Tanjung Tuan Travel Guide

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Though I stayed in a lovely resort that included all my meals in Tanjung Tuan, I was thirsting for more exotic fare by the time I had my 3rd meal. The trouble with hotel fare is it has that consistent blah factor, it's almost as though all the hotel cooks in the world conspire to destroy their guests' appetite. Anyhow, hubby and I ventured out of the hotel grounds and found a local restaurant that served the most delicious and affordable seafood imaginable. All for USD$8! The Nestum Prawns was a crunchy delight. Somehow the succulent prawn tasted even more delicious when it's fried with...cereal and spices. Yes, cereal. Somehow, the fibre-rich bits is even more crunchy than bread crumbs so this was one delicious dish. The zesty Mango chicken was just as delicious, if not better than the average fried-lemon chicken. It's simply fried chicken drenched with chilli, vinegar and green mango slices. I won't rave too highly about the beancurd dish, but it was rather tasty as it was fried with enoki and shiitake mushrooms.

Favorite Dish: Hmm, the ceral prawn of course!

Unless you're a lunatic birder like me, go look for large-tailed nightjars ( a fat, nocturnal bird) in the golf course in Guoman Hotel. After such an expedition, you'll be feeling peckish so pop over to the wet market in Port Dickson. You can get fresh ears of steamed or roasted corn-on-the-cob for RM1 or less. They also fresh steamed peanuts and delicious local cakes. Other than these goodies, they also have fresh food stuff and dried goods.

Most bikers in Singapore head up to Malaysia to rev their engines on the North South Highway. Come the weekend, you'll see convoys of Hondas, BMWs, Kawasakis, Yamahas zooming up to destinations to as far as Hatyai.

But while it's fun to ride in Malaysia, it is not without its woes. There are irresponsible car drivers who think nothing about cutting into your lanes at 150km/hr and racing with you since they think it's a dent on their egos to be by-passed by a bike. Well, other than those ass holes, there are also speed traps ( which country doesn't have this?) and you'll be fined if you surpass a speed of 110km/hr. Most of these traps lurk near the Pagoh exit.

In any case, if you're keen to ride from Singapore to Port Dickson, Malaysia. Just use the Malaysian North-South Expressway and head towards KL. Remember to exit at Port Dickson.Tanjung Tuan is about 15km away from Port Dickson.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: No leeches here but do wear long-sleeved tops and pants to prevent mossie bites. Of course, I didn't practice what I preached so I went home with lovely welts for sourvenirs.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: This place is surprisingly more urban that you think so there's no need to bring your own toilet paper. Just bring plenty of mosquito repellant. The mossies here are commando-trained.

Photo Equipment: Congratulations, you will be bringing a ton of equipment if you're a nature lover. If you're a birder like myself, bring a decent visual aids like your binoculars, scopes. And a decent camera with telephoto lens so other birders will know you're not lying when you talk about spotting the rare raptor. A hard drive for storing your visuals is good too.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: It rained when I was here so an umbrella or poncho would be good.

There are well-marked treks in Tanjung Tuan Forest Reserves so bring your hiking boots for a decent experience. The trails all lead down the slope so it can be tiring but it's not challenging.