Pulau Pangkor

Peter van der Lans runs three three websites Pulau Pangkor, Bicycle Adventures, and Yangshuo Travel Guide.

He is alson an avid cyclists who has traveled on his bicycle through such places as India, China and Turkey.

In this interview Peter talks to WhyVancouver about the beautiful tropical island of Malaysia where he makes his home.

Our thanks to Peter for taking time to answer our questions and we hope you enjoy our interview.

WhyVancouver.com: What would you like share with our readers about the rich history and culture of Pulau Pangkor?

Peter: Pangkor's history is quite interesting. It goes back to the days the Dutch were roaming the seas in South East Asia (17th century).

They used Pangkor as a controlling pillar in their spice route and a post to examine the Thai kingdom in the north. The Dutch had a small fortress with plenty of local legends.

Most famous is the "Legend of the Tiger" although it's unlikely a tiger has ever lived here as Pangkor is too small for a tiger. The story behind it is that the child of a Dutch dignitary, who played by the rock, disappeared with no trace and it was presumed that a tiger had taken the child.

However the villagers said that it wasn't the tiger that had taken the boy, but more probably angry Malays, who wanted to rid Pangkor of the Dutch. The Dutch could have also chiseled this incident on the stone depicting the Malays as a tiger. And thus the rock became knows as Tiger Rock.

Pangkor is nowadays part of Malaysia's recent history. The Pangkor Treaty (or Perjanjian Pangkor in Malay) is still an important part of the Malaysian history . The Pangkor treaty of 1874 was a treaty signed between the Sir Andrew Clarke on behalf of the British and Raja Abdullah of Perak. It was signed on January 20, 1874 on the island of Pangkor off Perak. Thus, the name of the agreement.

It is for some Malaysians still a reason to visit Pangkor even though there are no trails where this event really has happened. If you want to see some of that treaty you have to travel 66km south, where the complex "Pasir Salak" is located, this is the place where the independence was signed. It's worth the visit.

WhyVancouver.com: Your website Pulau-Pangkor.com is very informative, what inspired you to create it?

Peter: When I came to Sitiawan, 9 km from Lumut which is the gateway to Pangkor, I needed to earn money. There were several possibilities, one of them was to get an ordinary job, for example teaching. But the idea of again having a job had no appeal.

When I lived in Manchester with my then girlfriend (who is actually from here), I found Sitesell. I did my research in England and when we came back to Malaysia (there was no way I would have wanted to live longer in the UK or in Holland), I decided I could start a website.

The original idea was to do a bicycle website, as I had been cycling for many years. My girlfriend felt left out and proposed Pangkor as a subject. I researched it and it looked profitable. So we could work both on it. However, within 6 months we separated. I had produced about 120 pages, she only 5. Thus I kept the site and extended it to the present size.

WhyVancouver.com: What kind of activities are there to do. Are there any “special” events in Pulau Pangkor that you’d like to tell our readers about?

Peter: Pangkor is a small island. In fact, you could ride a bicycle around the island in about an hour, if you can handle the steep hills in the north. The prime reason to go to Pangkor is to relax.

There is only one road around the island. So, most people who come here are those who love clean beaches and blue waters for a couple of days. There's a few sights but you can visit them in a day too. The prime reason to be here is to be away from the tourist hordes. Mass tourism has not discovered Pangkor. But jetskies, bananaboat, canoes etc are available.

I usually promote Pangkor for travelers from colder countries for coming first to Pangkor, acclimatize a couple of days, get used to the food, the money, the way of life and then continue traveling to other places in Malaysia

Lumut has good connections to almost all prime tourist locations in Malaysia and it's only 5 hours by taxi from KLIA International Airport in Kuala Lumpur. It's a better place then staying in the heat of KL. As most travelers fly out, they will come anyway back in KL and by then they're more used to the tropical heat.

One other thing Pangkor is famous for in Malaysia is the ikan bilis, anchovies. I am not an expert even though I can tell the difference between the different sorts of anchovies. Many Malaysians come for the ikan bilis ONLY to Pangkor. And yes, it is great, when dried.

WhyVancouver.com: What kind of feedback do you get from visitors to Pulau Pangkor and do any of them stand out as “special” to you?

Peter: I always like to hear people love the quietness because that's what it is all about. You can go to the beach, even in high season and find only 3 or 4 other people.

As I love to go to Pangkor every once in a while just to have a swim and eat some with friends at the island, I am always pleased many responses I get proof I am right in my assumption that Pangkor is not ready for mass tourism.

The island does have it's accommodation in all price ranges from low budget to the very high end (with Pangkor Laut as 5 star hotel and chalets starting at $200 and on (don't laugh now!).

WhyVancouver.com: What kinds of dining/restaurant selections are available on Pulau Pangkor and which is your favorite of them all?

Peter: Malaysians of all races are food crazy. The best food is hawker food. Pasir Bogak (one of the beaches) has some really good stalls. As Pangkor is an island, the best dishes are fish, my personal favorite is steamed fish. There's not much food I don't like here (or it must be the local made sweets). Crab can be wonderful and cheap.

In Pangkor town there's a few local restaurants where you can eat your belly full for a few dollars. The west part of the island is more accessible for the westerners. There's a few cafes with pizza and beer but I prefer the local made fish dishes, especially steamed fish or crab. At Nipah Bay there's a small stall serving really good laksa.

One dish I have regularly, preferable for breakfast is the 3 in 1 soup. The only place to get is right here in Sitiawan (not at Pangkor itself). It's a Chinese noodles soup, a mix of laksa, prawn noodles and curry noodles. The soup is not only tasty, the ingredients do wonderful in this soup (prawn, snails, pork, egg, vegetables depending on what is available).

