#TravelTips | Accommodation at Taman Hutan Lagenda, Gunung Ledang

 
Takde idea nak tuliiiiiiiiissss…
 
This is basically what will happen once you lose the momentum, hence I usually prefer to write everything within one week so that my mood, flow and lenggok Bahasa/jalan cerita will be more or less the same. BUT NOOOOOOOO… I took few weeks to continue with my last blog entry on my Endau-Rompin trip, see what happened?!!? Jenuh dok bertapa nak dapat balik mood lah pulak.
 
Earlier on I wrote about where to stay in Endau Rompin (Selai) National Park, you can read it HERE. I figure I should do the same for Gunung Ledang as it too has its own proper accommodation at Taman Hutan Lagenda. Jom, let’s take a look shall we.

I have to use photos from public/google reason being we arrived late at night and I was among the last few to go into the dorm (yup! We stayed in a dorm)… hence the place was pretty much a mess and most of us dah bukak tedung bagai, so sis tak ler ambek gambo.
 
Dormitory
I saw 2 dorm buildings (but when I googled, it stated 3 lah pulak, Nampak sangat I tak jalan kat belakang-belakang tuh). The 3 dorm buildings can fit 120 pax which means you can actually do a family day here. Each dorm consist of :

• Double decker beds
• Pillow and blankets provided
• Metal lockers
• Ceiling fans
• Common bath area and toilets (female bath area and toilet are different from male, fret not)
• There’s an open area beneath the dormitory can be used for activities (and its free)
• Common surau, cooking and dining area located nearby

 
Standard Chalet
As I walk around the next day, I noticed that have a few chalets near the river, not bad jugak lah. Suitable for a family of 4 (or friends) and 8 chalets in total (located next to the park office). Each chalet consist of :

• 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom (2 pax per room)
• Master bedroom comes with airc-con
• 2nd room comes with fan
• Electric water heater in the bathroom
• Living room
• Kitchenette (however, no fridge and television tau. Kalau nak lebih-lebih gi JB)

 
Deluxe Chalet
They also have deluxe chalet catering for larger pax. But I did not go for a peep. Having said that, the basic amenities are the same as standard just that it is bigger in size.
 
 
 
Campsite
Total of three campsites at Taman Hutan Lagenda, namely :

• Lagenda campsite (accommodates 90 pax)
• Obstacle (OBS) campsite (accommodates 50 pax)
• Kolam Mahligai campsite (accommodates 40 pax)
• Common bathrooms and toilet
• Shared surau, cooking and dining areas (all located near each campsite)

 
Jungle Hut
I don’t even know where the jungle hut is, this place is huge obviously. Better to stay for 3d2n. Hahhaha…. This area is also pretty rugged and suitable for outdoorish folks.

• Accommodate only 3 pax
• Sleeping platform with 2 large PVC mattresses, 3 pillows and a wall fan
• As usual, common toilets, bathrooms, surau, cooking and dining area
• HOWEVER, no blankets nor towels provided

 

If you ask me, I will take the chalet but if budget is tight, dorm is good enough especially in large crowd – lagi seronok ramai-ramai satu bilik kan. Lepas MC Oni kita serang Johor JOM!!!
 
 
Gunung Ledang Johor National Park
P.O. Box 77, Batu 26, Jalan Segamat,
84020 Sagil, Ledang,
Johor Darul Ta’zim,
 
Office:     +60 6 963 1030
Mobile:   +60 19 777 2057
 
Email:      tamanhutanlagenda@yahoo.com
Facebook: Taman Negara Johor Gunung Ledang
Gunung Ledang Packages : https://www.johornationalparks.gov.my/v3/gunung-ledang-packages/

Sungai Ayer Puteh Waterfall and #TravelTips

If you are looking for an easy trail when visiting Gunung Ledang or even if you feel-feel wanna visit Gunung Ledang yet not wanting to climb us (I feel you dude), well… what you can do is just take stroll at Sungai Ayer Puteh and enjoy the waterfall. Don’t worry, it is not as tough as the want at Endau Rompin as this one is simpler and easier, most importantly this is pathed. Yup! There’s a proper path (hence I said stroll *wink*).

