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| Sunday, July 05, 2009, 10.11 PM | |||||
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Home » FeatureStory
 ALTHOUGH small in size, Perlis is not without its attractions, foremost among which is its serene beauty – thanks to its rustic rural scenes and rolling padi fields. A major attraction in Perlis is Gua Kelam. Situated about 36km from Kangar, it was once well known for its high quality tin ore. Gua Kelam, or Dark Caves, boasts a 370 metre-long cave passage hollowed out from the limestone massive by an underground stream. A wooden walkway suspended along the entire length of the cave allows visitors to view the magnificent stalactite and stalagmite formations. The original cave was enlarged in 1935 by a resident Englishman to serve as a route for the transportation of tin ore. It is now a convenient way for local folk travelling on motorcycles to get from Kaki Bukit to the Wan Tangga Valley and vice versa. History has it that a Malay man, named Nayan from Kampung Kechor in Mukim Salang, and his wife Aminah from Wang Kelian started mining tin ore at Sungai Pelarit, near Gua Kelam. He later sold the mining area to Kong Fatt Mining Company. The average income of labourers during the boom years of 1920-1930 was between RM2 and RM4 per month. The dulang (tray) system was widely used. The dulang is made from wood, and slightly curved in shape. Miners dig up earth containing tin ore and put them into the tray which they gently rotate in a circular movement to wash away the unwanted particles, leaving behind the tin ore. Over time, miners went deeper and deeper and pits can be as deep as 200 metres. As it was very dark in the pit, miners had to bring along fire sticks made from damar. Downpours often flooded the pits, trapping and drowning miners. Another attraction in this northern State is the Perlis State Park. It is located along the western border of the State where Peninsular Malaysia meets Thailand. The park is situated on the longest continuous range of limestone hills in the country, called the Nakawan Range. The Nakawan Range has beautiful, heavily forested slopes, sheer cliff faces, streams and extensive cave systems. The forests are special as they include the White Meranti-Gerutu Forest which is a semi-deciduous forest, giving the area an Autumn feel when trees shed their leaves. Cross-border trading between Perlis and Thailand is booming as newly-opened border markets have proved successful. Wang Kelian in the Padang Besar district is on the Malaysia side, while Wang Phrachan is in Thailand. Visitors to this popular weekly market can cross the Thai-Malaysian border without having to show their passport provided they remain within the market area. Perlis and Thai authorities originally agreed to have Wang Prachan and Wang Kelian markets opened every Sunday. However, Malaysian merchants now sell their goods at the Wang Kelian market everyday as their businesses have proved very successful. Thai goods popular among Malaysians include plastic products, rice, fruit and vegetables, while Thais like to buy low-priced fuel and furniture from Malaysia. Malaysia plans to set up a new border commercial centre in Wang Kelian with the aim of making it as popular as Songkhla's Padang Besar. Its construction is expected to be completed within six months. Yet another attraction is the small picturesque lake, Tasik Melati, located about 8km north of Kangar. The lake is shallow with more than 150 sandbar islands on it. Visitors can row sampan to these tiny islands. Elevated walkways are found over the waters, thus providing vantage viewpoints and seating for visitors. This is a good time to visit the State as it is having its Visit Perlis Year, with the official launch taking place tomorrow at Tasik Jusoh.
 
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