Tanjung Piai, Johor, MALAYSIA (4-6 May 2007)
Tanjung Piai Signage
Tanjung Piai (75km from Johor Bahru) is located at the southern most tip of the Asian (mainland) continent. Not as famous as its African counterpart, Cape of Good Hope, but equally as gorgeous in its own context. Tanjung Piai boasts of mangrove forests and idyllic sea views within and also outside the protected areas of Tanjung Piai National Park.
kampung house surrounded by pinang trees
Kampung Tanjung Piai
kampung girls and bicycles
What I did :
Hm.. not sure if this can be really considered as travel per se, but I was in Kampung Tanjung Piai for a community service project organised by my university's student representative council. All 35 uni participants were assigned two each to host families - mine was a family of 4 kids, the youngest one being probably the most adorable and witty three year old in the village.
my 'neighbour's' house
We slept in their cosy village homes - imagine being surrounded by coconut and pinang trees, sleeping to the symphony of crickets and frogs, waking up to the clearest of blue skies, being teased by cool breezes that seductively lure you to the seaside.. mm. But one thing, it gets really hot in the afternoons because of the high salt content in the air and the intense sunlight. Many villagers are either fishermen or have palm oil or coconut plantations.
Our community service program included a religious talk on 'happy families', motivation session for school children, village telematch, village feast (kenduri).
Bridge to Tanjung Piai Resort
kids at the telematch - 'cari gula dalam tepung' game - where you use your mouth to fish out sweets in a plate filled with flour.. classic telematch game
I was honoured to be given a VIP tour around the kampung (village), courtesy of the very friendly kampung children. =) I wish I had made friends with them earlier though - I spent one day being guided through the important places - the spot where a child mysteriously disappeared! the broken bridge which had to be fixed because someone's cousin who was besar sangat (too big) jumped on it! the best spots to play imaginary gun fights! the best place to take seaside pictures!
4 of my cheerful tour guides
I had come straight from finishing the last stretch of my 5 years (equating to 10 entire semesters) of exams, thus the kids and their immensely funny antics gave me a refreshing jolt back to the more optimistic and sunny sides of life. And reminded me that life's best lived spontaneously with loads of laughter. don't you think? ;)
all smiles at the 'tide control valve' (not quite sure what it's called)
Had a fantastic time at Tanjung Piai. Would strongly recommend it to travellers who are deeply obsessed with seafood and enamoured by local Malay village culture. My tip? Go with someone you know, or make friends with the village kids.. you'll see much more than the regular visitor, trust me.
P/s : they like playing around with cameras. and eating ice cream. ;)
50 cents motorcycle-vendor ice cream
mini petrol pumps at the kampung kedai runcit (store)
Fishing boat and wooden boardwalks
Food eaten:
Homecooked seafood!! Fantastic sambal udang (prawns in chilli/spice paste), pisang lemak (bananas cooked with a type of snail in coconut milk), dried fish, assam fish, motorcycle-vendor-50cents-ice cream, 20 cents homemade ice tube.
Things to do:
Go to the national park! - take pics near the Globe, get a certificate that proves as evidence of your grand visit to the southern most tip of the asian mainland continent (RM3 only i heard), see mangroves, see trees.
Take a stroll near the sea - Romantic night/day walks along the boardwalks near Tanjung Piai Resort, but becareful of the loose wooden boards!
Play Paintball - The same owners of the resort have a paintball field nearby. Didn't note how much they charge.
Places to stay:
Village Homestay - some villagers of Kampung Tanjung Piai usually take in visitors for day or sleepover homestays. Unfortunately I forgot to take down the contacts of the pakcik (uncle) who has accomodated many Japanese tourists.
Camping - camp in the National Park grounds. You can search the national park website for more information (I think... haha.)
Tanjung Piai Resort - rooms within chalets on wooden poles overlooking the sea, ship 'resting' areas and Singapore. Within walking distance to chalet-restaurants that offer live karaoke music.. (which could be a good or bad thing.. depending on who's singing! haha!) Friendly staff and nice owners. Sorry, didn't take down the contacts or rates either. (this is my first travel post.. so forgive the inadequacies)
Links:
Virtual Malaysia - Tanjung Piai
Johor Parks - Tanjung Piai
