We’d love to hear what made your holiday so special. Your story – experiences, tips, advice – should be 700 to 800 words long in Word or Text format. Please attach at least five photos (1MB, captioned) in a separate e-mail. There is no payment for submissions, and we reserve the right to edit all submissions. Email star2travel@thestar.com.my with the subject “Readers Share”.
My husband and I were pretty sure we had visited most of Malaysia’s holiday destinations, but we were pleasantly surprised to discover Sekinchan in Selangor, a delightful hamlet not far from the city.
It was my daughter’s idea to go to Sekinchan when restrictions were eased during the recovery movement control order.
I had never heard of the place. However, I decided to go along as it was nice to be “released” after having been cooped up at home for so long. Besides, any outing with my grandchildren was most welcome.
We spent a good two hours at the temple before continuing our journey. We were delighted to see padi fields stretched out with the rice at different stages of growth. There was also a small nursery. I was informed that Sekinchan is known as Selangor’s “rice bowl”.
We made a quick stop at Ah Ma House opposite the rice fields. It sold a variety of foodstuff including kuih kapit (love letters). The padi processing factory and gallery with a mini museum next to the fields were also worth visiting. The process of padi production was well explained and proved to be very educational.
At lunch, I was pleasantly surprised to see many Chinese vegetarian restaurants; some of us in the family are vegetarians so that was a great find. The one we dined at adhered to strict SOP too.
After checking in to our accommodation, we visited the wishing tree at Pantai Redang. It was totally unexpected to see a huge tree so beautifully draped in red with ribbons hanging from it.
Believers threw ribbons knotted with coins obtained from the temple. Apparently, the higher your ribbon gets looped onto a branch, the greater the likelihood of your wish being granted!
Dusk was spent at Pantai Redang and we managed to watch the colourful sunset.
There were more surprises in store the next morning. We got up early to make it in time for the Sky Mirror that was half an hour away from Sekinchan. For RM60 per person, we found ourselves wrapped in life-jackets and tucked into speed boats that could house between 15 and 20 passengers.
The ride there was not exactly smooth. It took 30 minutes but what awaited us when the boat slowed down was a mirage of people walking on water.
I never expected to see a sand bar right in the middle of the ocean (in this case the Straits of Melaka) that’s the size of a hundred football fields, according to the tourist guide.
The sand bar was exposed during low tide only for a few hours and that was when the boat trips there could be arranged. The shallow waters reflected our images and of the sky, hence its name.
Our boatmen, who doubled as photographers, took beautiful photos that reflected our images on the shallow waters on the beach. We also saw huge, beautiful jellyfishes in the sea. They were drifting ominously in the more lonely areas of the sea.
I’m an avid traveller but I had never imagined that my own country had such a wonderful tourist attraction.
The views expressed are entirely the reader’s own.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
