My hometown is one of the memorable place for me. My hometown is Kuala Kangsar ,

Perak. My family stay here since 1975 after my parents got married. This city also known as

'Royal Town ' of Perak and rich with heritage and grandiose palaces and mosques. The Sultan

of Perak officially resides in Kuala Kangsar, and it has been Perak's royal seat since the 18th

century. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it flows into the Perak River.

The name Kuala Kangsar is believed to be taken its name from the kangsar tree (Hibiscus

flocossus) that grows in abundance along the banks of the Kangsar river. The town is also the

site of the first rubber tree planted in Malaysia which was planted by English botanist Henry

Nicholas Ridley. Mr. Ridley was the one responsible in developing the rubber industry and

helped the Country to become the largest rubber producer in the world. The tree still stands

today at the site near the corner of the office of the Kuala Kangsar District. Kuala Kangsar is a

relaxing town where visitors can have an enjoyable day with few worries about the daily

schedules.

Kuala Kangsar is famous for its handicraft industry. In Sayong, about less than 5

kilometres away across the Sultan Abdul Jalil Bridge from Kuala Kangsar, is home to the labu

Sayong or traditional earthen water pitcher. This pitcher is used for storing water, and water

kept inside this pitcher overnight became cooler as though it was kept in a refrigerator. What I

can say each house in Kuala Kangsar used this water pitcher as daily use or for decoration. You

should visit the Sayong Villagers especially who are still resorting to the traditional way of

moulding and shaping with bare hands. But, to scout for finished products, we can easily bought

it at the stalls at the Lembah or the Pesisiran Sayong on the other side of the Perak River. The

craft bazaar along the Sungai Perak offers local handicraft items such as bubu hiasan (decorative

fish traps), tikar mengkuang (mats), tekat benang emas (gold embroidery) and anyaman rotan

(rattan woven). The visitors can get for a good bargain of these items. Personally I love to walk

along the craft bazaar because we can get most of the items here in reasonable and affordable

price which we can used them as decorations for our home or as gifts to friends.

One of the most best part about my hometown , we can find delicious and popular

dishes which we can get only in Kuala Kangsar. When I mentioned Laksa it sounds familiar and

we can get easily at other place but here the dish is different because we called it Laksa

Gandum. Laksa gandum contains wheat flour noodles instead of the northern variety made from

rice flour, and is served with the laksa soup. This noodle dish goes along well with cendol or ais

kacang. We can find varities of stall along the riverbank only selling this cooling and delicious

drink. Other popular dishes from Kuala Kangsar are the gulai tempoyak , masak lemak ikan

patin and kuih apam tepung beras. The gulai tempoyak is a dish of Patin , Baung or other river

fishes cooked with fermented durian paste. Masak lemak ikan patin is another delicious Malay

dish served with rice. The Patin, a kind of catfish, is cooked in coconut milk with herbs and

spices with the formidable Thai pepper. Two types of traditional cakes that have made their

names here are kuih apam tepung beras and kuih labu. The latter is actually cakes made from

pumpkin wrapped in banana leaves. The masak ikan patin dish is also widely sold by small

eateries at the river bank at the Sayong side of the Perak River. We have to go to the jetty and

catch a passenger boat to Sayong for this dish. On the same time , we will amaze with varieties

of local fruit such as Durians , Rambutans , Jackfruit , Langsat , Mangosteens and others. The

facilities provided such the playground for the kids , small huts for the family and exercise

tools for adults near the river bank makes every day , especially in the evening it seem like a

feast because along the river bank people gather to relax and spend their time with family .

One of my favorite compulsory place to visit when I return to my hometown during

holidays is Ulu Kenas Waterfall. If we want a break from the town and feel the fresh air of the

nearby jungle, then go for a picnic with our family at Ulu Kenas Waterfall which is located

within the Ulu Kenas Forest Reserve. This waterfall has clean, clear water and once there was a

dam and a water treatment plant here to provide drinking water to the villages around this area.

It is a natural water playground for children. Facilities available are basic with toilets, bath and

changing rooms, and only on weekends there are stalls selling food and snacks. The entire area

is covered by secondary forest and an old durian plantation near the entrance of the waterfall. Its

natural setting and beauty will surely inspires our soul and refresh our mind. Apart from

swimming attire, bring along a change of clothes, we can also have barbeque and the place for

it are provided.

Kuala Kangsar well known with to many places especially the beautiful and mind

blowing mosque ' Masjid Ubudiah ' stands proudly on the Bukit Chandan hill. Every time , I

come to my hometown I will take my children to drive around the Royal Palace to see the

beautiful scenery of the palace lamp at night. I proudly to declare that my hometown is the town

in the garden. It is the peaceful place because in the evening people will gather at the river bank

and doing different activities such as the teenagers will play skateboard or playing instruments ,

the adults will fishing , exercises or relaxing at the jetty , meanwhile the kids will play at the

playground. I would like to warm welcome to my home town and get the wonderful and great

experiences through exploring this place and I definitely confirm it is like entering to new door

of knowledge and eye-candy place of worship.