Being a Doer and not a Talker, I gathered 10 friends and family for a 5D 4N hiking trip to 3 different hills and 1 mountain in Perak, Perlis and Kedah. Do you still remember my ranting about my trip last year (in 2023) to Mong Gajah in Tasik Pedu, Kedah?
Click >> hereto read about my first time in >> Mong Gajah.
While I was enjoying my morning light at Mong Gajah, I saw a glimpse of the highest peak of Gunung Fakir Terbang (574 m) located in Tasik Pedu Kedah, hiding behind the thick morning mist. It is a part of the Trans Singgora (Banjaran Kedah Singgora), located at the border of Malaysia and Thailand. Amir, the owner of Tasik Pedu SeriMahawangsa boathouse used to share old folk stories about Tasik Pedu and its surroundings including Gunung Fakir Terbang, relating to the history of the Singgora Sultanate era.
I have explored the area around Tasik Pedu for more than enough, and yet this is my first time visiting Mong Gajah, another beautiful part of Tasik Pedu.
Mong Gajah is a place with a gorgeous view of nature. If you prefer sleeping at night, wrapped in total darkness while watching thousands of stars (with no light pollution) and waking up facing the waterfront of Pedu Lake, with gorgeous sunset coming out from the mountain range of Banjaran Kedah-Singgora then you would absolutely love this camping spot.
Haze has been invading my fresh oxygen supply since early last month and it gets worse every single day now. Never a miss for each year during the dry season that we Malaysians have to experience the smoky haze coming from our neighbouring country.
I got most of my asthmatic and flu symptoms during the haze season. I take honey to help soothe my phlegm and sore throat. Malaysia is cynically a 3 season country now. We used to have the dry and monsoon seasons but in the past few years, we kept having the haze season too.
Located up on the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia approximately 5km away from the Malaysia-Thailand border, the lake is easily accessible via a well-maintained road.
The 12km-long lake is part of the dense rainforest of Gunung Fakir Terbang, 6 1/2 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur via North-South highway (exit Gurun straight on to Sik then approx 7 km away, turn right to Gulam then left to Durian Burung and proceed to Seri Mahawangsa Pedu Lake jetty).
Surrounded by clean water and serene forest, this is a good place to retreat your soul from the noisy and super busy city life.
I am recommending this place to those who need a short break from the city life.
The only place to stay here in the middle of the lake is at Seri Mahawangsa boathouse, yes on a boathouse parked next to a small island about 15-20 minutes from the jetty.
Seri Mahawangsa boathouse of Tasik Pedu
So, you can choose to sleep on the boathouse or on a treehouse or on a hut or just on a hammock or in a tent, an eco-resort type of stay.
Whatever your choice is the hammock is my best personal choice.
I fancy quietness and this place is easily accessible and quiet.
Tips to enjoy the luxury of lazing around in Tasik Pedu
If you plan to spend your time just lazing around then I want to share a few tips on how to enjoy “the luxury of just lazing around” in Tasik Pedu.
Firstly, listening to the Cicadas orchestra
This group of Cicadas or riang-riang (in Malay) would sing together at some odd times, a few times a day. Their buzzing sound that echoes throughout tree branches in this tiny island in Tasik Pedu (Amir called it the Survival Island) is phenomenal.
Stay quiet.
And you will notice their orchestra performance played as a background song in the island. Their music sounds louder than normal maybe because of the echoes.
Secondly, swimming with the Lampam fish around the boathouse.
Swimming during a hot day is heavenly.
Swimming in a pool or at a river or at a beach is different from swimming in a lake. There is an abundant of fresh clear water around you. Yes, swimming in a deep lake feels different.
During a hot day, the water inside the lake feels colder and warmer at the same time. Very therapeutic.
But please be caution on your safety. I put on my life jacket all the time when I am in the water.
And I was in the water for hours. Canoeing and swimming … just enjoying the sun and the water at the same time.
swimming during mid-day
Thirdly, lazing in your hammock during the mid-day after lunch
Yay! we have a full-time chef at the boathouse. He cooks all the time. Yes! he is a he.
I was well fed all the time. After having my rice with masak lemak ikan baung (fresh water fish in coconut milk) I feel … d r o w s y.
