Was out to Kuala Selangor for a short day trip with family and friends yesterday. I have wanted to go to Kuala Selangor after looking at pictures in friend’s facebook.
It was an impromptu trip. At first, we decided to go for movie and followed by Russian food at Samovar Café, Solaris. Then, since my aunts are already in Kuala Lumpur, we decided to make the most of their stay.
We started the day late at noon. We used the new highway – LATAR highway via Rawang. It was a scenic highway with oil palm estate flanking both sides of the road. Since the highway is free till end of this month, we just make the most of it. It took us about an hour to reach Kuala Selangor from Selayang. Going there is rather easy – just follow the signboard till Taman Malawati.
When we got there, since it’s a Selangor public holiday, the road going up Bukit Malawati is closed to public. It’s closed on Saturday and Sunday as well. On weekdays, anyone can drive up or opt to get on the train too. The ticket cost adults – RM3 and children aged 6 – 12, RM1. The fee included a ride to and fro the top of the hill and a visit to a small aquarium. The interval to wait for train is about 20 – 30 minutes. The trains were rather punctual.
A handsome primate!
It was just a 5 minutes ride uphill and the train would stop at the place where the silver leaf monkeys gather. Everyone was rather excited to see the monkeys. The monkeys are not shy animals. The moment they see your hands carrying a packet of nuts or vegetables, they would jump on you! So, beware! There are some vendors selling nuts and vegetables to be fed to the monkeys.
The baby is golden yellow in color
There is also a small museum located at the top of the hill. It was just a mini museum with some old artifacts found on the hill when the place was excavated. Bukit Malawati overlooks the Strait of Melaka. I was told that, on good days with clear skies, we could actually spot Indonesia from the hill!
View of the lighthouse from the museum
There were also cannons, the remaining structures left by the Dutch and a white lighthouse near the museum.The weather was too hot and hazy to take photos. Most of the skies in my photos are grey or white!
Dried up lotus pond at nearby aquarium
After meeting the monkeys and visiting the museum, we took the train down to the aquarium. It was just a small aquarium place nearby a spooky swarm of drying lotuses. Many mosquitoes here, so be careful!
Pasir Penambang
We left the place after a short visit and made our way to Pasir Penambang for late lunch. We wished that we could have followed the crowd when it came to choosing which restaurant to frequent. We went to Riverside restaurant and the food was only average. Maybe we ordered the wrong dishes or perhaps they have changed cooks? The only thing that is nice, is probably the yam basket. It has fruits with mayo in it, which is really quirky. Taste wise is not too bad either. The fried sotong and steamed scallop in garlic and shallors are not that bad either. The rest of the dishes – omelette ocien, steamed red snapper, fried tofu, stir fried vege were so-so. Perhaps, the next time, we shall visit Jetty Restaurant, the restaurant just next to Riverview.
View from Riverview restaurant
We decided to swing by Sekinchan for a short visit but were disappointed because most of the paddy has been harvested and the place was left barren. We didn’t want to risk getting heat stroke either, so we made our way back to KL.
Fishing village in Sekinchan
That sums up our really short day trip to Kuala Selangor. We didn’t go to see fireflies because since it’s the 7th month of the Chinese Calendar, the elderly in our house forbid us to go. Oh well, perhaps next time, then. Anyway, I’ve visited the fireflies mangrove in Rompin before, so I guess the experience would be almost the same.
Pelemeni (siu long pao!) and some wrapped chicken
Minced lamb hummus
We ended the night having dinner at Solaris. My family members went to Ole Ole Bali and I went to Samovar, a Russian Café at Solaris instead. The food is rather special and I quite like the taste of the dishes we ordered. I am not very experienced lah when it comes to eating Russian food. To me, some of the dishes are like a cross between Turkish, Lebanese and Mediterranean food. Reasonably priced, it’s a quiet place, a good place to hang out, except when patrons decide to utilize their free karaoke. Haha! You may bring your own bottle of liquor, and they don’t charge corkage. A thing to note though – avoid the coffees at all costs!