Am not sure whether is there any other way to get to the waterfall but I start the stroll from Taman Lagenda Gunung Ledang as I was staying here. Makes it rather easy I guess.

It is a loop trail so one can enjoy diverse riparian forest and streamscape (if there is ever such word, I can’t be calling it a riverscape as I feel it is to small kan), the of course the waterfall itself. The place is naturally taken care of, you’ll a few picnic area and gazebos along the stream suitable for family and group outings. Apparently if you are lucky enough, you might bump into black giant squirrel, dusky leaf monkeys and long-tailed macaques unfortunately we aren’t lucky. We only saw the tamed porcupine, Taman Lagenda Gunung Ledang popular resident. Will share more about the accommodation, surrounding and its resident – Bujang.

#TravelTips
1. Try to avoid school holidays and public holidays as it can get really crowded here.
2. Monson/rainy season is to be avoided especially, it is from November till February. This is for the fear of ‘kepala air’ or ‘large column of water’ (that rushes from upstream to downstream),  a very situation to be in.
3. Come in early, as parking me be scarce
4. Do not litter hence, bring own litter bag and dispose at your house or at proper a prober bin
5. Do not pluck any plant, ruin our beloved rainforest.
6. Do not feed wildlife. Human food is not healthy for wild and that it creates a  dependency on humans thus weakens the animals natural and it survival abilities. They can end up starving.

I found this on Wild Life Land Trust website and I thought it is good to share.

· Rinse all recyclable glass and plastic containers to remove any food remnants and odors. Some animals, like skunks, can get their heads stuck in containers and wind up starving to death.
· Cut and/or crush plastic containers, and cut each ring of plastic six-pack carriers.
· Feed your pets inside.
· Make sure plastic food wrap is rinsed and secured in a tied bag or securely covered garbage can.
· When visiting parks and similar settings, clean up after yourself and follow the rules regarding wildlife. Encourage others to do the same.

Gunung Ledang National Park (Taman Negara Gunung Ledang)
Batu 26, Jalan Segamat

Sagil, Tangkak
Johor

Photo credit : Azwan Ali 

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/azwanali/

Majestic Johor Eco Adventure Media Trip 2020 is in collaboration with Tourism Johor and all its sponsors with #GayaTravel Magazine as media coordinator.

Mee Siput | Johor’s Mamee (A Muar delicacy)

 
When I heard we gonna try Johor’s mee siput, I was overcome with joy. After all, I am so very hungry with the early morning activities. As the line was unstable at Taman Hutan Lagenda Gunung Ledang, I figure why should I even bother to google about mee siput kan. I should just use my creative and my smart ass brain to visualize how a mee siput would look and taste like. Rilek lah…
 
I was toying with the idea of should I blog or should I not, ‘if I were to blog, how would I angle this mee thingy?’. Should I just do a comparison with other states noodle (laksa Johor aside, cos I can do a ‘Laksa from every state’ article later-later [later-later = nanti-nanti. Camni lah I localize bahasa omputeh keh keh keh]). I was skewed to writing about mee udang, mee ketam, mee daging, mee ikan (fish noddle, popular among Chinese) AND MEE SIPUT.

Yup! This is how I gonna write it. Until lah I saw how the noddle looks like… have you guys seen/eaten mee siput before? Cos this is my first.

 
My expectation
Santan-ish soupy (with coconut milk gravy)
Siput sedut (mud creeper)
Fish cake
Spicy
Vege (namely tauge/green leafy vege)
 
In reality
Yup. Its dry like Mamee and you eat it like that jer

Kid you not. Okay okay… You don’t just eat it like that lah opkos. You put the sambal pedas manis on top and eat it like PIZZA (with hands). Some say you put both item in a plastic, crush it and then eat it. Bottom line is – NO GRAVY, NO VEGE, NO COOKING (well, the noodle is sold both raw and fried).

