AFTER buying a ticket at the Firefly Park Resort counter in Bukit Belimbing, Kuala Selangor, I stroll along a sheltered walkway towards a jetty on the banks of the Selangor River.
The ambience on both sides of the pathway are dark except for several distant scattered orbs of light.
Trailing behind me are several other passengers.
At the end of the walkway stands a shed with wooden handrails around its perimeter.
Draped over the handrails are life jackets. A man collects our tickets and asks us to put on our life jackets.
Further ahead, another man shines a torchlight to illuminate a path up a metal floating ramp. Heels clang against iron as we make our way to a boat waiting for us on the river. It is dark all around us. A third man shines a beam of light repeatedly from the ramp to our boat.
Everyone climbs aboard safely and a motor whirrs softly.
As we start to move away from the river bank to head for the other side, cool air envelops my face.
A while later, the boatman turns down the motor. I hear only a soft hum coming from it.
“Everybody, please keep quiet,” the boatman announces, “and note that flash photography is not allowed.”
BLINKING LIGHTS
Soon, I see the dark silhouettes of mangrove trees with blinking lights. “Oohh’s” and “aahh’s” emanate from the lips of several passengers.
The boat continues to glide silently on the surface of the water, passing one cluster of blinking lights after another, which have turned the mangroves into Christmas trees.
Thirty minutes later, after passing more lighted mangrove trees, we head back to the jetty. I stroll back to my car parked outside the compound of the resort and drive to Pasir Penambang for dinner.
In Pasir Penambang, I enter Sin Hai Ping Seafood Restaurant, just two doors away from Tornadoes Karaoke Lounge.
Brightly lit, the restaurant is furnished with plastic chairs and white tables. Floor-to-ceiling white tiles on two walls give the place a neat appearance.
A waitress rattles off her recommendations and I order two dishes.
Minutes later, a plate of oyster omelette arrives at my table. It’s sizzling hot and looks like a pizza topped with shrimps. Every bite is a symphony of the briny flavour of oysters, the mild sweetness of the shrimps and the silky-buttery taste of the omelette.
Next, crab vermicelli, the restaurant’s signature dish, is served. The flavoured with oyster sauce and other savoury seasonings. The meat is fresh and meaty.
After my meal which I rate as 4/5, I drive back to Firefly Park Resort to call it a night.
THE DAY IT WAS
Earlier in the day, I arrived at Kuala Selangor and stopped at Mak Engku Steamboat and Grill in Taman Bendahara for lunch. Luck was not with me as steamboat is only available in the evening.
So I settled for an assam pedas set which came with rice plus vegetablesand half a salted egg.
The dense stingray meat was drenched in tangy gravy, with a strong scent of tamarind. I gave this dish a 4/5 thumbs-up.
For dessert, I headed for the famous Cendol Bakar at Kg Assam Jawa.
Several cars crawled bumper-to-bumper at the drive-through beside a wooden hut. I noticed a separate sitting section consisting of rows of thatched shelters furnished with wooden benches and tables.
Having parked my car at the road shoulder, I joined the queue at a self-service counter and bought bowls of cendol durian and cendol pulut durian.
The caramel-like flavour of the palm sugar exuded a mild scorched aroma, and it danced a graceful joget with the soft custard-like durian.
Further down the road was a stall called Karipap King Kong. Displayed in a glass case were curry puffs each measuring about12cm by 10cm. Both chicken and beef were available.
When I sank my teeth into a chicken curry puff, its pastry crumbled like a wafer and the soft fillings burst with the aroma of kurma powder. I decided to buy two more for tea later in my room.
Then it was time for a bit of sightseeing. First, I headed to Jalan Besar in Bukit Rotan, which is nicknamed Street of Religious Harmony.
Along the road stands the Sri Shakti Dhevasthanam Temple, Tamil Methodist Church and Masjid An-Nuriah, all within shouting distances of each other.
As I stood in front of the temple to shoot photos, I recalled reading at the Sri Shakti Dhevasthanam Temple website that it was constructed in accordance with the “ancient Sirpa Aagamas (architectural scriptures)” and that its sanctum sanctorum features a sophisticated design known as “thundu pathirippu pathroba pahram”.
The five-tiered tower gate of the temple rises 24m high and its faÁade walls are decorated with sculptures of elephants and figurines.
As the temple was closed, I proceeded to Tanjung Keramat Fort at Jalan Tanjung Keramat.
After following posted signs to the fort, I ended at the foot of a hillock. A nearby concrete information plaque assured me that I was in the right spot. I got out of my car and tramped up a grassy path to the top.
However, I saw little to indicate the remnants of a fort except a broken wall, thick bushes and long grass.
Though the plaque says that the “Virgin’s Grave” is located nearby, I was not motivated to look for it.
My next stop before I checked into Firefly Park Resort was Masjid Nurul Hasanah in Kg Bukit Belimbing.
Though it is smaller than Masjid Jamek Sultan Ibrahim in Kuala Selangor, it’s an attention-grabber with its unique pyramidal roof topped with a golden dome.
The building’s portico sports a gable roof to conform to the sloping lines of the main roof. Together with a bigger overlapping roof, they make a strong architectural statement. Built in 1993 on a one-hectare land, the mosque can accommodate 500 people.
THE DAY AFTER
I flick my gaze from the Selangor River below me to the Historical Museum a short distance away.
As I scrutinise the nearby 27-metre high Altingsburg Lighthouse, I recall reading from information plaques in the museum that, true to his words, Sultan Ibrahim re-captured Fort Melawati in June, 1785 in a daring night raid.
However, now, the scene before me is not of war but of peace and laughter as children feed silver-leafed monkeys with bananas and other food.
Cameras click and monkey-food vendors ring their bells like ice-cream sellers.
Soon, a yellow tram arrives and its passengers alight. I climb aboard to continue my journey around Bukit Melawati. This is my second day in Kuala Selangor.
After visiting the Execution Rock, Royal Mausoleum, Poisoned Well, Seven Wells, Main Cannon and Freshwater Fish Park, the tram deposits me back at its starting point at the foot of the hill near a clock tower. I take a leisurely stroll to Auntie Foo Cafe for lunch.
More than a cafe, it also sells soft cuddly silver-leafed-monkey toys, postcards, second-hand books and tickets for firefly-watching cruises and eagle-watching tours.
Also displayed are bus schedules to/from Sekinchan and Tanjung Karang.
Hanging from wall, a blackboard lists the cafe’s best-sellers: coconut shake, teh cincau, cheesy chicken chop, black pepper chicken chop, nasi lemak rendang ayam and tuna sandwich.
The nasi lemak is satisfactory and not great enough to write home to my mum about but the coconut shake with vanilla ice cream is very refreshing.
My trip concludes with a quick stop at Qi Jian Xian Shi Fo Zu Gu Miao temple on Jalan Feri Lama in Pasir Penambang.
Dedicated to Lord Buddha, this two-level temple is unique as its upper level consists of a man-made cave with overhanging stalactites. The deity Di Zang Wang Pu Sa is worshipped here.
At Jeram, 15km south of Kuala Selangor, I make a quick diversion to Nam Yin Tong Temple.
Located on the southward-bound side of Jalan Sasaran, the temple stands beside Sasaran Art, a field filled with abstract sculptures. A giant colourful dragon coils around three exterior walls of the temple and its front compound displays granite statues of deities.