Arau, the Royal Town in Perlis

The colourful wall of a flyover in Perlis

Perlis is also known as Perlis Indera Kayangan. I am not sure of its English translation but I know that kayangan in Malay means heaven. The head of this smallest state in Malaysia is the Raja of Perlis.

The golden roundabout of Arau town

Well, after travelling to Perlis, I have found that Perlis is now associated as an education hub. That is why there was this signage of Perlis Negeri Ilmu (Perlis: the state of knowledge) erected along the Changlun-Kuala Perlis highway. It was no surprise that there were countless institutes, colleges and universities that were set up here like the UniMAP, UiTM and others.

Perlis: the state of knowledge

We drove to Arau, the royal town first and caught a glimpse of the Royal Gallery (Galeri Diraja) and Royal Palace (Istana Arau) entrance. They were located just opposite the state mosque. The state mosque was a beautiful sight with its golden minarets.

Royal Gallery

The entrance of Royal Palace Arau

Perlis State Mosque

As we drove around, we found the town that we thought was a sleepy town instead was so lively and flamboyant. We could not help but to photograph it. The same went to Kangar. 

The colourful shoplots

Shops of vibrant green, pink and yellow

Complex Arau has a supermarket in it and is also a place to shop for some handicrafts.

Arau Complex with a supermarket inside

Paddy fields are a common sight around Arau. The beautiful camouflage of the green house amid the green paddy field.

A good camouflage of green

We also managed to zoom in our lens and capture this white bird of prey at the paddy field.

A typical sight of white birds at the paddy fields

Lastly, the clean and wide Changlun-Kuala Perlis highway linked Arau town to the Kangar, the capital of Perlis.

Changlun-Kuala Perlis Highway

Kangar, the Capital of Perlis

Dewan Undangan Negeri Perlis where state laws are made

Does it bear a striking resemblance to India's Taj Mahal?

After some sightseeing in Arau, we then headed to Kangar. First, we dropped by to photograph    the complex of Dewan Undangan Negeri Perlis where the state laws were passed. It looked so majestic. In my opinion, it bore a striking resemblance to India's Taj Mahal but without its minarets.

The golden jubilee roundabout in Kangar

Kangar town was small but bustling with activities. There was traffic jam here too. However, we really admired its vibrant colours of the buildings in the town and all these made Kangar so lively.

In the colourful capital of Kangar

The billboard depicts the head of the state: Raja Perlis and his Queen

A vibrant coloured cafe in Kangar 

We stopped by at Kayangan Square Mall which housed The Store, a departmental store. The mall was not very big but sufficient to meet the needs of the Perlisians.

Kayangan Square shopping mall in Kangar town

Bonsai-looking plants along the roadside

We decided to have our lunch here at a small Malay cafe called Singgahan Dof. It was a simple stall set up along the corridor inside the mall. We ate nasi lemak and mee soto. The nasi lemak was only RM 1.50 which was quite a big plate and delicious. The mee soto was something new for us as we seldom tried Malay food. It was RM 3.00 a bowl but the portion was small. The ice-blended chocolate drink was actually too sweet for us. All in all, it was a simple lunch.

Singgahan DOF

This nasi lemak is only RM 1.50

Mee soto is not bad

Ice-blended chocolate drink is too sweet

There was a KFC opposite the complex. KFC was a common sight in almost every town everywhere. However, that did not deter us from trying. We stopped by at KFC before we left for the Perlis Snake and Reptile Farm. It was good to note that the KFC in Kangar town provide free newspaper for reading in the restaurant.

The small but busy town of Kangar

Vehicles are parked on both sides of the road

A neat row of motorbikes parked near the mall

Cosy stay at Brilliant Inn Hotel, Arau

The beautifully lit up entrance of Brilliant Inn

After our dinner at Yuki Restaurant, Kuala Perlis, we immediately drove to Arau and reached Brilliant Inn about 9.30 p.m. and were relief to find that our room was still there. Since it was Christmas, the lights on the artificial trees were all shining creating the Christmas mood. It also had the homey atmosphere.

Just park your car outside the hotel

We checked into the hotel and quickly went to our superior room with an attached bathroom. The room looked cosy like what we saw from their website. The bed was a little hard but the comforter was soft and comfortable.  

The superior room with attached bathroom

There was also a LCD flat screen TV in the room. This place only offered bed without breakfast. However, they did provide a kettle in the room. So, we made our own breakfast the next day.

The corridor in the hotel

The place also had a small garden and backyard for some relaxing activities. Overall, the place was very new and clean. In addition, it was only RM 58 per room per night.

A small garden in front of the hotel

The backyard of the hotel

Direction to Brilliant Inn from Kuala Perlis:

We took the Changlun-Kuala Perlis highway and drove all the way to Arau. As soon as we turned into Arau, we saw the landmark that was Shell and Petronas petrol stations on both sides of the road. Then, we took a right turn at the first traffic light. The junction to turn to Brilliant Inn was opposite a fire brigade. You can easily see their signboard at the junction.

Taking shelter under the coconut tree

Coming up next is post on sightseeing in Arau and Kangar.

Timah-Tasoh Dam and Yuki Restaurant, Kuala Perlis

After visiting Gua Kelam, we headed south to Kuala Perlis for our dinner. However, along the way, we spotted the Timah-Tasoh Dam and stopped by for photos. It would be a good spot to view sunset if that day was not cloudy.

The breathtaking view of Timah-Tasoh Dam

A different angle of Timah-Tasoh dam

The place to stop was called Dataran Terinai. There were plenty of parking lots. The wooden platform overlooking the dam had been barricaded because some of the planks were broken. (as at 24 Dec, 2012) There were some eating outlets here. However, most were not opened and not well-maintained.