Imagine my shock and disappointment.
Penat jalan ikut the pakcik showing and explaining the mee siput-making process, and then I found out the noodle is served… Just. Like. That. Mau naik angin masa tuh. But you see, I am super cool lady hence I will not throw a fit just because the noddle is lacking in gravy, fish cake, slices and etc *eyes rolling*. So I did what any smart lady like me would do… and give a try. Tuh jer option pun kan.
 
Remember the song sung by arwah Sudirman?
‘To know Malaysia is to love Malaysia’.
Well, to love mee siput is to TRY mee siput.
And…. Mee Siput lah permenangnya (favourite line Khalishan).
Giler sedap hokkay. I bought 2 balang… sumpah tak tipu. You guys must must try, I think the sambal plays an important role, it is the sole contributor to the yumminess of the mee siput.
 
Here is how Johor’s famous old school snack is being made.

Mix the flour

Mee Siput is made of tepung gandum (wheat flour), tepung sagu (sago flour), air abu (sodium) and salt to taste.

Mix and knead the dough well

Flatten the dough and put it through the roller machine. Repeat the folding and rolling, dust it with flour if needed.

Cut into sections and feed the pasta sheets through the blade

Boil and later drain the water

Sun-dry it and later oven bake for packaging purpose

When searching, I found out that it is called mee siput due to the fact the noodle’s swirl resembles the snail shell. Snail in Malay is called Siput, just so you know (kot-kot lah omputeh baca, diarang bukan tau apa tuh siput kan). Aside from that, the noodle crunchy texture is similar to the shell of the snail itself (not that I have eaten a snail shell before hahhahah… kita bayangkan jer yek); ie. fragile and breakable.
 
Kak Chik Enterprise has been operating since 2012. They produced approximately 50kg a day for it to be distributed/sold all over Malaysia. Due to the high production volume, the ovens have to be custom made while other equipment is available in the market. I hope to see more of mee siput in Klang Valley, otherwise I will have to travel to Muar once a month for me to fulfill my craving.

 
Kak Chik Enterprise
KB 6 (B) Lorong 1, Kg. Sawah Ring
Grisek, Tangkak
Johor Darul Takzim
 
Mobile : +60196276578, +60196276570
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/meesiputkakchik/
 

Majestic Johor Eco Adventure Media Trip 2020 is in collaboration with Tourism Johor and all its sponsors with #GayaTravel Magazine as media coordinator.

My PACAT story | Endau Rompin (Selai) Takah Tempaang Waterfall

PACAT = Leech (that blood sucking worm like animal)

Despite that I absolutely love outdoor, I am no budak gunung; scared of pacat and get tired easily (mebbe weight problem kot ni 😋, takde kena mengena ngan gunung pun kan 🙄). Being a noob that I am when it comes to trekking, hiking, climbing or anything jungle… I will trust whatever Della says, the Mountain Queen. Hail!

Few days before we begin our trip to Endau Rompin (Selai) Johor, Della whatsapped us  on the packing list as she assumes most (if not all) are city kids. Ahhhh…. She knows us so very well. I immediately open the pdf file and saw the below list, I was pretty cool when reading it as everything is general knowledge then I saw the last item – YASSIN. Gulp. First thing that came to my mind was, Quran app is on my phone, Ayat Ruqyah and Yassin is under favourite. I got it - no worries.

Then it hit me, how scary will this trip be? Akan ada penampakan ke? Who is the team yang pandai baca-baca yek? I heard people say that Ayat Ruqyah ni panas… what if something shows itself? Ya Allah… sis ni jenis overthinking, terus menerus panic. I even thought on ditching the trip. But I was the one insisted to be in this trip *afcepalm*. I summoned all my courage and pack, InshaAllah we will be ok. Aamiin.

Except for item 11 & 12, I am set to go.
 
