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| Breakfast at the verandah outside our rooms |
Nothing beats having a support car during bike tours. Not only did it carry our camping gears, it was also helpful when VT and Claudine took it out for dinner near UiTM yesterday. It saves straining up and down the steep 2km slope to our resort! Moreover, Merbok being at the foothills of Gunung Jerai is a hilly area.
Interestingly, Bujang Valley is a sprawling historical site which spans between Gunung Jerai and Muda River. Also known as The Ancient Wonder of Kedah, this area is the richest archeological area in Malaysia. Once, a popular trading port between 3rd to 12th century, it attracted traders from China and India.
Bujang Valley consists of ruins which dates back to more than 2500 years ago. Some excavations includes jetty remains, iron-smelting sites, and a monument made up of brick which dates back to AD 110. The most impressive find is Candi Bukit Batu Pahat from the 6th century. Built as a temple to worship the Hindu Gods, the ruins together with other excavations have been relocated to its current site of this museum in Merbok.
Ending our history lessons, we collected our bikes and bid Fatin of Damai Park Resort farewell. Then, we returned to the same rolling hills of K1, passing by vast fields of green paddy.
At Singkir, we turned right and continued on to Yan. Not long after the turn, we were horrified by the steep climb to Tanjung Jaga. It went on for more than 1 km with a 3.3% grade hill! Thankfully, this was one of the last hills we will see until we reach Langkawi!
Pantai Murni was a disappointment. It was fairly deserted and the food court seemingly closed in the morning. The jetty was off limits and the bollards placed by the seafront were rusty!
Our next destination was supposed to be Bunting Island and the bridge to nowhere sporting an arched cable stay. Unfortunately, it was permanently closed with concrete barriers piled up high. Previously, it was still accessible to pedestrians and 2 wheeled vehicles. Again, a blessing for support vehicle who reported the closure, sparing us the extra legwork.
Around 11.30 am, we stopped for brunch at Warung Pokok Pelam near Taman Pulai Bunting. This place serves great curry mee, bakso and mee sup and comes with a 5 star view of paddy fields with Gunung Jerai looming in the background.
Our second stop 1 hour later was out of boredom! By Day 3, green paddy fields are becoming an overkill. Couple this with a flat straight road that goes on for miles and we almost went bonkers! Sceneries picked up a bit on K132 with more village settlements. Alor Setar tower became a beacon guiding us into the city.
Adamant to have Chinese food for a change we endured hunger until we reached Alor Setar. Lunch was sorted out close to 3 pm near Alor Setar Mall.
After lunch, it was a mad 3 km race against the rain clouds to The Leverage Hotel. We won the battle but the rain won the war keeping us indoors until almost 6 pm. By then, it was too late to visit the town hence we opted to eat at the shops nearby. We didn't have to go far. King Kong Ramen served very good ramen while Xiao Man Kitchen received great reviews on their Lu Rou Fan, both of which are just next to the hotel.
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| Dinner |
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| Dinner |
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| Scholl grounds of SMK Keat Hwa |
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| Beer and karaoke is a norm every night |
Photo credits
Suzie
Mindy
Amy
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Bujang Valley Archeological Musuem
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| Statue base |
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| Statue base |
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| Pillar base |
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| Singha Mukha, carved stone with the face of a lion serves as a guardian of the temple |
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| Granite block |
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| Rice Grinder |
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| Stone mortar |
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| Sugar cane juicer |
Candi Pendiat
Candi Bukit Batu Pahat
Candi Pengkalan Bujang
Candi Bendang Dalam
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