Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Johor: Day Trip to Kangkar Pulai Blue Lake

I'm back in action! Life has been rather happening and I forcefully stopped blogging for a while. Just got back from a work trip in Johor and I can't wait to share my experience and nice places that I found. The idea of sharing the nice places brought me back to this blog! 

I will start of with a hidden gem near Johor Bahru -- Kangkar Pulai blue lake! I wanted to visit this place since 2017 but it was closed at that time due to leptospirosis breakout at Gunung Pulai waterfall and also the land owner complained about the rubbish that was left on the trails. I was attracted by the stunning blue of the lake, which I would like to see it myself, if the colour is real or edited. 

On a Friday morning, I drove an hour from Simpang Renggam to Kangkar Pulai to search for this hidden gem with two of my colleagues! I studied a lot of blogs to check the location of the entrance. In fact, the entrance is searchable by Waze (search for Kangkar Pulai Lagoon) but I doubted myself a while when I reached. It doesn't really look like an entrance to a lagoon.

The rocky roads to walk towards the entrance of the blue lagoon

Basically, you will need to hike for about 10 minutes to reach the first viewpoint, which is the only hike that I did for this trip. I felt that this point is good enough for me to take good photos and sun was getting too hot that time. XD 
(Tips: Go earlier to avoid hot sun. I reached around 9.15am, which isn't too ideal)

This view definitely worth 10 minutes hike. Easy with good view!
The hike can be a bit steep. Just need to make sure you have a pair of shoes with good grips. My kampung adidas from Mr. DIY works pretty well! Thank goodness!

The blue lake was formed because of the iron ore quarry nearby. Copper sulphate is the mineral that is forming the blue colour. 

Yours truly with inappropriate outfit for hiking.
Never expect to hike during this work trip!


Life is too short! Don't wait and start exploring wonderful places now!

This is one of the landmark that you could confirm that you are walking towards the entrance. One of the blogs called it the "Big Tangki"

Tips: If you are unsure, look for cars and human beings! I confirmed that I was at the right place by noticing that there are a lot of cars stopping by the roadside. Then, we followed a couple who were also walking to the entrance. 


After hiking, it's time to search for good food! Yes, still need to feed the stomach although the hike was just 20 minutes in total with 1 hours plus of photo taking session. After googling, we found a stall that sells clam (la-la) noodles which seems quite interesting. The stall is located inside Restoran Atson. 



This looks like a fairly normal kopitiam. Can't wait to try local coffee here too!
I always like to try local coffees at local coffee shops as they usually surprise me.

Ta-daa!!! My fried noodle with clams (la-la) (RM7)
They served the noodles with very generous amount of clams. Yumssssss! 
The taste is satisfactory for me. =D The iced Cham (Coffee +Tea) that I ordered was decent.

This wrapped up my Kangkar Pulai blue lagoon exploration perfectly. 
Fed my eyes and cameras, then stomach! Weekend is always better if you do something different and indulge with good stuff. 

Address             : Restoran Aston
                                  1, Jalan Inang 1, Taman Nesa, Johor Bahru
Opening hours: 6am-1pm (closed on Thursdays)