Things to bring/pack

1. Phone & camera
2. Sport shoes, hiking shoes, selipar getah (lupa nama, tapi diarang kata itu yang paling bagus)
3. Hat or cap
4. Leggings/shorts (if takut pacat [leeches] like me, pakai lah tights yea rakan-rakan)
5. Insect repellent (I even bought an anti-leech dulu-dulu socks, it works. Very avant garde 🕺hokkay)
6. Waterproof bag
7. Light snacks
8. Water bottle
9. Plastic sampah (jangan buang sampah dalam hutan, nanti Della marah, mothernature nangis)
10. Poncho
11. Headlamps (takyah kot)
12. Torch light (ni pun tak yah unless trek tengah malam, Memang tak lerrr)
13. Yassin (When I saw Della wrote this, I terus panic 👻... dok baca ayat kursi segala bagai masa trekking tuh)
 
You guys, feel free to add lah yek.

The day we did the trekking, I was overjoyed when I saw JPAM is with us and I (as usual) insisted that one is next to me reason being I operated my ligament a couple of years back (it was 50% torn and did not do my physio as instructed). At times, especially when going downhill it’ll hurt so I figure I should prep myself well. Demanding dak!?!
 
The trek is hard as we have to walk by the river cliff (korang leh bayang dak ni?), slippery due to the rain the night before, muddy (lecak) and lotsa and lotsa of leeches (pacat). Then we have to climb boulders and cross river (habis kasut basah bagai) just to see this Takah Tempaang waterfall (it better be worthwhile we said).

Some areas we do need to climb on steep slope, and some we need to jump over. boulders Me? I will go down on my two knees or sit and slide down, either this or kaki menggeletar turun. Takpe, pakaian kotor can be washed but if I injure my leg again (here in the jungle) someone will need to carry me back to the chalet. Padan muka korang, sis tak ringan tau. MUAHAHAHHAHHAAH (<- EVIL LAUGH, balas dendam).
 
We did arrive Takah Tempaang safely, the trekking took us approximately 2 hours or so. It was worthwhile. Do take note on my anti-leech socks, very avant garde gitew. The trip back was somehow faster or perhaps because we knew the route and what to expected.

My leech panic moment
Nope, it is not over till I say it’s over.
We got back to our chalet and freshen up before we call it a day. Everything went well, no leech sighting except 1-2 on my shoes and my avant garde anti-leech socks. Just FYI, how the socks works is that the material is very air tight that the leech will not be able to wiggle itself THROUGH the cloth (tak tau kain apa diarang guna but bagus lah!). I was pretty safe the whole trip and then…

As we left Endau Rompin (Selai) Johor National Park to Gunungn Ledang National Park, we decided to stop at the Shell for petrol and junk food. And I head to the ladies (toilet), and as I was ‘undo-ing’ (betul ke perkataan ni?) my jeans, I SAW A BIG FAT (KENYANG) LEECH stuck on my undie. I wanted to scream and decide against it as I don’t want to cause a commotion, I mean… my jeans obviously already down when I saw the leech. If I were to scream, no one will be able to help me cos I’ve locked the toilet door, right! I can’t unlock/open the door as it only means I have to put back my jeans of which I DEFINITELY won’t (the LEECH on my undie remember *eyes rolling*). I was confuse, I was in dilemma even though the leech has probably died (darah I manis sangat kot). The only thing I can do is to use the hose/pipe to pick it away. Sis kena berani hokkay, takkan nak lari keluar toilet dengan seluar camtu just to suruh orang tolong?!?! Viral pulak kang. Hahahhahaha…

Once I got the stupid leech out, I ran back to the van and share the scary experience with the group, this ‘friend’ of mine said :

‘Pacat tuh mati sebab kena penyet kat perut you yek?’ jujur dia bertanya. Nak maki-maki I rasa kat mamat ni.
(‘The leech died cos it got squeezed between your tummy is it?’ my dear friend asked sincerely. I felt like cursing him.

