Malaysia: A Day Trip to Pulau Ketam, Selangor

Love at first sight, or rather on arrival. Taken at Pulau Ketam jetty 

I was just walking alone around Pulau Ketam after some seafood lunch. The walk was like a trip down the memory lane. It evoked feelings from the past. Except for the fact that I have never been to Pulau Ketam before that day. And that I have never been to any place like it before.

Pulau Ketam is unique. Charming even. The island seems to be stuck in a bygone era. There are no cars around. Bicycles and motorised bicycles are the only modes of transportation on the island. The very busy main high street is probably just about 5 feet wide, filled with people walking by, cyclists that stop to give way to the pedestrians, children running around with their dog and occasionally you might bump into a fellow visitor or two whom you’d identify because they carry a camera.

The high street is lined up with small restaurants, side street food stalls, family-owned convenience stores and a few odd-one-out shops. There are no 7-11s, nor there are any fast food chains. There’s a community hall at one end and a small Buddhist temple at the other end, the distance between the two couldn't possibly be more than 100 meters.

Venture further away from the concrete pavement that is the high street, you’ll soon find yourself walking on walkways made of rickety planks. You’ll see wooden houses, and some brick houses, on long stilts with maybe small boats parked somewhere nearby. You’ll see elderly guys sitting on a bench either outside of their house or under a makeshift hut, spending their afternoon just chatting about nothing and everything.

And occassionally you might bump into a boy or a girl dancing around without a care in the world.

Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, with all its hustle and bustle, is just less than 2 hours away by train and ferry. But this… this is totally a different world. A world that is so laid back it seems not to care about all things material. A world that could charm a visiting city dweller into a dream of simple life… 

Even if it’s only for a day or two.

[ This is the 2nd out of 5 entries for #TSBreakAway ]

---

Thank you Tourism Selangor for the opportunity to join #TSBreakAway programme; and to all sponsors (incl. Empire Hotel, Subang Jaya, Travelmate Magazine, Travelution Magazine, Majalah Fotografika, Damansara Performing Arts Centre and Canon) for making #TSBreakAway 2013 an awesome programme!

Pulau Ketam is located in the Strait of Malacca, just off Port Klang. The easiest way to get there from Kuala Lumpur by public transportation is to take the KTM Komuter train service from KL Sentral to Pelabuhan Klang (Port Klang) Station and from there, take the ferry service from Port Klang jetty to Pulau Ketam. The island is good for a day trip but there are a few cheap inns and guesthouses should visitors like to stay overnight or two on the island.

For more photos of Pulau Ketam, do check out Ramble and Wander Facebook page.

For other www.rambleandwander.com blog entries on #TSBreakAway, click here. To follow Tourism Selangor, check out their Facebook page or Twitter account.