Nov 26, 2007

Kelong @Mersing, Malaysia

Its my first fishing trip. We went to a Kelong with few friends, off Mersing in Johor, Malaysia. It is about 2.5 hours drive from Singapore. We stopped at Kota Tingi for breakfast, before reaching the jetty at Mersing. We boarded a crowded boat and we arrived.. after 45 min.


A Kelong is an offshore platform, made off wood, and can be found in waters of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. These structures were built solely for fishing purposes. In this case, this kelong (our destination) is designed for tourists, with space and beds for about 100 persons.


The visitors (mostly Singaporeans and Malaysians) wasted no time, started work. Most come here to fish. Some wanted to relax, and experience life at the sea, or living in a kelong.


After a few hours at the kelong, we decided to visit Pulau Sibu, few kilometers away from the kelong.


Pulau Sibu is an island 12km off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The island is about 6 km long and not more than 1 km wide in its whole length. There was a resort at the beach we landed, but it was closed and not in business.


I took some pictures of the place. I chat with Bulb, and we enjoyed the breeze and some quiet time. Some distance away, there was a group of people playing in the sea.


We went back to the kelong after some time. People are still busy with their activities. We took a stroll and watched..


One man just caught a fish. Another man had a cuttlefish..


Another corner of the kelong, we saw some dried cuttlefish.. I think they looked tasty.


In one area, you can buy drinks and cigarettes, and watch a TV programme. We had our meals in this area too. Meals are provided for in this kelong, it is part of the package with accommodation. They served Chinese food. The seafood dishes we had for our lunch and dinner were fresh and yummy.


Here, the cooks were preparing for the next meal..


One may feel lazy and decides to sit back and relax.. or you may prefer a game of mahjong, which is a popular game with the aunties and uncles here.


This man was enjoying his afternoon nap beside a tank of cute and unique looking fish.


..many others choose to fish under the glaring sun. In the night, we had fried fish (small fish - crispy and extremely tasty - best I ever had, and that goes very well with beer) and BBQ food for supper. We stayed in the kelong for a night, and we left the next afternoon.

Overall it was enjoyable experience. We had fun, fishing, playing mahjong, and lazing around.


If you are interested to visit the Kelong, you may check out their website http://www.kelongahfatt.com.my , or contact them for more information. They should be able to help you with the transport arrangement as well.

tel: 607 883 3336 (office) / 6019 712 0333 (Ah Fatt)
email: sibuisland@kelongahfatt.com.my

Alternatively, for van and limousine services in Johor, Malaysia, you may contact Wong at 6012 7231 623.

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