Thursday 22 May 2014

Pedu Lake, Kedah


#GoJalanPeduLake
Date: 17 May 2014

Ada apa je kat Tasik Pedu tu? (What is there in Pedu Lake?)
Jawapan selalu dapat, "tak ada apa pun" (not much!).

And if you search online, really... nothing much aside from a few articles (and plenty of speculations) about old graveyard, the closed resorts in the area and logging activities. So I put it on my To Visit list and got the opportunity to see the place recently.

Less than an hour drive from Alor Setar, the journey itself was fun. Good road going through towns and paddy fields, there was plenty to see. If you use Waze or Google Map, don't bother going to Pedu Lake Golf & Lake Resort a.k.a Holiday Inn Resort Pedu Lake. This is another #TrickedbyWaze location. Rumah orang and reban ayam.

Well, if you REALLY have no idea how to get to the area, you can set to this place and once you get in town, ditch the Waze and follow the signboard. If there's no signboard, just turn right =P Btw, no Celcom reception in Pedu Lake.

Before reaching Pedu Lake, you'll have to go past some villages and Wat Phikultharam. Opposite the road got a Siamese cemetery. Cantik :) It was my first time seeing one. Please drive carefully on the country road yeah! Find a safe spot if you want to stop.

Once in Pedu Lake area, traffic reduced significantly. Aside from a few vehicles speeding away, I saw some cars parked randomly by the roadside. Must be the anglers. Two or three cars were just driving around, exploring the little turnings along the main road like I was doing.


Driving around Pedu Lake
Down the road marked as Pedu Resort

Look out for the abandoned buildings/structures along the small road going to Pedu Resort! Plenty of gorgeous plants as well. Again, be careful while driving as there are other users in the area even if the road looked deserted.


Mutiara Pedu Lake - closed
Locked gate of the closed resort :( Anyone interested to revive this place?

View near Mutiara Pedu Lake gate
Beautiful view a few steps away from the resort gate. Taken from the car cuz I was too lazy to get out.

An abandoned structure in Pedu Lake
Stopped by a derelict structure on the way back from the closed resort. Another resort from the look of it.

Abandoned building in Pedu Lake
Once upon a time a hotel lobby?

Abandoned complex in Pedu Lake
Down the path... See those palm/coconut trees?

So sayang the place abandoned just like that. I could see some flower bushes and my guess is that they led down some chalets. Did not explore as there were only two of us. Would love to come back and see what this complex was all about.

I think I understand why the resorts had to close. Aside from the fact that there is an old cemetery in the lake, one need to travel quite a distance from the main road to the resort. Workers pun surely bored and demotivated to work there. Room rates was kinda cheap (based on the website) so I can imagine the kind of crowds the resort employees had to 'hadap'.

But surely the place can be revived as it has SO much potential. I know kaki pancing (anglers) already love this place. Gorgeous view- so many photo opp. I can imagine a glamour photoshoot here if there's a nice accommodation in the area.


The Dam!
The damn. I mean, dam.

A building at one of the jetties in Pedu Lake
A building near Pusat Pendaratan Ikan Tasik Muda (Pedu Lake area still)

View at Pusat Pendaratan Ikan in Pedu Lake
View near Pusat Pendaratan Ikan Tasik Muda (Pedu Lake area)

View at pusat pendaratan ikan in Pedu Lake
Gorgeous, isn't it? Yang ni I turun kereta :p

Saw signage saying got surau (prayer room), kedai makan and whatnot la here but couldn't find any. Tutup for the day kut (sangka baik). Ada pun anglers muka ketat bawa kereta plate number Penang usha I as if I nak curi ikan dia. Pfffttt~ Bukan boleh buat fish & chips pun!


Pedu Lake view
A must-have lake shot. The others tadi all can see dry land.

A bugs life in Pedu
A bug found near Jetty Charok

View at Jetty Charok Air Keruh
View at Jetty Charok

I assumed that the boathouse is the one 'parked' around that left corner in the pic. Couldn't find safe path to the boathouse (OK fine, I'm lazy) so I didn't get to see if there really is a restaurant there. Kat tepi tu betul la ada macam warung but it looked closed maka I tak berani dekat. 

A guy was observing from far so I tak berani take pic of the warung also =P


Fishing near Jetty Charok Air Keruh
A couple dating/fishing by the lake

Cancelled niat nak ask the fella at the jetty about touring the lake when I saw the state of the boats there. How many boats can you spot in the pic above?

Padahal kalau ikut aras air yang rendah tu (yes, musim kemarau still apparently) dah boleh nampak dah the old kubur in the water. Teringin juga nak tengok, mana tau if nampak old buildings and mosque kat dasar tasik tu.

So, apa je ada in Pedu Lake? Bring your camera and discover them yourself! Plenty to see and hopefully someone will revive (and maintain) Pedu Lake as a tourist destination and put stop to the logging activities. Sayang oi pokok balak tu semua.

Susah sangat, make it a paranormal cum historical tourism destination. Cerita pasal Siamese village and other superstition there. Ada je market sekarang ni. I know I'll sign up. Will you?


7 comments:

  1. teringin nak explore abandoned place like pedu lake resort.. takut pergi berdua balik bertiga aja..haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kalau macam tu, pergilah bertiga. boleh balik berempat. huhu.

      Delete
  2. Hairan jgk.state gov xdak plan apa apa ka.sayang la hutan cmni diabaikan..kita nk majukan..tp siapalah kita ni kan hehe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. try la submit proposal. mana tau rezeki. hehe.

      Delete
  3. Miss tempat ni, lots. Walau jauh dari tempat saya (SG), tapi sudah 4-kali bermalam di sana (di Desa Utara Pedu Lake Resort). Looking at the pix (yg derelict structure tu), teringat mcmana mereka memyambut ketibaan kami (grp mtr dr SG) dgn kain rentang serta paluan kompang di situ pd tahun 2001 :(

    -Zamran Ibrahim

    ReplyDelete
  4. Miss tempat ni, lots. Walau jauh dari tempat saya (SG), tapi sudah 4-kali bermalam di sana (di Desa Utara Pedu Lake Resort). Looking at the pix (yg derelict structure tu), teringat mcmana mereka memyambut ketibaan kami (grp mtr dr SG) dgn kain rentang serta paluan kompang di situ pd tahun 2001 :(

    ReplyDelete
  5. Alhamdulillah sy pernah praktikal kat tempat ni selama 9bulan. Tp x pernah sekali pun diganggu makluk2 allah yg x dapat dilihat dengan mata kasar. Tp miss setiap kata2 kita adalah doa. Jd x salah kalau kita hormat sesama umat

    ReplyDelete