Homestay at Bagan Datuk : Living Like A Local in Perak, Malaysia


Our 10-day journey in Perak started with a Homestay at Bagan Datuk, a new administrative district in southwestern Perak, Malaysia. It is a laid-back town with friendly and accommodating residents.


We left Kuala Lumpur around 10AM and embarked on a 3-hour journey to Perak on board a comfortable king long bus. We arrived in Perak around 1PM and had lunch at Udang Galah restaurant. It’s a homegrown restaurant that offers sumptuous local cuisines. I particularly loved their freshwater shrimp (udang) in sambal sauce. It was so good that I ate a lot of rice to complement the tasty sambal sauce. Hahaha.


After satisfying our gastronomic cravings, we headed our way to Menara Condong Teluk Intan Perak or the Leaning Tower of Perak. 


The Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan is a clock tower in Teluk Intan, Hilir, Perak, Malaysia. It is the Malaysian version of the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. It was built in 1885 by contractor Leong Choon Chong. It stands at 25 meters with 110 steps and originally housed the water tank that supply water in the town area.


Around Menara Condong Teluk Intan is a market and a Hindu Temple. I noticed that there is a significant number of Indians living in this area.


Our next stop was the historical site of Beting Beras Basah. It is the location where the first ruler, Sultan Muzaffar Shah 1, had set foot when he arrived from Kampar, Sumatera.


Homestay in Bagan Datuk
After the afternoon tour around Perak, we headed to Bagan Datuk and arrived around 6PM where we had light snacks and met our hosts. I was in the same house with Chandra, Hosik, and Isaac. (Check out hotels and homestays with close proximity to Bagan Datuk)


Our foster parent was Makcik (Auntie) Jamaiyah, a very nice and accommodating host. She prepared  dinner for us and joined us to get to know each other. She’s really nice and we’re very thankful for her for taking care of us while we were in Bagan Datuk. Living in her simple abode for two nights was an experience of a lifetime.

Things to Do in Bagan Datuk


Visit Traditional Houses
We woke up quite early or our next day’s activities. A car picked us up from our homestay and went to a traditional house where some of the influencers were staying. It looks really good from the facade to the interior. Just like our homestay and most of the homestays in Bagan Datuk, there’s only fan available. Just basic stuff, nothing really fancy.


We were shown the Kampung lifestyle. We had fresh young coconut for refreshment.

Explore Pulau Sembilan
Before lunch time, we left the mainland to see Pulau Sembilan, a group of nine islands about 10 nautical miles from Pangkor Island, also has stunning rock formations, pristine beaches. It is also home to the one of a kind “blue tears” of seawater that appear at night due to bioluminescent phytoplankton. Unfortunately, the islands is temporarily closed for visitors to make way for conservation efforts to maintain the pristine quality of the island.


Visit the Coconut Plantation
We’re lucky to visit a coconut plantation in Bagan Datuk. Of course, we had another round of fresh young coconut. A worker from the plantation showed us how they sort of “peel” the coconut for easy consumption.


They also made a demo on how to make a virgin coconut oil. It was interesting to know the process.

After the demo, we had a chance to see their crafts made from coconut by-products.

There are still more to do in Bagan Datuk but we do not have much time to do them. Overall, it was such an interesting experience. I will always remember my stay in Bagan Datuk.

Big thanks to Empayar Awan Biru for organizing the Social Influencers Fest 2017. Also thanks to the sponors: Malaysia Inbound Toursim Association (MITA), Homestay Malaysia, GetFi, Destination Perak, MB Inc. MK Land Inc., Koridor Utara, Royal Belum, Tourism Malaysia, Perak Agrotourism Resort, Swiss Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Casuarina Hotel Ipoh, & Laketown Resort.

Visit Perak 2017 Blog Series:


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