FINE!!!! I diet lepas ni. Makan dalam ok. HAHAHHAHHAHAHAA….
(FINE!!! I shall go on diet after thing. Got the hint)
 
📸 :  @picturesquephotostudio

Majestic Johor Eco Adventure Media Trip 2020 is in collaboration with Tourism Johor and all its sponsors with #GayaTravel Magazine as media coordinator.

#TravelTips | Accommodation in Endau-Rompin (Selai) Johor National Park.

 
As mentioned in my earlier blog entry (click HERE to read), I will be sharing on where to stay if you plan to visit Endau-Rompin (Selai) Johor National Park. No no…. don’t worry, this entry will be short as I can’t elaborate much on a place to stay (hence I recorded a video and posted on my Instagram).

Click HERE to watch the Instagram video.

We were lucky that they have allocated us the Family Chalet for us to spend a night here, the chalet was big and comfortable, most importantly it is very very clean and INSTAGRAMMABLE.

 
Accommodation
1. Standard Chalet 🏠
- RM120 p/chalet p/night
- 2 single bed, pillow + blanket
- Fan
- Attached bathroom
- Towel
- Kitchenette

Family Chalet

2. Family Chalet 🏘
- RM200 p/chalet p/night
- 2 bedrooms (2 single bed each room), pillow + blanket
- Fan
- Common bathroom
- Towel
- Kitchenette
- Living room

3. Dormitory 🏢
- RM10 – RM30 p/pax p/night
- Double decker bunk beds and lockers
- Fan
- Common bathroom
- Towel
- Common cooking area 

Dorm

4. Campsite ⛺
- RM3 – RM10 p/pax
- Able to fit 200 person at a time
- Common bathroom
- Common cooking and dining area.
- Bring your own tent

Click HERE to view the room video.

5. Jungle Huts 🏕
- RM80 p/hut p/night
- Basic huts with a sleeping platform, two large mattresses, 3 pillows and lights
- Fan
- Common bathroom
- Common cooking and dining area.

6. Others 🎒
- Bring own toiletries
- Bring own multi outlet wall socket/adapter (if you have many gadgets that is)
- Bring junk food/snacks

📸 : @eytajuwita

Chalet's balcony

They also have meeting room (this is the same place where they conduct most of their briefing) hence it is possible for you to do company team building at this place. All you need to do is to inform them on how many pax and cater the daily meal with them. Worry not, their caterer’s food is super yummeh (tak pernah tak habis hokkay). Shoud have taken photo of the food huh, sure takde orang percaya I said makanan sedap *facepalm*.

Basically you guys will be super comfy if you were to stay here lah, despite that you are in a tropical rainforest national park. Apa tunggu lagi, jemputlah datang.

Majestic Johor Eco Adventure Media Trip 2020 is in collaboration with Tourism Johor and all its sponsors with #GayaTravel Magazine as media coordinator. 

Water tubing at Endau-Rompin (Selai) Johor National Park

 
I missed the Rawa and Sibu Island Media Trip earlier and I told them organizer that if Johor trip comes about, please oh please include me in (waima gi JB sekali pun).
 
You see, I don’t have that many blog entries on Johor, and despite I know there’s a lot out there for me to write (don’t even get me started… the culture, food, historical places and all the national parks – both sea and land). When I heard there’s gonna be another one, I told them to include me in and I will fled even if my boss said no (cos she said requested I cancel the earlier one, she kinda owe me one). So the drama begins when I got to know the trip will be covering Johor National Parks. *gulp*. Me and park are not actually the best of friends, am sure you readers out there know me by know *eyes rolling*. But since I made a vow to myself (not that smart now huh), I am gonna honour my own vow. Die die I will.
 
