27 February 2023. Taiping, Perak, Malaysia.
I went out this morning at first light to the small fishing village of Kuala Sepetang about 16 kms from where I’m staying in Taiping, Perak. I almost didn’t go, feeling like I had already seen enough places in Malaysia to satisfy my urge to explore. But I checked out of my room, left my big backpack at the reception of my hostel even though there was nobody working yet, left my key on the front desk, and walked to the bus station to catch a local bus. I was the only passenger as it was still only around sunrise.
I arrived in the little fishing village of Kuala Sepetang and immediately was surprised at its size. It wasn’t the tiny fishing village that I had pictured. Everyone I saw was ethnically Chinese, unlike most of Malaysia which is made up of a diverse mix of ethnicities. I began a three-hour walk around the entire village, which sprawled surprisingly far in all directions. It was beautiful, peaceful, and an authentic travel experience with not a single tourist or foreigner in sight. However, hardly anybody returned my smiles and waves, but rather glared back angrily or simply didn’t acknowledge me. I had made up my mind that this wasn’t a very friendly village, when everything changed.
I passed by a tiny shop with two young women selling dried fish, sardines and shrimp fished from the nearby marshy areas. The women greeted me giddily in English as I approached and kept me there chatting for several minutes. They offered me to take photos of their seafood display and invited me to sample them for free. In the end, I bought a bag of dried shrimp for the road and went on my way with a renewed energy.
Hardly a minute later, I passed by a street food vendor who also greeted me warmly in English and asked me questions about myself. I went on to buy a plate of “Mee Goreng Mama” from him, a local dish of fried noodles, potato, egg, peanuts, and veggies. It was the best meal I’ve had in Malaysia so far, without exaggeration. He readily allowed me to film him cooking and answered questions about his small business and about the village of Kuala Sepetang.
Next, I visited possibly the village’s main attraction; an old fashioned charcoal factory at the edge of town. Preferring not to take a guided tour, I was permitted to enter the warehouses alone, wander around filming the enormous charcoal ovens in action and huge piles of logs, and ask questions to a couple of the workers who crossed my path. It was another special, authentic, and free experience.
When it was time to return to Taiping, I decided to try hitchhiking as I stood on the main road waiting for a bus. Within a minute, a passing car stopped and picked me up. Due to a strong language barrier, I had no idea where this person was going to drop me, but it was clear that his destination was not Taiping. To my surprise, he drove right past what he referred to as “his house”, and continued along the road to Taiping despite my pretests. “I take bus”, I said repeatedly, but he insisted on driving further. Minutes later, he was dropping me right in the center of Taiping, giving me a handshake and a warm goodbye, and never asked me for a penny. He drove me at least 6 or 7 kms out of his way for free. It was the cherry on a spectacular cake of a morning. And all that was less than half a day. I still have half a day to go. These are the types of days and experiences that I remember for years and that keep me coming back for more.
The Travel Life 