
Trip to Sitiawan

If lazying around is not your thing, not to worry. When you put your mind to it, there are many things to do around Sitiawan or the Manjung district.

For example cruising along the Dinding bypass road to get a glimpse of the Sungai Dinding Bridge or also known as the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Bridge. The bridge, the longest river bridge in Malaysia, connects Damar Laut and Sitiawan. Many doesn’t know but the 13 arches of the bridge which symbolize the 13 states of Malaysia.

Sungai Dinding bridge

It’s a pleasant sight, but almost too modern in the rural district.

Under the shade of the bridge, you can see locals sitting waiting for fish to catch. I guess, the big “no fishing” sign is only for decorative reason? LOL.

The next time i’m in town i’ll have to remember to bring along a fishing rod. I never tried fishing before

The 90m height makes it almost like Manhattan minus the sunset

Another attraction is the Taman Paya Bakau (mangrove swamp) in Lumut. When we got there, it was closed for maintenance. Oh well, i didn’t really mind since I don’t really fancy the smell of the swamp (it smells bad) and the monkey’s aren’t really friendly.

Taman Paya Bakau

It’s open to the public and there’s a walkway across the area where you can enjoy the sight. According to the locals you could fish there. There’s a lot of crab in the swamp. Click *HERE*

Long pathway into the swamp

One advice though if you ever go there.

Beware of the hungry monkeys and don’t bring any food in the area! They could get fierce and try to snatch the food from you!

Mangroves

Lumut Waterfront

If you have a day or 2 to spare (which unfortunately i don’t), then Pulau Pangkor (Pangkor Island) is just the place to go. Else, the Lumut Waterfront is a nice alternative. Built near the jetty where you could catch a ferry to the Pangkor Island, the waterfront is quite a relaxing place to spent on a hot Sunday afternoon.

There are food stalls set up here, where you could sit down for an hour or so, have a drink while enjoying the nice view of the ocean and ships sailing by.

Enjoy the view

To end our trip to Sitiawan, we decided to have a short stroll along Teluk Batik. The beach isn’t very big and the water is rather murky but clean. It seems that the place is always busy. When we were there, the beach is quite crowded by mostly locals. I guess it beats sitting at home on weekends

Teluk Batik

If you are up for it, there are banana boats for rent too.

Beautiful sunset

Not a bad place for watching sunset, although i think it’s not worth another visit.

Watch the sun go down

Bye bye!

You know, there are quite some fun activities to do in Sitiawan. There are a lot of places to fish. You just have to look. There are even a lala farm where you could catch clams.

Having that said, I think a 2 or 3 day trip to the small town is just enough. Else, if you’re a real city person, the risk of boredom is just enough to get you packing home.

Next up, Sitiawan food. Wait for the next post.

To be continued at:-
Sitiawan Famous Fuzhou Delicacy

Driving 3 hours on the trunk road from Kuala Lumpur towards Sitiawan, Perak wasn’t as boring as i assumed. Perhaps it was because of the perfect weather and clear blue sky, perhaps it’s the view of the many plantations along the road. Or perhaps it’s my first time going there so everything is fresh to me.

Stretches of palm trees

It definitely beats taking the mundane highway.

Though i soon tire of the view of the countryside and its many plantations, palm oil plantation, coconut plantation, rubber plantation, cucumber patch, you name it, it is a pleasant change for the busy city like Kuala Lumpur. At least there’s no traffic and i could relax.

Coconut trees swaying in the wind

Mr. Bf got pretty excited when we passed the paddy fields. I could easily understand why. It’s a beautiful backdrop, the green, green field against the blue, blue sky with flocks of powder white storks rounding the sky.

Paddy field against the blue sky

Sitiawan is a pretty small town in the Manjung district of Perak, Malaysia. It includes the townships of Pasir Panjang, Teluk Penchalang, Dato’ Seri Kamaruddin, Sitiawan Town, Ayer Tawar, Serdang, Sungai Wangi, Sungai Ramai, Banjar, Changkat Chermin and Gugusan Lekir.

Read about how Sitiawan got its name *HERE*

In Sitiawan

At first glance, it is just like any other town outside of the city, a little old and dilapidated. But it is far from dead. You would be surprise to find there are some new and modern supermarkets like Giant and The Store operating within the sleepy town. And since it’s before Chinese New Year, locals are seen stocking up goods for the festive season.

There are obviously some modernization going on. Even the dirty and old cinema “Arasu” had been revamped and renamed “The Lotus Five Star”. The name sounds like a typical Chinese restaurant but a revamp is a revamp. You should’ve heard of all the funny stories about the old “Arasu”!