Although I love to eat rice, I still prefer the noodle dishes. I prefer the Chinese and Indian cuisine (in general) over the Malay cuisine but it doesn't mean the Malays don't cook well. It's just that here in Sitiawan there's more Chinese restaurants then Malays. Any mee soup (noodles) from mee rebus (a thick potatoe based soup), ho kien mee (prawn mee), curry mee, wan tan mee (noodles in soja with dumplings), laksa and other soups are fantastic. The Pangkor website has plenty of recipes to try from.

As Malaysia is a tropical country, we have fabulous fruits. My favorite here: mangoes, dragon fruit, mangosteen, rambutan and ... and ... and... check the website for more frutis.

WhyVancouver.com: What are your top 10 favorite things that you like to tell people about?

Peter: Well, as Pangkor itself is small my focus to tell people is usually a little broader then Pangkor alone.

As for Pangkor, I usually urge people to do a few things which are not on the main menu. A jungle trek over the island is easy to do on your own and is very rewarding. There are not spectacular views over the island or to the mainland but the forest is lush, green (leeches at Pangkor too) and quite a bit of wildlife (wild boar, eagles, snakes, 3 meter monitor lizards, spectacular hornbill birds to mention a few) and in the trekking of about 3 hours, you will see them all.

Another thing most people do not do is visit a small but beautiful little beach on the south west part: "Teluk Segadas"

I love to see people get into nature. In this part of Malaysia there is still some beautiful mangrove forest available. Just outside Lumut there is a small park where you can learn what the mangrove is and what lives there. Jungle trekking at the mainland is really wild. Recently I walked into two fighting wild boars. Hiking here is something few people do, which is nice for me as it keeps the forest empty of humans but the jungle deserves more attention. I hike 2 or 3 times a week,. maybe once in 2 months I see people in the jungle.

At Pangkor and at the mainland beaches you can get a canoe. It is really worth it to get one and pedal around the island. It takes 8-10 hours depending on speed and stop. There are some places to stop which are impossible to reach from the land side.

And, as I have been cycling from Holland to Malaysia (almost 100.000 km on the counter now), hence the Bicycle Adventures website, I think it's really cool to cycle around Pangkor. Some people underestimate and pay for it. It's not as easy as it sounds, despite the only 25 or so km's. But the main thing a visitor to Pangkor and Malaysia in more general terms should do, is explore the local cuisine.

From what I have seen, there is no country with more variety in local food then Malaysia. This has obviously to do with the mix of cultures. The Malays, Indians and Chinese have all their own cuisine but they also mix elements from the other cuisines. This generates dishes which are not available anywhere else. Despite the name. Laksa, for example taste very different in Malaysia then anywhere else. The same goes for one of the most popular dishes in the country: roti canai (a kind of pancake eaten with fish and chicken sauce, a spice coconut sauce and dhal (lentils). This is together with nasi lemak, the main breakfast for Malaysians. No one eats bread for breakfast (not even me).

WhyVancouver.com: Any special tips that people wouldn’t normally know about Pulau Pangkor? (Unless of course they were on your site!)

Peter: Most foreigners do not even know Pangkor. Malaysia Tourism does not really promote it so it stays off the main mass tourist routes. Therefore almost everything about Pangkor is a kind of secret to non Malaysians.

But even for Malaysians there's gems, many find especially the canoeing here very rewarding. This also counts for the jungle trek where recently somebody told me he was knocked out by seeing so many orchids.

What most foreigners do not know is that you can rent a boat and go fishing at Pulau Sembilan, the 9 islands group at about 45 minutes from Pangkor.

It's also a beautiful dive site but unfortunately we don't have an official dive operator here anymore. Things to catch? How about barracuda or even shark (black or white tips or leopard sharks).

WhyVancouver.com: What are some of the things to do in Pulau Pangkor that adults and/or families would really enjoy doing?

Peter: I think Pangkor is especially cool for families, either young couples or families with little children. The Pangkor Island Beach Resort and Nipah Bay are bays, with hardly any current.

You can drop your child at the beach, leave a few hours and find your child back at the exact same place (not that I recommend doing that!).

The water is beautiful, clean and calm. During school holidays many Malaysian families come to Pangkor because it is so relaxed, cheap and safe. Still, if you are in for excitement, banana boats and jet skies are in the weekends available. And if you are lucky you can see the sea otters swimming in front of where you swim.

WhyVancouver.com: Are there any specific tours that you’d recommend visitors to Pulau Pangkor should take?

Peter: The only tour you can do at Pangkor is a 2 hours speed tour to visit the sights at the island. If you don't want to get a bicycle or motorbike, this is a decent deal but it's a bit running.

However, as mentioned above, a fishing trip to Pulau (means "island") Sembilan (means "9") is always great but a round the island trip is also nice enough. You can rent some snorkels and masks and have fun at the coral reefs.

WhyVancouver.com: What are the seasonal temperatures and is there an “off-season” when visitors to Pulau Pangkor can still enjoy their vacation?

Peter: Malaysia is a tropical country. This means we have only two seasons, a dry and a wet season. The high season is usually in December and around Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Deepavali and Merdeka day (independence day, August 31). This is not because of the weather but because of the school/national holidays.

Technically there is a dry and wet season and many places in Malaysia experience that. Weird enough, the wet season here around Pangkor is mostly happening at night. The island is the whole year around open (contrary to islands on the east coast which close 3 months).

WhyVancouver.com: Thanks so much Peter for your time and is there anything special you would like to personally tell our readers?

Peter: Enjoy my websites

I'm trying to get to heaven.... before they close the door...

Yangshuo Travel Guide
Pulau Pangkor
Bicycle Adventures

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