Kukup Malaysia Trip (Entry 1 of 3)

We had planned this trip for quite some time now. Me, Faddy, Eddyboi and LTS, just the four of us went to Kukup Malaysia for two days (7-8th July)

How it began

What started out as an email of exchanges between us, we finally made the trip a realization last week. It’s a good thing we have a seasoned established traveler in the form LTS to spearhead the group. Faddy was the pre-trip researcher most of time while me and Eddy was the extra-extra with our suggestions and feedbacks

I really love the trip. It isn’t your usual package trip. We threw caution to the wind and most part of our whole trip decisions was impromptu and planning was last minute. We seek help from the locals, for most part they were helpful and it went well. We went to places that’s prohibited, ate to our hearts content, played a fool alot and took lotsa pictures. No self posing, flaunting here or food photos as with typical blogs.

Each of us was armed with a camera. We went and mingle as a group but we also respect each other space. We were in our own world at times and know not to meddle each other boundaries when taking photos or in our emo moments.

The place … Kukup or Kukop?

Kukup after being there, is a town on stilts. A community of houses is built over a wide mangrove area. There’s of course the usual kampungs houses on normal land but for most houses, they’re above the sea.

Fishing is the main ricebowl for most of the natives there, with the exception for the businesses by the roadside at main city area. The area is located is on the open seas of the Straits of Malacca. Nearby you can even see the Indonesia shores

Getting there, Saturday morning 7th July

I woke up bright and early around 6.45am. My last overseas trip was a year ago. I had to dust off my passport when I searched my drawers for it. I even had problems inputting some of the customs white card particulars, keke. It’s been awhile …

I was still recovering from my flu. A tinge of sore throat still lingers plus the running nose is bugging the hell out of me. At last meet up a week into the trip, I had met Faddy. She too was recovering from a flu as she told me. So basically we went to Kukup with two sick rascals. I do hope we didn’t pass our flu to the other two rascals.

I had packed the night earlier and promptly met Faddy at Boon Lay MRT at 8am. We then set out to Jurong East MRT where Eddy await us at the train platform. We then made our way to Woodlands customs checkpoint, went across the causeway and waited for our star karat, LTS, who was late.

Upon the arrival of our LTS, we took a chartered car. It was driven by ‘Cik Man’, a simple and friendly chap who has driven previous Singapore adventure seeker like us to Kukup. The drive took some 1 hour plus. We arrived Kukup mid afternoon.

The weather sucks

The day was set in motion that morning when the grey clouds promise a wet day. Indeed it did. It showered when we started our trip from Singapore to Kukup. It kinda feels lame lah, we were all set for a bright cheerful day as the past two days it was absolutely hot and dry! Aaah well we told ourselves not to get too upset over things we can’t control and make the best out of it

Upon arrival at the town, we first had to seek a place to stay. So we asked the business owner there who directed us to god-knows where, keke. The main town area is on land but as we set on a path what it seems like the outskirt of the town, we could see the houses beyond that was on stilts and narrow concrete path. It seems everyone was on bicycle. The main transport mode to move around there.

LTS decides to ask one of the local about the best place to get a room. It just so happen one friendly chap with his granddaughter in tow was helpful. He directed us to walk to the chalet at the end of the path. We found an unoccupied chalet house.

It was at the very end of the community housing. Beyond the stilts pathway, we can see the open seas. The backyard of the chalets is the mangrove. At first the smell was overpowering, but you get used to it. Kinda like salty fishy stench smell. This is no Singapore but hey I’m here for some adventure, if it stinks, make it stinkier please.

After much hassling with the owner, LTS managed to bargain the house to RM$160 for two days of stay. That’s makes out SG$20 per person. I think its worth the bargain as it’s really a big house. Spacious. Too spacious for just the four of us. We only occupied the living room. The other four rooms was left unoccupied.

The photo taking begins

After quickly taking care of our accommodation, to our surprise, we went to the town square for some lunch plus surveying the area while going there. So came out our digital cameras. I think the three of them uses Canon brand while I’m using Konica Minolta digital camera.

We were on our own world. Every five steps we took, we stopped and took photos of anything that interest us. Each of us has different varying styles in taking photos. I have more interest in taking faces and people. Their actions, reactions and smiles. Or frowns, anything human, attracts me

It’s the first time I used up my AA camera battries so quickly. I was glad I brought extra backup batteries which was put to good use. The town folk there was very friendly. Our every attempt to enter a place or permission to an area, they gladly obliged. We went to the kelong, police boat station and even garden on stilts.

Night time

After our photo taking mania moment, we went to the town for a lunch at a stall. If you’re in Kukup and you noticed there’s none or lesser customers compared to other stall, most likely that stall food sucks. We ordered this Maggi Goreng and it kinda bland. Too soggy infact

After makan, I think we went back to the chalet. I can’t recall, keke. I’m getting old lah. We had a short nap before we went to the town again for some seafood session. I think each person paid less than SG$12 for dinner. We had prawns, fish, veggies to squid. I’m like the vacumn cleaner, cleaning up the extra left over and making sure the plates are empty. Hahaha

Our chalet comes with a karaoke system, DVD, flat TV and a huge speakers! Yeah too bad I wasn’t in the mood for karaoke due to my sore throat and cough. We wanted to scare ourselves silly later on in the night. So we then decided buy horror scary movies.

Upon getting back to our ‘home’, we washed up. Everyone was getting acquainted to the unique toilet. There’s no sanitary piping system to transport your feces to the excrement facility, but the toilet bowl is just one big gaping hole. The shit will drop to the mangrove below. This is what I call ‘Getting back to nature’.

We then laid out four roll-on beds onto the floor. The horror movie started. Out of the two movies we bought, the first one didn’t live up to expectation. It was a Thai horror movie. Thais are known for their scary movies, but this one was lukewarm.

The other one is a Malay one about Kuntilanak. Kuntilanak which is about a person who has powers to control these apparition and freaks of nature.

Our LTS is cute. She’s the scary type. At every scary scene, she would creep to Faddy side closer and closer, who was next to her. My bed was on the left facing the TV, then Faddy, LTS and then Eddy.

The boys was on the outside, while the girls was sandwich between us. LTS would even put her palm up, covering her view of the TV screen fearing she might see anything that might scares the hell out of her. So I reckon, she only watched like a quater of the whole movie, haha!

By the end of the show, LTS who was on her own side of the bed, LTS was now right beside Faddy, on Faddy’s side of the bed. The whole night, it was her making the shrieks and frightening shouts. Hilarious lah. And it was her idea to rent the horror movie in the first place!

I like night time as it was a fun night. It very much reminds me of my childhood time when we as a family would sleep together in our one room flat. I didn’t realise how small my house back then, but it never felt anyone was cramping my style or space, you know that type of feeling. And your siblings just enjoy poking fun at each other in font of the TV while lying down. It was the same that night.

Anyway here’s the rest of my photos I took at Kukup. There’s plenty more, but I don’t want to cockup this entry with too many photos

Look out for Part 2 of my Kukup entry …