Mystery about Carey Island Unveiled

There were so much talks about Carey Island for those who know and have heard about the island. It is as big as Singapore! This is where the people goes to buy fresh coconuts! You can’t go in unless you get approvals from the company! There is a golf course and nice sandy beaches; the company will build a 5-star resort there soon!

With all these thoughts in mind, we set out to Carey Islands to verify for ourselves the truth or myths. The bridge over the calmed muddy water was completed years ago. By now, 2 full fledged Sea food Restaurants are plying their trade- happily capitalizing on the name of the location.

Cross over the nicely constructed solid bridge and you are on the island! This "island" is actually a piece of delta land separated from the rest of the "mainland" by 2 branches of the Langat River Delta.

The entrance to the golf club is just at the guardhouse after the bridge. Guards are on duty checking on travelers moving in and out of the area. This was necessary to prevent pilferage of palm oil fruit out of the area. Situation has changed tremendously. There is a mill on the island to process the fruits insitu. Guards duty is to ensured that unprocessed fruits do not get taken out. Passenger’s traffic is not a nuisance.

With these changes in scenarios, we were allowed through without any query. Then a signboard advises outsider that the new road will take them across the entire length of the island, which a 12 kilometers drive.

The road is now paved, very recently, a normal width road with 2 lanes and almost straight all the way to the beach.

It was a beautiful day to be in a plain among palm oil trees almost flat comparing to the enlarged scene of a field of carpet grasses. The blue sky and now the sea are there.

Is that is all? Beautiful scenery and nice weather! Oh no! but if you look carefully, there is much more.

At the time when we were there, the low spring tide brought the waves half a kilometers out to seas. The seabed was sandy except for a narrow strip of mudflats. Here you will see the group ravaging through the tiny pebbles collected at the water marks area for unique collection.

If you look carefully, you may even see that with the shore bereft of trees, the sea water action has exposed layer delta clay. Sediments brought down by the river are with compressed with silt.

There was a noticeable absence of seashell and small animals’ life around the area. Is it due to extensive fishing or the cultivated area is suffering from an overdose of chemical treatment-insecticides and pesticides?

We caught the little hermit crab moving around looking for its lunch! Khoo was seeking relief from the sun.

Across the island a solitary hill stand watch. This is the 795 feet tall Bukit Jugra.

We left the "Island" and headed for the hill to get a bird’s eye view of the island and the river mouth. Though it is only a stone throw away, not more than half a kilometer, the journey by road took us another 17 kilometers, the major town of Banting and the historical village of Jugra.

But first we needed our lunch at this Viking restaurant and then a good souvenir of the lighthouse on top of the hill.

It was not a wasted detour as we got to see this dilapidated jailhouse of yesteryears. Most of all a gigantic tree that grew on its wall.

We could see much scenic and panoramic sight from this high ground. A long lonely road moves gradually up to the forested summit that is a now a security area for the Air Force.

At the foot of the hill, the area was utilized as a Chinese cemetery. Further up on some vantage point, the lighthouse and the Radar station.

The few notable sights are:- the coastline showing Port Klang harbor stretching north to Meru power station and beyond, the whole Carey Island and the Langat River mouth. Off course, activities in Jugra just at the foot of the hill were clearly in view.