Dataran Terinai: the stop to catch the breathtaking view of the dam

The broken planks

After snapping some photos, we continued our journey and were looking for Hai Thien restaurant by Kuala Perlis jetty but Google map did not lead us there. Instead, we chanced upon Yuki Restaurant and decided to eat our dinner here.

Many local families had their dinner here when we were there. A surprising note was this Chinese seafood restaurant had all Malay staff. But I was not sure about the chefs. They did not serve pork in the restaurant and again, I did not know whether it was considered a halal restaurant. This was something interesting which I did not see in Penang.

We were really starving so we did order a bit more for two people. In total, we ordered five dishes but we were able to finish them as we had burned all the calories exploring the limestone cave.

Steamed fish (RM 24)

This was my favourite. The steamed fish was very fresh and juicy. The soy sauce tasted just perfect with added flavour from the gingers and corianders.

Stir-fried vegetable (RM 7)

Omelette with some ingredients in it (Fu Yong Tan without pork) (RM 5)

We also ordered a plate of stir-fried green vegetables and omelette. Both were good too. The omelette (Fu Yong Tan) was without pork.

Sweet and sour chicken (RM 9)

The sweet and sour boneless chicken were tender and not too sweet or sour. Although it was odd to order chicken in a seafood restaurant, we would order it again if we were to come here the next time.

Seaweed soup (RM 7)

Lastly, we ordered a bowl of seaweed soup with some ingredients like baby corns and tofu. The hot soup was a good complement to the rest of the dishes. In short, it was a hearty meal for the day.

The restaurant interior

The restaurant was not air-conditioned and in fact, it merely looked like a coffee shop. It had some decors of fake bird's nests hanging in the shop. The place was clean too although it was a little old. Look can be deceiving but this is a decent place for meals.

By the time we finished our dinner, it was almost nine p.m. and we had not checked into our hotel yet. We had booked a room at Brilliant Inn, in Arau, Perlis, which was in a different part of the state. Oh gosh... we just hoped that they did not give away our room.

The address of the restaurant:

52, Jalan Sarawak,

02000 Kuala Perlis, Perlis.

Gua Kelam or Cave of Darkness in Perlis

My favourite: This looks like a wall painting

After shopping at Padang Besar, we were on our way to our next stop, Gua Kelam, the famous limestone cave in Perlis. Gua Kelam is one of the limestone's cave in Nakawan Range and they are about 500 million years old (older than the dinosaurs). The cave was an old tin mine. The name Gua Kelam was given by the miners to describe the dark cave. (quoted from Perlis State Park brochure and Perlis Forestry website)

Picnic site in front of the cave entrance

Gua Kelam entrance

The Selamat Datang signboard

It started to drizzle when we reached the entrance of the cave. We quickly bought our ticket which cost only RM 1 per adult. It was way much cheaper than the Guilin limestone caves that we went to in China. 

Our blue tickets

There was no guide to provide any explanation on the stalagmite and stalactite structures and they were not labelled at all. We just needed to exercise our powerful imagination.

The dark entrance leading to the colourful inside.

This looks creepy. Do you see alien faces? Or am I too imaginative? 

Nice combination of colours in the cave

Now, the cave was brighter and more colourful as compared to a decade ago when I was here. The colourful spotlights illuminating the certain structures of the stalactites and stalagmites made them more interesting and easier to photograph in the dark cave.

This is also my favourite. There is a platform for visitors to take photo here.

Electric blue stalactites

Stalactites resembling broccoli

The walkway in the cave was a steel railing and wooden plank hanging bridge. Since it was a rainy season, we could see and hear very well the gushing water in the river below us. It sounded scary and the bridge was shaking a little (which was normal) whenever people walked past one another.

The walkway which is the hanging bridge

When we came to the end of the cave, we reached a place called Secret Garden. The garden with a river, picnic sites and gazebos looked very relaxing and secretive. That may be why it was called Secret Garden. If you did not enter Gua Kelam, you would not reach this picnic area.

Secret Garden signboard

A picture of tranquility

After we finished exploring the place, we had to walk back to the entrance as that was also the exit. By the way, the washrooms were located in the picnic sites at Secret Garden.

The trees in Secret Garden

Later, I learned that there were two Gua Kelam. The one that we visited was the first one and the trail was shorter. The second Gua Kelam had a longer trail and the entrance was the first stop before the carpark. Unfortunately, the tram was under maintenance (as at 24 Dec, 2012). Visitors could still go into the cave but with a guide. The fee to hire a guide was RM 40 (10 people in a group). The second Gua Kelam linked to the first one and I was told that the stalagmites and stalactites were even more beautiful. We did not go to the second one as it was late and the place was closing.

Direction to get here:

From the North-South Highway, take the Alor Setar Utara exit and follow the signboards to Kangar. Or exit via Changlun and take the Changlun-Kuala Perlis Highway to Kangar. Then, follow the signboard to Gua Kelam / Kaki Bukit / Wang Kelian from Kangar.

Things you might be interested:

On the way from Padang Besar to Gua Kelam, we stopped by an ostrich farm and took some photos. Free admission to the farm so you can see many like-minded people like me taking the chance to snap some photos of the three ostriches in the farm. 

This ostrich is posing for my camera :)

Other than ostriches, the farm also reared ponies. (If you driving from Padang Besar, look out for this farm on your left.)

The signboard about ostrich egg hatching process

Ponies grazing in the fields