Archive for August, 2009

Went on a scouting trip to Taiping last last weekend to check out the Kamunting Wild Boar Temple – Om Sakthi Sri Jada Muneesvarar Alayam because I need to lead 2 group tours there starting tomorrow.

There have been rumors going around that touching the wild boars will be able to strike lottery. This has been reported before in NST last year and with the rumors going around, a lot of my aunties customer are very interested to go touch them.

Thanks to Malsingmaps.com and Garmin GPS, I just punch in the temple name and navigate straight from Batu Pahat to Taiping and then to the temple without getting lost. It took me 6 hours to reach Taiping from Batu Pahat including a brief stop at Bidor for duck leg noodles. Will write more about the good food I found throughout my journey in the next post.

I arrived at Taiping and checked in to Panaroma Hotel in Taiping town around 5PM. Went to buy 4D numbers to be blessed by the wild boars and then head straight to the temple in Kamunting. I arrived around 6PM at the temple. It wasn’t hard to find the temple since I am equipped with a GPS. To get there, just get to the Tesco in Kamunting. Facing Tesco, there’s a Taman Zenith to the left, just drive deep into the taman and you will see some Indian guys there selling nasi lemak as food to offer to the boars. They will point you to the path to the temple. I bought 3 packs of nasi lemak from them, each pack cost RM2 and there are 2 portions inside each pack.

People feeding wild boars

People feeding wild boars

When I arrived at the temple, I didn’t expect to see so many wild boars roaming around. I thought they will be hiding in the forest and only come out when its feeding time. And I didn’t expect they would roam around so freely among humans. I guess after so many visitors that visited this place, they are very used to being around humans already. There are many cute little wild piglets running swiftly around  and several fully grown boars. The young ones are still quite shy and won’t let you get close to them unless you temp them with food.

Young boars

Young boars

Adult Female Wild Boar

Adult Female Wild Boar

Wild Piglet

Wild Piglet

Think its cuter to call it a piglet than a boar.

Feeding compound

Feeding compound

This is to separate the boars and humans. From the previous photos I saw of this place, thousands of people came here pushing and shoving trying to touch the boars. I guess since the boars are now more tamed they are allowed to roam outside of the enclosure.

Jungle where the wild boars come out from

Jungle where the wild boars come out from

The boars come and go from this forest behind the temple.

The food I bought to lure the wild boars

The food I bought to lure the wild boars

Getting my luck....

Getting my luck....

Two of my 4D lottery tickets fell on the floor while I was trying to stroke my ticket on the the boar’s body, luckily didn’t get eaten by it.

Getting my lottery ticket blessed

Getting my lottery ticket blessed

Sleeping Wild Boars

Sleeping Wild Boars

They even dare to sleep at the temple area where humans are walking around and making noise.

Feeding the boars

Feeding the boars

When I was trying to feed a bunch of them, they swarmed me to get food from me. 1 bite me on my jeans and its teeth scratch my thighs and bleed a little. Had to throw away the food on my hands to get away from them.

Eating its food without unwrapping

Eating its food without unwrapping

Rain. Humans and pigs running for shelter

Rain. Humans and pigs running for shelter

The temple

The temple

Om Sakthi Sri Jada Muneesvarar Alayam

Om Sakthi Sri Jada Muneesvarar Alayam

Lord Muneesvarar is behind the curtain

Lord Muneesvarar is behind the curtain

Joss sticks and lotus candles

Joss sticks and lotus candles

For 10 ringgit, you get a bunch of joss sticks, a lotus shaped candle and a bunch of flowers. The lotus candle and flowers can be offered to Lord Muneesvarar. If not just placed them in front of other god statues.

Each lotus candle has a lucky number on it

Each lotus candle has a lucky number on it

My lucky number (but didn't strike....)

My lucky number (but didn't strike....)

More crowd coming...

More crowd coming...

This is the path behind Taman Zenith leading to the temple.

Cooking 10kg of rice each time to feed the boars

Cooking 10kg of rice each time to feed the boars

3 cans of sardines are cooked together with the rice

3 cans of sardines are cooked together with the rice

The boars are fed 4 times a day. So the temple in total cook 40KGs of rice + 12 cans of sardines each day for the boars.

Lining up to be blessed by Lord Muneesvarar

Lining up to be blessed by Lord Muneesvarar

People started lining up around 6:40PM. We need to take off our shoes around this area. The floor was wet due to the rain, it was quite uncomfortable standing in the puddle of water where many foots had soaked in while waiting for my turn to get blessed.