I saw the itinerary and my worst nightmare flooded my brain cell…. P.A.C.A.T (for those that don’t know, tropical rain forest is famous for leeches of which feared by many, aside from well… tigers, snakes, wild boars and etc). Calm down I told myself, there’s a solution to everything kan. First thing first, let’s make a list (i) insect repellent, (ii) minyak angin, (iii) insect repellent, plaster, (iv) insect repellent, (v) Panadol and more (vi) insect repellant. That should cover the 3d2n trip right *smirk*. (Just so you know, I bought this leech stoking that looks really avant garde at the Endau Rompin National Park office.)

There’s a few activities that enveloped our fam trip. And I personally think it was a cool idea having an event that rides on another event that rides on another event… One can reangle many a times. They organized a CSR activity in collaboration with Regency Hospital Johor for the Kampung Orang Asli Selai, which includes giving away sanitisers and educating them on the importance of hygiene especially during the pandemic. Nonperishable foods were part of item given, books and colour pencils were also given to the kids. In order to bring these foods from the city to Selai, Tourism Johor join forces with Johor Trucks, a 4x4 truck club that act as the main transporter. To top things up, they also teamed up Kelab Basikal Johor (Johor Bicycle Club) to do an off road/mountain-biking from town right up to Endau Rompin and Gunung Ledang National Park. This is to encourage off road biking as one of the activities and also promotes nature to the younger generation. And media is to cover and rediscover the beauty of both national parks that are often overlooked. A good 360 marketing tactics, great job guys!

Check out Fahmi's video taken at Endau Rompin - Kampung Orang Asli Selai.

Many might not know about this, Johor to boast to have the most National Parks in Peninsular Malaysia and that Endau-Rompin (Johor) National Park is the largest protected area in the southern half of Peninsular Malaysia. Established in 1993, this ancient rainforest is a protected tropical rainforest covering south of the state of Pahang and northeast of Johor. Thus making it the second-largest national park in Peninsular Malaysia after Taman Negara.
 
There are 3 official entry points to Endau-Rompin National Park, whereby 2 of them are in Johor.
 
1. Peta
- Via Kumpung Peta, Kahang (Johor)
- Entrance located along the eastern boundary in the district of Mersing
 
2. Selai 
- Via Selai, Bekok (Johor)
- The Western boundary in the district of Segamat
 
 
Below are the activities that are being offered at Endau-Rompin (Selai) Johor National Park, I can proudly say we managed to do 3 out of the 6 below.
 
1. White water tube rafting
2. Orang Asli (Aborigines) Village (to learn on custom/culture/handicraft)
3. Trekking to waterfalls
4. Bird watching
5. Mountain climbing
6. Mountain biking
 
📸 : @picturesquephotostudio
 
We were briefed on safety on how to handle the tube prior to us wiggled waggled ourselves into the tube (it ain’t easy I tell you that). Life vest and helmet are a crucial gear in this (or most) extreme sport, we were also told how the course would be and what to expect. Instructor is with us managing each cluster and that JPAM will be at the disembarkation point. Yes, I do feel safe. By the way, JPAM was with us the whole trip on special request as it involves a few extreme sports.

If you have experienced Kuala Kubu Bharu white water rafting on water level 3 before then tubing in Endau Rompin is similar. Very technical as you need to ‘bump bump bump’ on your own *eyes rolling* and maneuver the tube a lot. It’s tough because the tube is round hence it kept twirling when we bump on the he rocks.

Towards the end I fell off… noticed by many (masa tuh lah nak jatuh pun, tempat dalam pulak tuh. Nasib baik ada life vest. Hilang glams). 
Verdict : Challenging? Yes, Fun? Super yes, it was WORTH IT.

Will share on where to stay in my next blog post.

Majestic Johor Eco Adventure Media Trip 2020 is in collaboration with Tourism Johor and all its sponsors with #GayaTravel Magazine as media coordinator.