Not much thing to do as it is super hot during mid-day.
Lazing around in my hammock under the tree with all the leaves hanging out is a perfect thing to do. Sleeping … to be precise ☺️.
Embracing the lazy moment without guilt. Wahhh … I am happy.
my quiet moment
Fourthly, watching the movement of the light and the clouds from the boathouse.
After a few boat trips circling the lake and enjoying the vast natural landscape surrounding Pedu Lake, a quiet time while watching the sunset is my next lazing thing to do.
Sitting with your loved one while watching the change of colour on the horizon is romantic. Hmm feeling lazy together with your loved one is classically romantic.
It makes me thinking of the Creator that creates all of these beautiful things around us. A moment to just be connected to the Creator and appreciating His greatness.
Feeling blissful to be able to just sensing His existence through the beauty around us is an amazing feeling. Alhamdullilah.
an article I wrote about capturing ambience light in Tasik Pedu
Fifth, hanging out at one of the treehouses at night
There are a few treehouses that you can choose from. And hanging out in my hammock with my favorite book while listening to the sound of the forest at night is cool and peaceful.
Just me and my own world. I would never get tired of this.
Conclusion: All of us need to have a quiet moment with ourselves. To feel comfortable and peaceful being with ourselves. To feel at peace with ourselves.
He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the world ~ Marcus Aurelius
Although I don’t mind being on my own but having a person or two that have the same quiet mind as I am, hanging out with me is always welcome.
I have been reading quite extensively this past few weeks. Upscaling my photography technical knowledge … to be able me to teach (yes! teach … I, myself am surprised too) a Basic Photography Class for a small crowd of students last few weekends. My first teaching stint aka my excuse to learn from my observers.
A good thing that I decided to do this as I found a strong excuse to refresh and brush up my camera and composition knowledge. So … I have been reading more than usual too.
Sharing with y’all an interesting write-up on street photography that I am currently trying to digest:
Street photography is always my first choice of photography. Being a curious cat since as long as I can remember helps me to enjoy street photography more than any other photography genre that I have tried.
Being curious on the street with strangers from all sort of background makes the process of meeting new people kind of adventurous to me. Like a child mind … everything and everyone looks trust worthy in my eyes. But often enough I have to restrain myself from being too curious or too friendly with my subject knowing that every culture has its own social restrictions that I need to be well aware of.
Saw these hobbyist fisherman and woman at the Pedu Lake jetty
Feeling happy with their catch of the day
I am fishing too … fishing stories with my gopro pole hu hu hu
Feeling curious with these ladies while I was hanging out at the Lake Pedu jetty
p.s – pics of me being curious with these fisherman and fisherwoman at the Pedu Lake jetty
Yep, curiosity killed a cat for sure (my cat lol). Encountered an uncomfortable aka social resistance aka an awkward situation recently, that put me down for a few days too. But nonetheless being an optimistic bitch … my eight (8) other cat lives were struggling up to gasp for oxygen at no time … alhamdullilah.
Maybe a platonic relationship between man and woman will never exist in the world of pessimist. A curious mind of a woman in the world of pessimist belongs to a slut or a husband snatcher huh wth. I am blessed that I lived in the world of optimist … sayonara to the pessimist, I am off to explore more of this part of the world.
Taking my time-off at my favourite spot at Seri Mahawangsa BoatHouse, Lake Pedu, Kedah
Well … I decided to join my photographer friend for a short trip to Kedah, Malaysia for a quick stress reliever. I took an early train (ETS KTM train) from Kuala Lumpur to Anak Bukit, Kedah. Slept one night at my friend’s house in Jitra, Kedah and spent another night at Seri Mahawangsa BoatHouse, Lake Pedu, Kedah. Then … I took an afternoon train back to KL again.
Our lunch before we headed to Lake Pedu, Kedah
I got to shoot the full moon
And, I got to shoot the morning sunrise too
And, I snooped around and shoot the lovebird
And this was how I spent my time at the Seri Mahawangsa BoatHouse, Pedu Lake, Kedah. Ahhh … a simple mind and a simple life …nothing more.
MATSUDA MASHIMARU 