Malaysia through the lenses of a Mat Salleh: Episode 28

ktleong 22/03/2021

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Malaysia through the lenses of a Mat Salleh

By Philippe A.Durant

This is the last destination for this virtual photography journey. There are thousands more places to visit in the Peninsula and Borneo. The East Coast and its Islands, the South, Belum, Taman Negara, Sabah, Sarawak…Nonetheless, I think a four-week journey is enough to give viewers a good view of Malaysia through my lenses. As mentioned, there are two more episodes about Chinese opera and Orang Asli to come.

Do not hesitate to follow my postings on my FB page, on Moments: https://www.facebook.com/moments131419 or/and on Papan Moods: https://www.facebook.com/papanmoods (I created and dedicated to the village).

You can send me a virtual friendship request as well.

Day 28: The Two Pangkors

My last trip a couple of days before the start of MCO was in Pangkor. I rode from Ipoh to Lumut, left my scooter in the harbor parking, crossed to the Island on the public ferry and rented another scooter for two days. It is very easy to go around the island. Here is what Wikipedia writes about it: “Pangkor Island has a land area of 18km2and is 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) from Peninsular Malaysia. The interior of the island is forested. Historically, Pangkor was a refuge for local fishermen, merchants and pirates. In the 17th century, the Dutch built a fort to control the Perak tin trade known as the Dutch Fort. In 1874, it was the location of a historical treaty between the British government and a contender for the Perak throne (the Pangkor treaty), which began the British colonial domination of the Malay Peninsula. The old British name for the Pangkor Island group was the Dindings.

In 2003, Marina Island (a man-made island) was developed by the Marina Island Group of companies and began operation in 2010, with private investment of RM250 million by 2013. The integrated mixed development resort island consists of waterfront residential properties, a new jetty (Marina Island Jetty), a private commercial marina called Pangkor Marina Malaysia, service apartments, hotels and shop offices. The jetty has a ferry service which connects to the island.”

The ship builder, the anchovies and shrimp fishermen, the remains of the old Dutch fort, the beaches, the Chinese mosque,.. are all quite pleasant for a two-day visit.

Prior to that, I went with my wife a few times to the private little adjacent island, “Pangkor Laut” for relaxation and privacy. The resort could do with some renovations, improvement on the service provided by the staff and better management (as per our last visit two years ago) but it is still a pleasant place to spend a few relaxing days. This is what their Facebook page says: “A combination of luxury, natural beauty and age-old wilderness woven together to produce an environment where peace and magically memorable moments are the currency.”

Bon voyage.