Continuing from
Muar river cruise part II...
The Muar bridge is just right in front. Built sometime in the early 1970s (before that, people have to take ferries to get across), its monolithic components never fail to astound the nostalgic child in me!
Hah... A better view of what's underneath... There's a part of me that felt like jumping off-board the boat to lodge at one of the foundations...
Then the sky got clearer again with some fishing boats mooring at the southern river side right of the boat... We are clear pass the bridge...
And in tandem with that, a good view of the supermarket on the northern side...
Further up right is the Muar wet market building which houses its own urban legend...
I turned my head to snap a picture of the Muar bridge which we have left behind...
A closer view of the wet market... Looks like a giant barge or some sort of floating building isn't it? A few years back, just under 5 years or so ago, someone (or was it a few persons) claimed to have seen a giant snake with head as big as a Kancil car staring from the waters underneath the market! The story says that the snake is a kind of abomination which have lived under the market for ages feeding from the left-over carcass of animals slaughtered at the market!
The story goes further that the snake was hiding there because it was afraid of the legendary white crocodile of the Muar river. Hmm... This is beginning to sound like and episode from Ultraman! Nevertheless, many believed it and swallowed the stories hook, line and sinker. So much so that another story spreaded around saying a few bomohs (magic and mystics practioner) were being engaged to call the giant snake out in front of everyone!
The story got a substantial number of Malaysians excited. It made the pages of a few magazines as the tale spreads out prompting tens of thousands from as far up north as Perlis to converge in Muar and witness the breathtaking spectacle expected ahead!
As it turns out, the creature never showed its face. Now I remember... They said it didn't show its face because it was afraid of the great white giant Muar river crocodile. Can you believe that?
Nevertheless, many Muar traders made a hefty sum that day including those who sells food and souvenirs. Perhaps they were the ones who 'saw' the creature in the first place?
Oh... Next to the wet market is the Bentayan food hawkers complex. Notice the space underneath the middle of the building? Believe it or not, that is the mouth of the river Bentayan... Now, that is one historical piece of a place...
Official history recorded that here lies the last stand of the Melaka Malays against the invading Portuguese army right after the fall of the city of Melaka in 1511. Perhaps the giant snake is a remnant of that era? Who knows...
A little further up and we approached the first bend (or curve?) of the Muar river... Now, my cheap camera might not be able to catch the sight as it is but this should be enough to tell you that right in the middle of the picture, some 2 kilometres away lies the second Muar bridge completed about three years ago to divert the growing traffic out of main town.
Too bad we didn't cruise further upriver. As the boat weaves to make a turn, part of me was complaining inside... Is this trip really worth the RM10 I paid? I thought they said the cruise would last 40 minutes but I think I have counted to only slightly over 20 minutes or so...
As the boat completed turning, I was resigned to the thought that this is what you get for RM10. Then the boat went on passing the jetty where we embarked from and headed for open sea. That's when I thought the RM10 fare was really worth it. Too bad, my camera was out of battery and I can't catch more pictures...
Still luckily, after switching off the camera for a few times and turning it back on, I managed to get enough power to make this last shot... The view of the town Muar from the further end of the Muar estuary. That's all ya. Take care! :]
Anyway, the road from Ulu Langat to Ampang (and vice versa) have to pass a range of hills which forms part of the Peninsular's main range of mountains, better known as the Banjaran Titiwangsa. At the highest part of the route, on top of a hill, lies a rest place developed by the state authorities...
As my friend and his wife have never been here, we might as well stop. Besides, the last time I went here myself was probably over a year ago. But first order of things, we were pretty famished. It's time to head for the restaurant...
The restaurant itself offers a nice view of things. But my cheap digital camera couldn't catch it properly due to the contrasting lights...
So I had to go the edge of the verandah and snap this picture. There! Magnificent view of Kuala Lumpur isn't it? There's not much place around where you can get this sort of view!
After lunch, we went up the stairs seen in the first picture. Decided to snap the rooftop of the restaurant and the adjacent buildings... Seen in the background is the 5,000 feet-high or so Gunung (mount) Nuang, the highest peak in the state of Selangor...
At the highest part of the hill lies a viewing tower open to all and sundry...
At its foot there's a few seats apparently very popular for couples trying to 'discover' each other, hehe! :]
As always, a trip like this is not complete without going up the tower. Not that you have to pay anything...
Ah... Now, a much better view of KL...
And this is how the restaurant and the buildings beside look from the tower... The design of the rooftop gives the view a certain flair...
The view available from the highest level of the tower. Enough ya! Cheers...
