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| Sunday, July 05, 2009, 09.49 PM | |||||
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Home » ShortbreakEcozone
Ironically, these are described in tourism brochures of Perlis: “The landscape here is dominated by 8,000 hectares of lush sugarcane plantations. The seemingly endless expanse of greenery is truly a sight to behold”. So where are they? Why are there no signages to direct visitors to these visual marvels? Visitors like me who want a glimpse of this “endless expanse of greenery” ended up driving in circles and saw red instead! It was already 5.20pm and if we don’t find it in the next hour, we would have to give up when the sun set. Desperately, we stopped to ask for directions (again) and was told to drive back to the Cima (Cement Industries Malaysia) factory, a landmark we passed earlier. We did just that and soon found ourselves on a road just across the factory. We drove past a few villages and rubber plantations for 20 minutes and came to the construction site for the new Perlis prison building. Then we spotted a small signboard pointing to Felda Chuping and followed a sign that led us to Kampung Felda. A right turn near a dead end of the road in the kampung opened up to… guess what? That vast “expanse of greenery”! Wow! It was indeed a sight to behold. From a distance, it looked like a massive grassland that stretched in every direction. The further we drove along, the more the beauty unfolded. Rows after rows of sugarcane plants tapered into green valleys, with the fields on their sides rising into rolling hills. Tracks for farm vehicles meandered in between the rows of plants with intertwined leaves that glimmered softly in the setting sun. It was with reluctance that we left the area and found ourselves driving along what seemed to be a fairly new highway. A roundabout had one arm pointing to Kangar and another to Kodiang in neighbouring Kedah. That would have been an easier route to get to the plantations. Peek Into History The next day, a drive from Kangar to Kuala Perlis through Jalan Tok Kuning led us to the Kota Kayang museum, housed in a wooden building on stilts. The doors and sections of walls are adorned with intricately-woven buluh bertam (a species of bamboo) and woodwork with traditional floral motifs. A moat with water lilies in the front courtyard and a pond within a lovely landscaped garden at the back lent a peaceful air to the place framed by towering limestone hills. The eight hills – Papan, Tok Poh, Lambung Panah, Nasi Sebungkus, Besi Hangat, Lagi, Medan and Kubu – were the perfect backdrop for rulers in the old days for building a fort. The fort, Kota Indera Kayangan, was built during the reign of Sultan Dhiauddin Makarram Shah 1, the 15th Sultan of Kedah who ruled from 1661 to 1687. It housed a palace and a community hall. The fort was connected to the sea via a waterway that linked the Raja River and Perlis River. The Sultan died in 1688 and was buried in the fort. After his death, he was called Al-Marhum Kayang Pertama and was best remembered for the construction of man-made canals for water transport and farm irrigation from Perlis River to Anak Bukit in Kedah. He also introduced silver-copper alloy coins and the new laws called the Kedah Laws. His tomb is marked by a yellow arch that stands atop a small hill not far from Bukit Kubu where a recreational forest park that’s linked to the museum grounds. The museum chronicles the history of Perlis and displays include royal regalia and pre-history artifacts. Major pre-historic habitation sites of hunters and gatherers have been identified in many limestone caves in Perlis, including those at Bukit Tok Panjang and Bukit Bintang. Herbal Heaven At the foot of Bukit Bintang, near Matsa Ayer and Sungai Batu Pahat, we found a herbal heaven. Taman Herba or Herbal Garden is full of herbal plants. It’s like entering a green paradise with giant bursts of trees topped by delicate foliage. It was even more delightful to learn about the medicinal properties and stories of the different species of herbs and spices. Did you know that ornamental plants like the Japanese bamboo have healing properties? Drinking boiled tubers of the bamboo can help get rid of kidney stones. Now I will be looking at similar bamboo plants in my own garden with different eyes! Nearby is Taman Botani, also called an ethno botanical “museum” with tall, luxuriant trees of many species. We saw plots of Tongkat Ali, pokok Jati and other trees. There’s even a golf course. A short turn from the golf course led us to the Napoh Wildlife Conservation Centre where napoh (a hoofed animal slightly bigger than kancil) as well as kijang are bred in their natural habitat. Plant nurseries, mango and other fruit farms also dot the area. Perlis relies heavily on agriculture for its economic coffers, with rice, sugarcane, rubber, mango, watermelon and teakwood as major cash earners. Perlis mango Harumanis is very much in demand for its fragrance (harum) and sweet (manis) taste. But what came as a surprise are vineyards set against the misty Bukit Bintang. The spectacular panorama of the vineyards burst into view at an unexpected stretch after a mango orchard by the hillside. The land and cool condition here are conducive for growing grapes. Several varieties are grown, including New White Malaga, Green Perlette and Black Opal and the State is expecting its first harvest this year. Rural Tranquillity Taman Ular (snake farm), Sungai Batu Pahat Recreational Park and Bukit Air Recreational Forest Park are all in the vicinity of the foothills. Though the river at Bukit Air Park was murky, it did not stop fun-seekers from taking a dip in the natural pool fed by waterfall. Malay girls and women in tudung jumped in fully clothed. Families sat in shady areas to enjoy a picnic and couples huddled close in quiet spots, oblivious to bold signs erected in the area, carrying translations of Quranic verses. In essence, these mean “though you may be away from people’s eyes, you can’t escape from being seen by Allah”. It was obviously a place popular with locals who were predominantly Malay Muslim. For city folk, Perlis is a rural oasis of sorts. There are lots of greenery with padi fields and limestone hills dominating the landscape. Then there is the sea as well as lakes, rivers and forests. The central experience there is savouring the tranquility that only Nature can provide. Pictures by ZAABA JOHAR
 
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