Belangkas = Horseshoe Crab

Do you know that I never knew what belangkas was until I was in upper secondary. I studied in Chinese school so the word belangkas (heard it from an idiom) was pretty foreign to me, and mind you, there’s no Google back in those days. So my relatives have to describe to me how a belangkas looks like (nampak sangat budak bandor). Of course thanks to Mark, I finally knew how it looked like and to why we say ‘ke hulur ke hilir macam belangkas’ {yup! my ‘ah=hah!’ moment)… when I knew that I will be going to a Horseshoe Crab Aquaculture or Sedili Kechil Horseshoe Crab Farm And Hatchery / Pusat Ternakan Dan Penetasan Belangkas, I flip with joy.

Since I am ignorant, I thought I should share infos of what I’ve learnt. Enjoy!

• Horseshoe crab existed 200 million years before dinosaurs even existed, its ancestors can be traced back to 445 million years ago.
• The life span of an horseshoe crab is up to 20 years.
• Surprise! Horseshoe crabs are not true crabs, in fact it is actually related to arachnids.

• Horseshoe crabs live around shallow coastal waters on soft sandy or muddy bottoms.
• They come onto shore to mate, kid you not.
• Females are about 20–30% larger than males.
• The female horseshoe crab digs a hole in the sand and lays her eggs while the male(s) fertilize them.

• The female can lay between 60,000 and 120,000 eggs in batches of a few thousand at a time.
• Most interesting part, because of the copper present in hemocyanin, hence their blood is blue. They are practically royal hokkay.

So how was it? Great infos huh!

Pusat Ternakan Dan Penetasan Belangkas

Kampung Sedili Kechil

81900 Kota Tinggi

Johor

Jom, Johor Fam Trip is in collaboration with Johor Tourism and all its sponsors with #GayaTravel as media coordinator.

Origin | Baju Kurung Johor

Kurung Riau unik sekali

Selesa dipakai semua bangsa

Anggun klasik sentuhan seni

Baju Melayu kancing suasa

Many might not know to why is the baju kurung Johor is also called baju kurung Teluk Belanga. Well, Teluk Belanga or the Belanga Bay is a place located in Singapore, and it is designed by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1866 to celebrate the transfer of Johor's capital from Belanga Bay in Singapore to Johor Bahru. Thus, Teluk Belanga design became the trademark for baju kurung Johor and is now simply referred as baju kurung.

What makes baju kurung Johor unique is in its design, its round collared neck with a slit in front comes with ‘tulang belut’ or cross stitch around the collar that looks like a chocker or necklace. The neater and cleaner the cross stitches are, the more regal it looks. Workmanship of a ‘tulang belut’ is often highly praised if it the gap is closer and tighter, and it is hard to find a tailor that can stitch beautiful and neat tulang belut nowadays, hence the cost of a ‘tulang belut’ baju kurung is expensive and a good tailor is high sought after my designer.

Baju kurung in Johor are known for its 3 main design namely baju kurung pesak kekek, baju kurung pesak gantung and baju kurung cekak musang. Here is where it became interesting, I’ve come to realized that a lot of youngster are not aware of the pesak or the panel on the side of bodice, and the importance of it. There are 2 types of pesak in a baju kurung – pesak kekek and pesak gantung, baju kurung is worn with a matching sarong with triple pleats for easier movement for the wearer.

Pesak kekek (kekek = gusset) is long sleeves loosely cut tunic dress, straight cut due to the pesak where else the pesak gantung (gantung = hang) cut is more shapely yet not figure hugging and it makes the wearer taller and slimmer.

In the olden days, a baju kurung is also paired with a sarong accessories drape either on its shoulder (selempang) or covering the female’s head (kelubung). The sarong is also styled on top of the dress which is popularly know dagang luar, where else for male, the sarong or samping is often worn underneath the baju melayu Johor and this style is know as dagang dalam.

Every part of the malay attire that symbolizes the malay culture or religion. For example, in wearing a samping above the knee represents a single/unmarried man, below the knee means that he is already married. However, if a married man is wearing a samping above the knee, perhaps he is ‘searching’ for another (wife/girlfriend). Baju kurung or baju me’ayu Johor usually comes with 1 button symbolizing of our one and only god, a baju melayu with 5 buttons represents Ruk5 pillars of Islam and our 5 prayers a day.

