Chronicles from the Island of Crabs

Long Weekend of 28th April ~ 2nd May

YES, it’s the long weekend everyone’s been looking forward to and IT HAS ARRIVED. Big plans were afoot for every person from all walks of life, plans ranging from traveling, eating, bumming, balik kampong, fishing, plant vegetables and take that occasional bath.

I’m a traveling kinda guy, I like to roam the earth on land, sea or air as long as it’s a good place to go, affordable and has loads of places to stuff my face with food. And roam with lotsa good friends. So, it’s a long weekend, and I like to travel. So where the heck I’m going?? Other people booked there AirAsia flights to Langkawi, Bali, Phuket and all that. Me? I took the bold option, the best option, actually THE ONLY option considering how broke I am. I took the greatest option to travel to a place not many people call paradise: it’s a voyage to the island of PULAU KETAM, KLANG. Yes, ladies & gentlemen, it’s not a weekend of crystal clear waters of Pulau Redang, or the Chow Kuey Teow of Penang, and not even the scrumptious food & comfort of my kampong.

This is Pulau Ketam, Klang!!! And so it unfolded:

Day 1

Day one was free and easy, the day was simple and stress free. Mind you, we booked a hotel room in the middle of Klang for just RM 22 (Prescott Hotel, not those Press-cock Motels ok!) The gang consisted of V, TK, and SL and we checked in at approx 4:30pm. At 1st impression of hotel, it was bordering on OK, not great but it has the basic facilities like bed, Astro, toilet and swimming pool. Hence, no problems at all. After stripping off our luggage, we stripped off our clothes for an evening of swimming pool salsa……

Night approached and we were hungry, hungry for what Klang has to offer. We already planned for a night of seafood, and we are not gonna deviate from that plan. But seafood restaurants in Klang are as numerous as ants in an open sugar jar. Which one to choose?? Well, I always have a saying that the best solution is the simplest one. So, why not we go to this restaurant called Restaurant Seafood Klang?? I mean, we went seafood right, and we ARE in Klang right, so put 1 + 1 together, and you will get 2 good to refuse!!

At the restaurant, it was seafood heaven. The Glass Noodles with Lala was a great starter, then came the stream fish with noodles, and of course, crabs. We tried the sweet and sour crabs, which were too sweet for my taste but what the heck, it was still very good. This place has loads of varieties to crabs, I mean u name it, they will prepare it. Heck, mention Crabs with KFC and they will wrap the crunchy KFC around the crabs for you …..

But anyway, after stuffing ourselves silly, we walked off our extra luggage at a pasar malam, then proceeded to Halo Café for a chill-out at Bukit Tinggi and later went back to our hotel for some Blackjack bwwhahahaaha.

Day 2

Day 2 was the main event as this is the day we ride to Pulau Ketam. But before that, we had to check out from our hotel and for brunch we had Bak Kut T eh (at 12pm mind you, with so much meat this early in the day it’s tough to swallow. But it was so tasty, heck, the meat just melted right in my mouth). Later, off to the jetty for a boat ride to the Land of the Crabs!!

The boat ride was boring, but steady without any roller coaster rides through the waters of Klang. That’s because the area is well protected by mini-islands, swamps and coves that if even a tsunami hits the area, the waves will most probably break apart by these protections. So, if you fear any tsunamis, go get your new address at Klang right away!!

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a massive shock of heat as it was a boiling hot day. The Sun was fierce as probably the Moon gave him a bad night last night. Wearing my comfy white singlet, I was worried for my skin being burnt to human toast. It was so hot, we were walking for a mere 5 minutes and we already had to stop for a cold drink and rest. Being this the excuse, we just had to try out the local ‘O-chein’ or Oyster Omelet. It was good, but Penang’s version is better haha.

We drifted around the island for 1 hour or so, bought numerous sea-related foodstuffs and had another round of rest, with another round of ‘O-chein’, but this time it’s substituted with Lala instead of Oysters. Still same great taste though…..

During my coasting through the grounds of the island, I was wondering what the local residents do for entertainment. I didn’t notice any Astro dishes on their roofs and I don’t think they have Internet access either. Don’t tell me they chat about fish, prawns and crabs all day, everyday? HHmmmm, makes me wonder.

But anyway, the day was at its dusk and it was time to depart this island with memories of their joyous food, the sights of fishermen, the setting of bicycles wandering through slender lanes and the colors of dwellings that riot across the island. The boat was waiting, the engine running, people boarding, the time approached for the return to mainland.

At the night of Day 2, TK went his separate way while me, V and SL went out for a eat-out at a nice diner called “Wendy’s Bistro” at Sunway to give this weekend a good closure for what it turned out to be a gastronomic delight infused with the setting of a unique island that is called Pulau Ketam.

And this brings forth the conclusion of the weekend to the Island of Crabs…..