Getting blessed by Lord Muneesvarar

Getting blessed by Lord Muneesvarar

I am blessed!

I am blessed!

I lighted the lotus candle and pass to the priest together with the bunch of flowers to offer to Lord Muneesvarar. In return I get be smoked by the holy fire and some ashes rubbed on my forehead.

Sardine Rice

Sardine Rice

Feeding time

Feeding time

More wild boars coming out of the jungle to eat

More wild boars coming out of the jungle to eat

Golden wild boar?

Golden wild boar?

Nah…. this fella just came out from a mud bath. Wonder who dares to stroke it….

A lot of wild boars came out from the jungle

A lot of wild boars came out from the jungle

The only male boar I saw with tusks. Check out its red eyes

The only male boar I saw with tusks. Check out its red eyes

Plenty of food for everyone

Plenty of food for everyone

Rubbing my RM50. Had to find a non wet area to rub....

Rubbing my RM50. Had to find a non wet area to rub....

3 legged wild boar. The most lucky boar at the temple according to a keeper there

3 legged wild boar. The most lucky boar at the temple according to a keeper there

Everyone were trying to rub him. I tried as well but he was so covered with mud, my lottery ticket end up being muddy and dirty after rubbing off him.

Cute wild piglet

Cute wild piglet

Quite a eye opening experience. It strange and funny that a small temple beside a jungle can get so famous because of the “lucky” wild boars. Not so lucky to me because I didn’t strike lottery. Burned around RM100 on 4Ds -_-…. $%#&*(#

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Woke up early despite sleeping very late to visit the Sunday Market at Jalan Gaya.

Jesselton Hotel

Jesselton Hotel

Sunday Market

Sunday Market

Household Items

Household Items

Colorful Hats and Caps

Colorful Hats and Caps

Tongkat Ali

Tongkat Ali

Colorful Patterned Cakes. Taste quite good.

Colorful Patterned Cakes. Taste quite good.

Fish for sale

Fish for sale

Alot of people

Alot of people

Country prosper, citizens live in peace and I cannot translate the other phrase.

Country prosper, citizens live in peace and I cannot translate the other phrase.

Anyone care to help me translate?

Only on Sundays from 5.30AM to 1PM

Only on Sundays from 5.30AM to 1PM

The market is full of cheap goodies. I bought 2 wooden bracelet for just RM4 and had alot of snacks along the way. If anyone who is in KK on Sunday should pay a visit.

Then Jimmy drove us to this famous Guo Man restaurant (国民餐室) to have fish paste noodle.

Kedai Restoran Kuo Man 国民餐室

Kedai Restoran Kuo Man 国民餐室

Everyone ordered fish paste noodle

Everyone ordered fish paste noodle

Hand made noodles

Hand made noodles

Fish Paste

Fish Paste

The fish paste was tender to bite, no fishy taste and the hand made noodle was very nice too. (Haha I need to improve my writing skills on describing food. Its really very good lar….)

Menu and Price List

Menu and Price List

The fish paste noodle cost RM6, quite expensive for plate of noodle but considering the bowl full of fish pastes, I think it was worth it. I just noticed a menu item, “Smooth Beef” Noodle that interest me a lot. I’m a sucker for anything beef, I shall go try that dish next time when I go KK.

Then we head back to Jimmy’s house to pack our things. Before leaving to the airport, we took a group photo together with his mum.

Group photo with Jimmy's Mum

Group photo with Jimmy's Mum

This AGE should be the smallest among all AGEs. Only 2 LTPians, 2 mixed LTPian/DJPian and 2 DJPians but still a very fun trip nonetheless.

Jimmy, thanks for driving us around and putting us up at your house, its better than staying in a hotel.

Mel, thanks for leading the kids activities and teaching me balloon sculpting skills. It won’t be the same without you, don’t worry your car budget can recover back very fast one. (Read Mel’s blog on pukak).

Kelley, thanks for being the pretty face of the group.

John….. You didn’t do much but you being there gives strength and support to all of us. And you cracking jokes in the car makes the journey to and back from Pukak seems shorter (at Mel’s expense).

Sheila, thanks for organizing this AGE. You took up the responsibility despite being far down under, the organization could be better but what the hell, we had a good time and we made the kids at Pukak very happy as well.

Looking forward for AGE7….. Lets make it happen and bigger!

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