What makes it even beautiful is that it Is made of Tenun Johor or Johor woven fabric such as Tenun Johor Tanjung Piai, Tenun Johor Mayang Selida, Tenun Johor Corak Muar Berbunga Renek and many more. You can learn about Baju Kurung Johor and Tenung Johor at Yayasan Warisan Johor/ Johor Heritage Foundation.

Yayasan Warisan Johor/ Johor Heritage Foundation

Kompleks Warisan Sultan Abu Bakar,

Lot 888, Jalan Sungai Chat

80100 Johor Bahru, Johor

Tel : +6 07-221 3148 / +6 07-224 5488

Email : pengurusan@ywj.gov.my

Jom, Johor Fam Trip is in collaboration with Johor Tourism and all its sponsors with #GayaTravel as media coordinator.

Teluk Sengat Crocodile World in Kota Tinggi, Johor

Reluctant to visit yet another crocodile farm (been to a few in my life PLUS there’s a lot of ‘buaya darat’ lurking around) proved to be beneficial and educational for me.

Here is where I found that when one is being thrown into a family business, grabbed the opportunity and make it her own has resulted to the birth and success of the Crocodile World Farm, popularly visited by many – locally and internationally. And I am glad to have met her and be able to tell this story.

The Crocodile World must be highlighted when we talk about Teluk Sengat as it was a crocodile farm with nearly a century worth of history, housing more than 1,000 of crocodiles, with the oldest one aged 155 years old. It started when Huang Yan Yue and son Chuang Zhou tried to breed crocodiles they captured from nearby rubber estates. The number grew tremendously, together with their skillset in handling and breeding them, the passion and determination has turned it into one of the biggest crocodile farm around this district.

The farm has currently passed down to the third generation, Huang Guo Ting and it is opened to the public, with admission tickets required. There is also a shop located at the main street of the new village selling crocodile meat cuisine. Some believe that crocodile meat can cure asthma.

I was told that some of the baby crocs live with them (you heard me right alright), she goes on sharing her experiences and knowledge on crocodiles of which you I am sharing with you at the bottom of this entry. For the first time in my life, I am able to hear how a crocodile sounds like, how their eyes work and the fact about their eggs. All this info was rather overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, am still scared shit of this vicious creature but my perception of it has changed slightly.

Educational and fun facts on saltwater crocodile or buaya tembaga that we've learnt during our visit to Crocodile World in Teluk Sengat, Johor recently.

#TravelTips 1 : Located 1 hour from Johor Bahru and 20mins from Kota Tinggi town.

TravelTips 2 : Over 1000 crocodiles available in the Teluk Sengat Crocodile Farm

TravelTips 3 : Some of the crocodiles here are more than 100 years old

TravelTips 4 : Baby crocodile makes squeky sound.

TravelTips 5 : Apparently they are scared of thunder or roaring sound that is lounder than them. They'll be all stressed out and probably die within 3-7 days

TravelTips 6 : Crocodile egg has 80% and 20% egg white (swipe for pic)

TravelTips 7 : Expensive crocodile skin is from the belly part

TravelTips 8 : Saltwater crocodile have a long lifespans, it is able to live more than 100 years old.

TravelTips 9 : Crocodiles' tongues are attached to the roof of their mouth hence it can't stick its tongue out.

TravelTips 10 : Crocodiles sleep with one eye awake.

The sense of appreciation is there now but the fear, still intact.

Teluk Sengat Crocodile World Farm

Lot 1289 and 1290

Jalan Sembilan

Kampung Belading

Teluk Sengat

Kota Tinggi, Johor

Operating Hours

 9:00am – 6:00pm

Admission Fee

Adult - RM8

Children - RM4

Jom, Johor Fam Trip is in collaboration with Johor Tourism and all its sponsors with #GayaTravel as media coordinator.