This is a pre-Covid trip that our family had in Dec 2019. Information may have changed but we will like to document our journey down for memories.
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Day 2 (Kuala Lumpur - Sekinchan)
Grab Car (KL to Sekinchan) - Homestay (Padi Box) - Cycling - Eagle/Firefly/Blue Tears Tour
After a good night rest, we are so excited to pack for our next destination!
When I was planning for our trip to Sekinchan, I was pretty worried on how to travel there as it was quite far from where we were staying (~95km apart). I wasn't sure then if there are Grab willing to take us there and more importantly to Grab back. After checking in with Padibox, we managed to secure our car ride back to KL and went ahead with our tour plans..
8am - Check out from Homestay
We checked out early and went for breakfast at a prata place near The Robertson.
930am - Grab ride to Sekinchan
We managed to book a grab from our homestay to Sekinchan for RM160. As it was a pretty long ride (1.5hour), make sure you clear your bowels before you hop onto the car!
11am - Homestay in Sekinchan: Padibox
We finally arrived at Padibox and the long ride was WORTH IT! We were welcome with a pretty sight - colourful freight containers surrounded by paddy fields. I was pretty excited while our girl had reservations of the room because she was afraid of insects. Click for more information about Padibox
1130am - Cycling
We checked into our room and rented bicycles to explore Sekinchan! Since we did not drive, cycling is the best mode of transport around the area as it is really remote. You can't really just hail a taxi easily. Plus, we had the opportunity to stop and get closer to the paddy fields.
We got off from our bicycles and get closed to the wheat
If you like to learn more about the production of the paddy, do not miss the tour that brings you through the steps to its production. Do note the season of the paddy fields to avoid disappointment
Spring (Early to End March, Early to End September) - Paddy seeding or Transporting
Summer (Early April to End May, Early Oct to Mid November) - Soil fertility & Weeding activities
Autumn (End May to Mid June, End November to Mid December) - Paddy harvesting
Winter (End June to End August, End December to End February) - Land preparation & Pre-planting
As we cycled on, we spotted some plots of harvested land are burning. I believe this is to prepare the soil or land for the next cropping.
We probably got a minor sun burn as it was a really hot day. Unfortunately, as we were only staying for a night with other tours on schedule, cycling in the early mornings or evenings were not an option.
1145am - House of Ah Ma (阿嫲的家)
House of Ah Ma is about 7 minutes ride away from Padibox. It is a nostalgic shop which house assorted old school snacks, sweets, cutlery, traditional furniture etc. An interesting place to visit where our children learn more about our childhood and a trip back to the memory lane for us.
1pm - Lunch @ Kedai Kopi 168
We tried to google for nice place to have our lunch and was really lucky to find Kedai Kopi 168 which is just about 2 mins ride down away from House of Ah Ma.
We asked for recommendations and ordered small chilli prawns (辣椒虾), Pork belly with Tofu (豆腐花肉) and their specialty dish - Steam Grouper Fish head topped with onions (蒸石斑鱼头).
Pork belly with Tofu
Small chilli prawns
Steam Grouper Fish head
We love the fish head the most! It was fresh and the sauce with garlic and onion compliments the fish head so well! Chilli prawns and stir fry pork belly are savoury and the portion of the dishes are good. We spent a total of RM114 (~SGD37) including drinks and rice.
210pm - Rest & Play at Padi Box
After a nice lunch, we cycled back to Padi Box for a rest. Followed the children to the play room for snooker and also our hands on the older version of Nintendo game console.
The afternoons are really hot and staying in the air-conditioned play room is pretty relaxing too.
4pm - Set off from Padibox for tour
We managed to catch a quick nap and time to set off for the main highlights of our stay in Sekinchan!
Thankfully, we pre-booked our tours before we set off for our trip and everything is in place.
Tour Package by Sky Mirror World
We paid RM816 (For 4 pax) for our 4-in-1 package tour which includes Eagle Watch, Fireflies, Blue Tears and Sky Mirror. This cost does not include the transport from Padibox to the Jetty (meet-up point) on 2 separate days. Hence, we got Padibox to assist and paid for extra for two 2-way trips to the Jetty point and back to Padibox at RM200.
It would have been more cost saving if we have drove our vehicle but Hubby is not able to take long distance driving by himself and it will be too exhausting and stressful for him.
From Padibox, it was about 40 minutes drive to the Jetty that will be taking us for the next few tours ahead.
5pm - Sky Mirror World Tour: Eagle Watching
We set sail at about 450pm and it was about 15 mins after that we started to see the flock of birds and eagles hovering above the sky! It was an amazing sight especially they were dark clouds looming and we can see it was raining at the backdrop.
545pm - Seafood Dinner @ Restoran Makanan Laut Bagan
The Eagle Tour took about 1 hour (including sailing time), we were back to the jetty and had an hour dinner break. Decided to have seafood dinner at Restoran Makanan Laut Bagan (港尾海鲜楼) which is located at the jetty itself as that saves us time to look for other eateries as we have to be back for the Firefly tour which sets off at 715pm.
The online reviews for our dinner place is average but we thought we will give it a try nevertheless.
Lala (RM16) is fresh and delicious!
Fried Squids (RM20) - Average. Would be tastier if there is more crust and crispier.
We ordered Milk Crab (RM108) and its really delicious! Crab is fresh and I like the gravy too.
Another highlight is the bread. Unlike the usual buns that we often see, the bread here is really nice and soft. (RM5.50 per loaf)
Our total bill came up to RM175 (~SGD58) including rice and drinks, which is really very affordable!
715pm to 855pm - Firefly & Blue Tears Tour
After a sumptuous seafood dinner, we hopped on to another tour to watch the fireflies and blue tears! As the night falls, it is a pretty sight of the village as we sail off.
After admiring the fireflies, we set sail again in search of Blue Tears. It was not easy to spot the bioluminescent plankton but we were lucky to spot them as they emit glittering blue light and illuminating the waters. Though not very prominent during our tour but it was truly an experience we never had before.
We sailed back to the jetty and got picked up by the driver who has been waiting for us and we returned to Padibox.
930pm - Back to Padibox
A long day indeed and we are finally back to Padibox to rest for the night!
Total Expenditure for Day 2
Grab Fees:
RM160 (KL to Sekinchan)
RM200 (Padibox to Jetty x 2 trips)
Tour Package: RM816
Food: RM328
Misc: RM130
Total: ~RM1634
Check out our 2 weeks Malaysia itinerary here
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