A ride on the tram to Bukit Malawati and the Fresh Water Fish Park in Kuala Selangor

I was at Kuala Selangor yesterday to attend an 'aqiqah' (some sort of thanksgiving for the birth of a child in the Islamic Religion) celebration for a grand- niece from my husband's father's side of the family. 

And since we were already there with part of our huge extended family, meaning, my hubby's children and my step daughter's boyfriend, we decided to spend some time checking out the place. 

Initially, we thought to drive up the Malawati Hill or Bukit Malawati, but because of it being a weekend, no cars were allowed and the only way up was via the tram.

 So, my little girl, Anne and I took turns queuing up and got tickets for the kids and myself. My dear hubby decided to opt out and go for a drink instead, which is just exactly him.

There is also a small tourism booth which offers some brochures for those who like to know more about what you can check out in Kuala Selangor or even the whole of Selangor.

There is also a huge map in front of the tourism booth for visitors to check out what is available in the area.

Anyway, the price for the tram up to the Malawati Hill/ Bukit Malawati and also entrance to the Fresh Water Fish Park is RM5.30 (inclusive of GST) for adults and RM3.20 for kids below age 12.

There you have it... these are our tickets.

These beautiful young people, I am proud to say, are members of my family...for those of you who do not know me personally,( from left to right) my youngest daughter, Anne; my lovely step daughter ,Alyssa; Alyssa's boyfriend, Hilman; and my step son, Daniel....

This here is the tram heading up the hill....It is somewhat quirky and colourful... in red, blue and yellow. The entrance is a little narrow so for plump people, or plus sized people, be sure to be careful as I bumped my thighs getting in and obtained a huge an painful bruise for my efforts when getting in.

The tram brings you up to the Malawati Hill

Bukit Melawati is place full of history and one of Kuala Selangor's most popular tourist attractions during the day. This little hill was once home to a mighty fortress built by Sultan Ibrahim of Selangor towards the end of the 17th century, an effort to safeguard Selangor from Dutch forces that had conquered Malacca, a little further down south. The fort faced the sea with an impressive view of the coastline and the mouth of the Selangor River. Built with solid slabs of stone and held by massive pillars, it was certainly an impressive sight during its days. Despite all its stature, the fort faltered in the face of powerful Dutch cannons and fell to their naval forces after a two week siege.

The Dutch forces soon fought with Sultan Ibrahim’s troops again; and in less than a year, the Sultan launched a successful night raid and recaptured Melawati Hill after driving the Dutch back to sea. The fort continued to be at the epicenter of many struggles and battles over the years, especially during the Selangor civil war, fought between factions created by rival sultans and Chinese tin miner gangs. When British forces arrived to impose their presence in Selangor, they hammered the fort into little pieces, with the help of massive gunboat Rinaldo. Today, all that remains for visitors to see are a few decrepit foundation stones and walls, along with some of the 68 cannons originally used for the fort’s defence. The Kuala Selangor Lighthouse is the town's most famous landmark and symbol. It was built in 1907 and is also known as the Altingsburg Lighthousewhich was the old Dutch name for Bukit Melawati. It is 27m high and its light can be seen 18 nautical miles away. It is not open to the public.

  

The Silvery lutung or  better known as the silver leaf monkeys are probably Bukit Malawati's most popular attraction; They originate from the surrounding mangrove forests below, the monkeys have become accustomed with constant handouts and feedings from tourists. Several families of Silver-Leafed Monkeys and Long-Tailed Macaques hang around here for bananas, peanuts or vegetable handouts from visitors. There are vendors selling food nearby for you to purchase and feed these monkeys. The Silver-leafed babies have golden fur as compared with the adults of ashen grey. These Monkeys are a delight - they are gentle and seem to always have a thank you for every morsel of food given. The common (brown coloured )long-tailed macaques, on the other hand, are generally more cheeky and can be agressive and if you turn your back for a second - you'd never know what they would do.

Always be careful when feeding the monkeys. Although they have had many interactions with humans, we must remember that they are wild and wild animals tend to be erratic sometimes.

The tram will stop here for you to get off and for other people to get on, so you will definitely get a chance to check out the views there and interact with the silver leaf monkeys.

Be careful though when checking out the cannons and the view as there is no barriers there.

It is however, as you can see from my pictures, a lovely place to take some selfies as well as take some memorable photographs. After we took our photos with the monkeys and our own pictures, we boarded the next tram that came along.

Since my other half was waiting down below the hill and we did not quite want to traipse all around the hill, we did not really get to check out the other interesting sights you should not miss if you can..You see, in Bukit Malawati, there are historical relics which includes the protective walls of the fort, the palace ground, a lighthouse, royal graves, seven wells, a flat stone used for beheading offenders, a 100-step ladder, a poisoned well and several cannons targeted at the mouth of the Selangor River. FYI, Bukit Melawati has been designated a historical monument and historical site under Antiquities Act 1976 in 1977.

can you spot the baby monkey

Along the way we saw a tree filled with the silver leaf monkeys and I could not resist taking a picture of it. Note a little baby silver leaf monkey there which is golden in colour. Anyway it was kind of cute and amusing to see the monkeys tail all hanging down and I almost do not know if I would actually tug on the tails if they were within reach just for the fun of it... 

It also reminded me of the soft toy monkeys sold in the little shops at near the tram tickets and tourism booth counters....

The tram began it's descend and passed the Royal Mausoleum. I did not get the chance to get a good picture but only of the signboard... huhuhu.. 

Then the tram headed to the Fresh Water Fish Park where there was also a little Rabbit Fun Park. The man manning the booth said the price per person was RM3 but because there were 4 of us adults and a little girl, he told us to just give him RM10 and he even handed us a packet of cut carrot strips for us to feed the bunnies...

We fed the bunnies and also caught them to take photos of them... Look.. aren't they just simply adorable... I must confess I have a soft spot for bunny rabbits as I am born in the year of the rabbit ...

Ok... it was after this picture, our idyllic visit became a nightmare...hahah... 

You see, suddenly my little girl who was taking the photo above for me thought that it was raining, and she touched her hair, my step daughter's boyfriend exclaimed that it was poop. So she had monkey or bird poop on her hand and a little on her hair and on my camera. My step daughter and I let the bunny rabbit we were holding go to go to her rescue only to realize somehow we got poop on ourselves as well. My step daughter had poop on her hand bag and sleeve and I had a little on my shirt... which I managed to wipe off with some wet tissues. 

Oh yucks... gross.... sighhhh... what an experience. After that, no one in my family wanted to cuddle another bunny.

I just took these few pictures before we left the rabbit garden...

We headed to the fresh water fish park and my step daughter and little girl ran to the ladies room to clean themselves up while we took in some sights. 

There are a few aquariums showcasing a number of local fish species such as the Toman, and also the dragon fish/Arowana. There are also a few little aviaries and a pond. 

To be honest, there is nothing very special about the Fresh Water Fish Park if you have been to aquariums and if you are a local , but if you are a kid or a foreigner, you might be interested to see the fresh water fishes we have there...

After that, we got back on the tram which brought us back to the starting point .. and that was the end of the little trip...