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Motormouth From Ipoh

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Perlis Indera Kayangan (Pt 1)

Seriously; who would've thought of holiday-ing in Perlis? Of ALL places?! I for one, never imagined I'd visit Perlis before the East Coast (yup, I'm pathetic. Never been to Kelantan/T'ganu ... Pahang even). But as luck would have it, we were there for the last few days, for work, and then play. Or the other way round's more like it. =)

PERLIS - The smallest state in Malaysia

Borderless evergreen paddy fields providing an impressive backdrop for wedding photos .... (Eelektra : Take note. =P)

Paddy farms - The aftermath

From Ipoh to Perlis, the journey took us 4 whole hours. That may not be a lot for one who's accustomed to long distance travelling, but I've abstained from long and winding journeys since before the fasting month. Needless to say, I was restless.

Malaysian's favourite poisons ... re-mixed aka "The Spice Crunch" version

Lunch was at the rest stop in Gurun, Kedah. The meagre fare at the stalls was not inviting, thus KFC's our choice. The Ramadan special Spice Crunch Fried Chickens are nothing but Hot & Spicy, albeit with added chilli powder and spices. But sprinkled on top only. The salty/spicy combination may be detrimental to one's throat, especially in such blistering hot weather. But we threw caution to the wind.

Sri Garden Hotel in Kangar, Perlis

We arrived in Kangar, which is Perlis's capital. It was certainly an eye-opener, as I was expecting much more "kampung" (read : backwater) environment than this. Far from being a small town, but of course we're not comparing Kangar to other state's capitals.

Clean, simple and sufficient

We were put up at Sri Garden Hotel @ 96, Persiaran Jubli Emas, 01000 Kangar, Perlis. Yup, PUT UP, as it was not our choice. But the hotel is one of the larger ones in town, and stood out amongst others. At merely RM94.50 for a regular double room+breakfast, what more could we asked for? (And everyone's staying solo, one to a room, to avoid bathroom fights)

Kangar - The state capital of Perlis

More paddy fields in rural areas of Perlis

Scenic stagnant ponds of water ... fertile land for the grains to grow

Kedah's always been well-known to be the "Rice Bowl" of Malaysia, being the main rice producer in the country. But Perlis has its fair share of contribution as well, with paddy plantations lining the outskirts of town.

The vast lands of greeneries, against the hills and mountains, and watching the locals farming under the hot sun, with buffaloes and storks (bangau) basking in tandem, instilled a sense of serenity, and a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of city life. Sheer bliss.

Chuping Sugar cane plantation

Perlis is also famous for producing sugar to the community, hence deemed guilty for the rapidly-increasing diabetes prevalence among Malaysians. LOL.

Nasi Lemak for breakfast .... courtesy of Sri Garden Hotel

Food-wise, we were appalled by the lacklustre fare on the first night. Absolutely horrendous experience at Kuala Perlis, that rendered me dumb-founded and couldn't be bothered to whip out my trusty phone for a shot or two. Even the drinks at that stall (it's the furthest stall at the Medan Selera at Kuala Perlis, if you're coming from Kangar direction) were sweet nothings. Remember DO NOT abandon Food Hunt Rule 101 : Trust the power of the people. If there's not much business at a stall compared to the brisk ones at others, DO NOT push your luck!

P/S : But the next night's seafood dinner was a saving grace, a timely redemption.

Sungai Perlis

to be continued .... (Motormouth's down, and out)

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

wa.. MoToRMOUTH geng wo... so fast can read ur PERLIS post liao?? =P nice not the trip?? manage to go Langkawi?? :)where's souvenir?? hehe..

hmmm...saw those paddy fields pic as if bringing me back to my AS life... how i miss it!!! hehe...

wei, the hotel damn cheap la.. no wonder ur office can afford one person per room, no sharing.. =P

Lingzie said...

wow you really go travel a lot! cant wait to see your next post on the better dinner :)
i've been to kangar once last year for work. didn't know where to eat as well!

SuwEi said...

Erm..NICE trip i think, luckily i went to my other destination..Waiting for the post that shows Perlis tasty food..:P

Anonymous said...

the sungai perlis photo was just amazing!

PureGlutton said...

That was quite an introduction to Perlis! I have never been there before, so that was an eye-opener. Waiting to see what good food u had there, hehe...

J2Kfm said...

kca : aiya, came back on Sunday morning ma. and we also din shouted our lungs out to Air Justin. =P
no Langkawi lah ... you think vacation meh?!

lingzie : erm, its in the nature of our work to travel. last month was dormant. this month the craze re-starting. :)

suwei : and ditto I'm awaiting your posts on tasty food from the highlands, and your review of the concert. yeah ... what a WASTE we couldnt be with you guys. shouting our lungs out to erm ... Justin's songs. hahaha ...

allenooi : thanks. it was rather dark, if not you'll notice the debris and the corrosion. haha ...

pureglutton : good food not much, as most of our meals were covered by our host. hehe ...

Anonymous said...

Hi there, thanks for sharing. Me too, pathetic enough to tell you, I have not been to East Coast also...what a shame huh! Anyway, nice photos and sharing about Kangar, Perlis..( a place I have not been also)

choi yen said...

I saw a very colourful builing!!!

CRIZ LAI said...

That was exactly the same hotel I was in during my last visit there. Quite clean in fact but the state is creepily quiet at night. Sweat~

I think I know which seafood restaurant you would be posting up next... haha. It's so good that the Raja of Perlis and Sultan of Kedah visit there real often. Thai & Malay fusion right? :P

http://crizfood.blogspot.com/

soo sean said...

You should try the Seafood there. It is nice and cheap. Or you can try the Siam food there....

J2Kfm said...

simplegirl : yeah. we really should pay more attention to local destinations, rather than international ones.

mimid3vils : yup, that's the Tenaga building, if I'm not mistaken,

criz lai : imagine I stayed in a room to my own. hehe ... creepier ...

soo sean : the seafood's rather cheap, and the throngs of ppl frequenting Kuala Perlis Malay stalls were prove of their popularity.

cariso said...

Wow! I ALWAYS envy those ppl who can travel frequently for work! I tak da one...:(

mycroft said...

ya lor, no need to work ah.
n seriously u go perlis just for holiday? or just pass tru on way to places like... thailand....

Anonymous said...

oH THAT sugar cane plantation ! Just about to hum the sound of music ....

J2Kfm said...

cariso : hehe... but once over-travelled, you'll feel the wrath.

mycroft : wei we finished our job first before go play. hehe ... din go Thailand lah. not enough time

jencooks : and all the while it reminded me of Signs, the M.Night Shyamlan's movie.