- taken from http://drumosamuela.blogspot.com -

I guess, there are not much going on in Sitiawan. No clubs, no fancy malls, no classy hotels or restaurants. Not much of a tourist attraction, but a close look and inspection, you will find that the town is a bit mundane but not too bad at all. I would say Sitiawan is quite handsome and charming.

Sitiawan has been part of much of Malaysia’s modern history, from the impact of Japanese soldiers in WWII to the Malayan Emergency (1948 - 1960), then a thriving Foochows (Chinese: Fuzhou) settlement of industrious migrants, mostly from the district of Kutien in Fuzhou, China.

There are many vintage shops along the street, some dilapidated and recently abandoned, some still operating. The charming buildings reflects the aged old culture and diversity of the Fuzhou people.

If only the buildings are properly preserved…

Vintage green panes - Mr. Bf used to play on the second floor while grandpa played mahjung

We brought his grandma to the dentist at noon. Imagine my surprise when i saw the building. Cowboy style swinging doors!

(There’s a surgery office down the road that is as aged - recently stopped operating)

Saloon or the dentistry?

Among the many old buildings in Sitiawan, is the Chinese Methodist Church (CMC) originally built in 1905, a small white building in the shape of a cross situated next to the Sitiawan Settlement Museum. That’s 104 years old!

Read about CMC *HERE*

Chinese Methodist Church

Besides the vintage buildings, there’s also no shortage of alma mater in Sitiawan. There are approximately 6 to 7 schools in Sitiawan alone not counting the adjoining towns nearby. That’s like a lot of schools for a small town! Everywhere we turn there’s a school or two, or three, or four… oh you get what i mean!

Makes one wonder if the Sitiawan population is getting higher.

To be continued at:-
Stroll Around Manjung District
Sitiawan Famous Fuzhou Delicacy

When planning for  a train ride in Thailand, Traveller2000 does indeed comes in handy. The travel agency not only is reliable, they are efficient as well. Besides some minor hiccups (entirely my own fault), booking a train ticket through this particular agent had been a breeze.

It took us 4 days for the whole process, from inquiring, making payment and also confirmation but that’s only because i emailed to the office during the New Year which so happens to be a public holidays. Duh, i’m such a klutz! Also, there was some delay because we couldn’t figure out how to verify our visa card for payment. Else, it would have taken just 1 single day. Yes. 1. One. Uno day. Because they are really that efficient. My received reply from them almost instantly!

So, here are the booking and payment tips/guidelines to save you the hassle.

Step 1: Check the Thailand Railway Schedule

- Schedule -

There are separate schedules for trains to different parts of Thailand. If you are Traveling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai then click on  the Northern Line schedule. Depending on your preference of departure and arrival time, do take note of the train no. of your choice. (You will need the train no. for step 2).

Step 2: Inquire Tickets

Go back to the schedule page as in Step 1 and scroll down till you see a search engine. Search for the train tickets information according to destination. You will be taken to another page with the train no. , departure time, train class and price. Click on inquiry/booking icon next to the train of your choice.

- Inquiry -

Fill in the form and submit or alternatively, if the form does not work, just email all the details to trainbooking@traveller2000.com.

Now all you have to do is to wait for their reply which will be in no time.

Step 3: Make Payment via Credit Card

Traveller2000 offers 2 payment method, both via credit card.

a) The first is by Fax Authorization Form whereby they will email to you a form and you would have to print it out fill in the blanks including your credit card information and fax it to their office.

b) Second method is by KBANK Payment Gateway which i find pleasantly convenient and which i recommend. And since it is verified Visa and MasterCard, it means that i could sleep soundly at night knowing that the transaction is perfectly safe and secured.

For the KBank method, Traveller2000 will provide you a unique ID and password to login. Fill in the blanks and after verification, submit. You will be directed to the gateway to complete your credit card info. At the end of the transaction, an email report of the transaction will be sent to you. It’s that simple.

But wait! There is something important that you need to know. Before you use the KBank Gateway, you should know that the service is only applicable for  and  .

To get you card verified by visa, go to Visa website. (if you are residing in Asia, go to Visa Asia website). For Malaysia, there are 3 banks that offers such services:

- Public Bank
- Alliance Bank
- HSBC

Do call the finance company to check on the procedure.

Ps:// If you are using HSBC, login to their online banking website and chose the SecurePay panel. You can get it done in a few minutes.