It was a sunny afternoon of 28th April 2012. After enjoying a meal we prepared ourselves, we embarked on a memorable journey to the estuary landscapes of Bagan Datoh and Bagan Pasir, Perak.( F.Y.I.-Bagan Datoh and Bagan Pasir are sleepy hollow fishing villages located on the fertile estuary lands of Hilir Perak. The Hilir Perak area is sandwiched by two rivers systems- Perak River and Bernam River. The Perak river is the main river that cuts through the whole landscape of Perak state and drains an area of 14900km2. It is the second longest and largest river in Peninsular Malaysia after Pahang River. The Bernam River snakes through and functions a a geological and political divider between Perak state and Selangor state). For more info do visit the official website of Bagan Datoh here-http://telecentre.my/BaganDato/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=5&lang=en )
As you can see Bagan Datoh and Bagan Pasir are located on the delta of Hilir Perak.The fertile land was once the largest producer of coconut in Malaysia.
Speeding at about 80km/h on a bumpy kampung road, we reached our first destination- Bagan Pasir. A jetty is under construction there but it still could not match the beautiful scenery and amazing animals awaiting us there.
The rivermouth meets a sandy beach,with mangroves lining the beach
happy with the scenic background
A beautiful creation of God- transparent little shrimp.
Horseshoe crab. A living fossil. It has been around since 450 million years ago.Dinosaurs started to exists approximately 230 million years ago! Talk about survival of the fittest.
Quite weird looking,but its ancient design has seen its success to survive for millions of years.Unfortunately, due to habitat destruction and overfishing this marvelous species is dwindling in numbers at an alarming rate.Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_crab
After lots of camwhoring and exposure to harmful UV rays 😛 we set out to the fishing village in Bagan Pasir.
Arriving at the fishing village was like a pleasant stroll down memory lane for me, but it was an exciting new experience for Jen.
The first thing that came to mind was- very “Taiwan” like feel. Indeed, with the very oriental designs and decor, the Hokkien dialect vibrating loud in the air ; it almost feels like being transported to a Taiwanese fishing village .
The straightway into Bagan Pasir Laut fishing village
A wonderful palette.Vividly colored boats contrasts well to the dark woods of the bridges atop azure blue sky.
Take two of the same view
Jen posing at the bridge of two previous shots.
Unfortunately, we missed the Ham Jian ( Hokkien for fried cockles). This dish is a must have if you visit Bagan Pasir. It is dish comprising of fresh cockles and onions stir fired in a tapioca flour and egg batter. Very savory- the salty yet sweet cockle, coupled with the chewy texture of tapioca flour. The shop was closed by the time we arrived. A kind neighborhood vendor told us operating hours is everyday from 2-4 pm only. We made a promise, we’ll be back for it !!!
Next stop- Bagan Datoh.
Arrived at Bagan Datoh around 6pm. The jetty was there, lit by the warm rays of the setting sun. Spent a few hours there basking under the warm sun, feeling the fresh breeze caressing our skin and the occasional gusts of wind making our hair so messy, its hard to take a nice pic. Literally, just chillax-ing !
Warm hues welcomed us to the famous Bagan Datoh jetty
the riverbank opposite the jetty
With the famous jetty as backdrop 🙂
Jen and Yours truly
Soon, we were headed to Hutan Melintang for dinner.
The dining spot is called Restoran Chang Ko Ha or in mandarin 小芳芳海鲜饭店 . It is located at the bend of the road right after a small jetty in Hutan Melintang. (Feel free to contact us to get the directions to it). I recommend this place with confidence to all foodies out there. Pricing is reasonable and the seafood are all caught by the owner himself. It never gets more fresh than this. Since only two of us are dining, we didn’t order too many dishes. But we will be back for more food tasting and of course, critic-ing 😛
( P.S. If you guys by any chance get to dine there, do try out their claypot catfish, Hokkien- Hia Wei To Shat Cantonese- Nga Po Tong Sat ie. 瓦煲塘虱 and fried sea eel Hokkien-Muahu Ji, Cantonese- Jin Hoi Man Yee ie. 海鳗鱼煎)
Just a normal- stir fried lettuce topped with garlic.
Fried eel. a dish that i’d recommend to all. Fresh sea eels fillet fried in tempura-like batter. Crispy and fragrant in the outside, succulent and soft in the inside. Best fried fish in town.
The fried Mantis shrimp Kung Po style. The chef did a good job in not over-frying the shrimp. The kong Po sauce was a great balance of sweet, savory and spicy !
The three dishes that wrapped up our fun filled one day excursion !
After all those happy,satisfying and satiating moments, finally, it was time to call it day. Drove back to Teluk Intan under a starry sky.
Sincerely,
Goh
(P.S. This is the first article about our adventures. Hope you guys enjoyed reading this article and find the information we provided useful and educative. Our aim in this article is to educate the masses on the beauty of Malaysian estuaries esp around Hilir Perak area. More is yet to come! We are traveling around for good food, great natural sites, superb fishing spots and most importantly to- ENJOY ! From now on, we will regularly post our fun adventures to share with the world. Do browse through our posts and subscribe to us. Thank you.)
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