Sitiawan, Here I come~!!!

Happy Merry Thursday! It was a school holiday, so my family took a day off to tour around my hometown state-Perak. It was my first time driving outstation. When my parents asked me if I want to drive to Sitiawan, I agreed without any hesitation, thinking that it would be the same as on the streets. However, my initial ego proved to backfire. Driving in the dark and for 1 hour to Sitiawan was no easy feat at all, especially when I had got my probationary driving licence for barely a month!

星期四快乐！适逢假期，所以我们齐家趁机在整个霹雳州游山玩水。这可是本小姐第一次驾车出坡哦。我毫不犹豫地答应父母要我驾远途的要求，反正只是驾车，在街上和高速大道都一样的啦！结果，事与愿违，我大错特错了！在黑暗的情况下驱车去Sitiawan一点也不容易！

Sitiawan is a quaint little city which is located in the middle of the state Perak and is renowned for its scrumptious and wide spread of Foochow delicacies. (Sorry I don't know much about Sitiawan yeah. )

Sitiawan是个在中霹雳内宁静的小镇，以道地福州美食鼎鼎有名。（对不起，我对Sitiawan认识不多！）

***

At the break of dawn, well seated in a blue Perodua Alza with my family members and loads of food and water, I cut across the immense darkness to get to Sitiawan. Mind you, it was my first time driving at a speed exceeding 80 km/h just to reach the quiet little town! It was indeed a brand-new experience which was thrilling for the adventurous but blood-curdling for those who are not into challenges. It began when the car began accelerating at the stretch along Changkat Jering, and as the speedometer hit 80 km/h, daddy ordered me to switch to Gear Five.

WHAT?! I was stupefied. never in my life did I drove THIS FAST before! Will I end up driving straight into the nearest valley or will I head there safe? I was perplexed and afraid at the same time. I AM A NEWBIE!

Fortunately, the entire road was literally mine since it was still early in the morning. What luck!


Upon arrival at Sitiawan, we had breakfast at a nearby hawker stall before proceeding to the Tua Pek Kong Temple, at Jalan Pasir Panjang, which was facing to the ocean. It was breezy, with the mild aroma of incense floating around the atmosphere. Yes, we are on a BEACH! It is just that there are nobody picnicking there.

(Sorry for the absence of the picture of the main entrance, though.)

***

It was the invasion of wild boars in Kamunting which stirred up a lottery frenzy in Kamunting a few years back; now, the temple has took is place as the Star. (Although I'm not sure if that is for lottery again!) Anyway, we do not come for striking a lottery, we merely came to visit this renowned grand temple, pay our respects to the deities, and of course, great food!

野猪侵袭甘文丁，迎来了一阵摸野猪求中横财的热潮。那已是早几年的事了。现在，大伯公庙已取代了野猪的地位和热潮。（虽然我不确定是不是因为万字搞鬼）虽然如此，我们可不是为了求万字而来的哦。我们纯粹想来此地参观、拜佛、享用道地美食哦！

Look at the grand white statues of the deities!
一尊尊雪白‘、雕刻细腻的佛像，不失庄严。

吼！Roar!

Deities representing the virtues to be practised.
象征着种种美德的雕像。（不懂要怎样叫它们啊！）

你挑着担，我牵着马，迎来日出，送走晚霞······

这就是《西游记》的主角啦！（别告诉我你们不知道他们是谁。）
These are the main characters from the famous Chinese novel, "Journey To The West"! Mind you, you must have known the characters, RIGHT???!!!

Monkey Garden! Alas, it is not as poetic as hat described in the novel: a forest terrain on a hill with an abundance of peaches and LOTS of monkeys jumping around.

花果山。可惜，Sitiawan版的花果山并不像《西游记》所形容般诗情画意。没有桃花林，也没有一大群猴子在里头嬉戏。我觉得有点遗憾。

The Monkey Garden of Sitiawan Version is, in fact, a mangrove swamp. The salty flavour of the ocean is all around in this "Monkey Garden". It did not let us down as it is really scenic; strategically located facing the ocean (as mentioned earlier) forms a picturesque.

Sitiawan般的花果山既是一个背像海洋的红树林。幸好它不负我们众望；榕树林搭上海景，美不胜收，养眼得很。

Can you see it? A tiny crab! Creatures such as mudskippers and tiny  crabs are abundant in mangrove swamps.
看到吗？红树林中有很多小螃蟹、弹涂鱼等沼泽生物哦。

See the monkey?
看到老孙吗？

It was indeed a feast for the eyes for nature lovers! Of course, you can pay a visit to my previous High School or Taiping Lakegarden for MORE such agile friends. :P

Whilst mom was busy praying, Daddy, sister and me went to visit a scenic garden, names "Pin Xian Yuan" which meant "The Garden of Deities" (If I am not mistaken). The place was true to its name!

妈妈正忙这烧香拜佛时，爸爸、妹妹和我到风景怡人的“品仙园”参观。“品仙园”的美名，果然名副其实。

The intricately carved stone statues of the Eighteen Rohans and the scenic park draped with willows which dance gently to the wind has beckoned the devotees and visitors to stop over and feel a sense of peace and serenity.

踏进品仙园，映入眼帘的，尽是雕刻精细的十八罗汉石雕，伴随一棵棵柳树点缀，显露出恬静平和的画面。第一尊即是布袋罗汉，展露圆滚滚的肚皮，对着到来的游客、善信们嘿嘿笑。

Three man-made caves follow the path and act as "tunnels" along the way. There, devotees can pray and donate to the temple.

紧接而来的是三座人造山洞。善心们能在里头上香祈福，并捐款给庙宇。

The scenes inside the Release Pond. Isn't it cute watching them snatching for food?

放声池的内幕。看看象征长寿的乌龟，在一起争食，可爱吧？

Happy Year of Dragon!
龙年行大运！^^

撒尿小童

After absorbing oneself into the picturesque, food is another thing to be taken seriously.

欣赏了美景，琳琅满目的美食岂可放过？

The honey Tofu fah. You have to stir the entire dessert for the optimum taste. It is velvety smooth and not too sweet. Priced at only RM3 per bowl, this is another must-try dessert! Yum!
蜜糖豆腐花。你一定要搅完整道甜品。起口感绵滑细腻，甜度适中。每碗要价RM3，一定要尝尝！

The infamous Foochow Red Wine Noodles. Kampong Chicken is used and its flesh is firm. The noodle has a special springy texture and is well infused with the tantalising aroma of red wine.
远近驰名的福州红酒面线。鸡只是甘榜鸡，口感结实。面线QQ的，可不是普通的面线哦！面条里散发出红酒的特殊口味。

Of course, we bought the local snacks from there!
I highly recommend the Durian Heong Peah and Charcoal Tambun biscuits. The former has authentic durian filling, and is freshly baked. A revolutionary combination! As for the latter, the flavour of charcoal powder blends well with the original flavour of the Tambun biscuit. It is soft, so handle with care or you will end up with an entire table of crumbs!

临走前，当然不可少了土产！

诚意推荐：榴莲香饼：浓厚香醇的榴莲馅搭配传统香饼，算是一项大胆又成功的尝试，而且是现做现卖的哦。
竹炭淡汶饼：竹炭粉搭配淡汶饼，增添原有风味。可是，饼儿外脆内软，小心吃得满桌碎屑！

Will be sharing with you guys my adventures in Gua Tempurung and Teluk Intan soon!

下回，我将和大家分享我在椰壳洞和安顺的路程哦。