Kuala Perlis Discovered

Picturesque Kuala Perlis (CNB)

Perlis, our northernmost state, is also our smallest (800 sq km), but our most delicious mangoes - Harumanis - comes from here. The little coastal town of Kuala Perlis, the second largest settlement (after its capital Kangar) can be an interesting visit. We were there a few years ago and found it quite charming, really. Our accomodation was at a hotel near the ferry jetty and we walked around the little town stopping by the shops to talk with the friendly locals. Of course it was a bonus that my schoolteacher niece WH and family lives here, so we had a 'local' to show us around then. Apart from the 'kampung air' visit where we had laksa perlis for breakfast, WH also took us around the local markets and shops, and the surrounding bright green padi fields that abound. Its great to discover and experience our own backyard 'gems' and have an interesting cuti-cuti Malaysia!

B in front of the Kuala Perlis-Pulau Langkawi Ferry
Services Jetty (CNB)

With a most friendly shopkeeper in town (BB)

Fishing boats at anchor (CNB)

The Jabatan Perikanan (Fisheries Department) had also just built a new jetty for the fishing boats to land their catch. We strolled along from the jetties to the older part of town where we traversed a wooden footbridge to what I would consider the 'kampung air' of Kuala Perlis. Although interesting here, the high tides obviously brought about a lot of flotsam (read: rubbish).

The (then) new fishermen's jetty in the background (CNB)

Fish fry - soon to be fodder. Mind the flies that swarm in
the gazillions! (CNB)

Workers manning the 'fish fry for fodder' area (CNB)

B & 'kampung air' folks, footbridge in the background, left (CNB)

Delicious laksa Perlis (CNB)

Laksa Perlis is the local speciality, and believe me the locals here have their laksa at anytime of day - for breakfast, lunch and dinner! We had our laksa for breakfast at a house in the 'kampung air' that was also a small factory making ... you guessed it right - laksa, of course! And we had our laksa complemented with spera (currypuffs) that had fillings of prawn sambal kelapa - yummy! For our lunch and dinner meals we had the freshest seafood ever. After all Kuala Perlis is a coastal town and food from the seas and oceans is the best thing to enjoy.

Enjoying our laksa perlis and spera breakfast (WH)

Hands up for the verdant jungles and luscious green
padi fields of Perlis (CNB)

The fruit section of the local pasar tani (CNB)

Mantis prawns we bought, cooked & ate (BB)

I spotted these racks of fish being dried, just behind the
 pasar tani (CNB)

B, WH & family at the Kuala Perlis seafront (CNB)

Note: Other places of interest in Perlis include Kangar (the capital), Arau (the royal town), Wang Kelian (Perlis State Park and Sunday Market), Gua Kelam at Kaki Bukit, Bukit Ayer (Rimba Herba), Bintong (Snake & Reptile Farm), and Padang Besar (if you like shopping at border towns).

2004