*Malaysia Special* - Pangkor Island

On our way north from Kuala Lumpur (or ‘KL’) to our next stop Lumut, a coastal town three-hours drive from KL, we made a quick stop in this little town called Bidor 美罗. Time seemed to have slowed down in this town. It was a stark contrast from KL where cars are bumper to bumper, and people constantly in a hurry… Over here, who’s in a hurry? The only things the locals were busy with, would be having a chat and reading the papers over coffee at a ‘kopi tiam’, a local term referring to a coffee shop.

Can you sense the calm just by looking at this man’s face and his two sleepy cats? :)

Goodies-galore!! This reminds me of my childhood. I felt like I was five again, stomping my feet in the shop because mummy wouldn’t get me ALL the biscuits! Heh… I’m kidding! It’s such a pity we only had 30 minutes in this town. This is a great town to stop for good Malaysian food and snacks!

In our 30minutes in Bidor town, I found this bunch of beans. I knew what it was, but my film crew did not. Cheekily, I took a few of those beans and told them to pop it into their mouths, reassuring them that it won't poison them… And boy did I wish I took a video of their expressions as soon as they chewed on it! It sure did wake them up. These beans are called ‘Petai’, or Stink Beans. It actually doesn’t stink at all.. Not until you’ve chewed on it.  It is an acquired taste, but it seems our director and cameraman/photographer got used to the taste and smell pretty quickly and were constantly on a hunt for it at local buffet spreads! I personally do quite like Petai especially when served with Sambal (chilli paste)… But I’d avoid eating it prior to meeting people.

Lumut was our gateway to Pangkor Island, just a 40-minute ferry ride from the jetty. 

I have to mention that one of the islands in Pangkor is the favourite island getaway of the late opera singer – Luciano Pavarotti. He visited this private island so often that they have a suite named after him.

Pangkor Laut – that’s the late Pavarotti’s favourite hideout. I’m sure none of these chalets on stilts are named after him, as these are quite out in the open. There are more chalets which are private and secluded, therefore we were unable to snap pictures of them. Such a high-profile man certainly needed his privacy.

One thing interesting I’d like to point out is the difference in the colour of seawater in the West coast (where Pangkor Island, Penang and Langkawi are) and the East coast of the Malaysian Peninsular. The seawater in the West is Green in colour; while it is Blue in the East. In order to prove my point, I have taken the liberty of digging out some pictures which I took while on vacation in the East coast in 2010.

Specimen #1:

Pangkor Island in the West: Probably the reflection of the greenery around? 

But wait! Check out the next picture of the East coast.

East coast: It’s also surrounded by greenery, but the seawater’s blue. 

I swear, no Photoshop involved.

Specimen #2:

Green seawater in Pangkor Island

Blue seawater in the East coast

Specimen #3:

Pangkor Island

East Coast - That ain't a swimming pool...!

Why is it Green in the West and Blue in the East? 

I think it is probably due to the existence of microscopic algae which causes the water to be green, and since the seawater in the west is calmer, from being sheltered by the large island of Sumatera, Indonesia (you can refer to this map), the warm, still waters make it the perfect breeding ground for algae. Well, just my hypothesis.

It is also partly pollution, since the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia is a safe haven from the monsoon winds, hence many ports are located in that region.

I’ll be honest and tell you that the beaches and islands off the west coast of the Malaysian Peninsular are incomparable to those in the east coast or even in Borneo. I believe you can judge for yourself based on the pictures above. But if you want the sea, the chance to be immersed in the Malay way of life and a place that isn’t too touristy, Pangkor island would be for you. It is home mainly to fishermen and people in the business of selling dried seafood.

With that, a visit to the fish factory was part of our itinerary since one of the main commercial activities of Pangkor Island is the production of satay fish - a type of dried fish biscuit popular in Malaysia. What you see being laid out to dry, are fish fillets. If you’ve always been curious about the making of satay fish and fish crackers, visit one of the fish factories in Sungai Pinang Kecil. My producer who absolutely loves seafood was so delighted to hear that this factory which we visited actually exports their products to China. I believe she’s now secretly on a hunt for their products in Beijing!

That’s me assisting my producer in creating a Malay look!

Since we’re on the topic of dressing, I should just mention again that Malaysia is a Muslim country hence it’s good to cover up a little and not dress too revealingly especially when you’re visiting a mosque where you need to have your limbs covered and ladies would need to wear a hijab, or headscarf, like in the picture above. No, it’s not necessary to wear a hijab when you’re out on the streets. We just wanted a Malaysian picture of ourselves :)

This is such a nice way to end the day... All that’s missing, is a cocktail in hand.



You can view this episode of Travelogue which I presented, and wrote for CCTV News, on Pangkor, Penang and Langkawi - the west coast of the Malaysian Peninsular:

(You can watch it here, in case the video doesn't appear.)