Hiking Bukit Botak & Bukit Berdiri, Parit Sulong, Johor

Note: Visited in September 2019. Published in July 2020, courtesy of procrastination.

There are plenty of small, albeit relatively unknown hills and mountains in Johor for hiking. There is a cluster of hills with multiple peaks around the vicinity of Muar. one of them is Bukit Botak & Bukit Berdiri, which are located in Parit Sulong, a village about 20 minutes drive from Batu Pahat.

Fun fact: Bukit Botak literally translates to "Bald hill" - and there's a reason to it being called that. A quick search for "Bukit Botak" on Instagram would probably yield photos of a giant boulder that looks like the head of a bald man.

A quick google search for Bukit Botak entrance will render you a few results - there are a few entrances, all will lead you to the peak. I entered via the official entrance here.

All entrance will eventually lead you to the peak of Bukit Botak. However, the length and difficulty of the trail may vary. My friends and I tried to hike Bukit Botak sometime in May 2019, but we used a different entrance that time, and due to the lack of markings or direction, we ended up...on Bukit Payung, which is another peak within this cluster of mountains. Lol :p

If you use the same entrance as me, you'll see a few wooden kampung house scattered along the stretch of road where the official entrance is located at, with water lilies in the ditch. 

The first part of the trail is an oil palm plantation. There are orange markers sprayed over the trunks of the oil palm - follow them to prevent getting lost or going off-track. I felt as though I got consumed alive by mosquitoes on this part of the trail!

The arrows will lead you to a junction, just follow the arrow scribble on this wall..

And please adhere to the advice scribbled on the wall (Translation: Bring home whatever you brought here ; though I really disagree with vandalising the walls).

Beyond the wall was... a steep hike up, but just for a short stretch! (Probably around 200m!). This stretch is uncovered too so if you started hiking late, brace yourself to get burn under the scorching sun!

There were a lot of junctions during the first stretch - make sure you follow the orange marker, on the trees, or the trail that has ropes for support

After 10 minutes, you'll reach the (self-proclaimed) first look-out point

And you'll be entering the shaded part of the trail.

The path from here onwards leading up to the peak is much easier and not steep at all :)

Except for this part where you've got to hoist yourself up this giant boulder.

After about 30 minutes of trekking hiking, you'll reach this place which is seemingly a base camp - the terrain is flat and there are many structures to support a tent. I'm assuming that this place may be popular for overnight camps too.

Once you see this sign, Bukit Berdiri peak is located less than a minute way!

The peak of Bukit Berdiri

The peak was okay. A panoramic view of the oil palm plantation below.

Now after you reach the peak, you can turn back and descend the same way you ascended. We met a friendly Pak Cik who was a regular there and offered to show us the way to Bukit Botak peak, which he claimed was only about 20 minutes away. 

The path from Bukit Berdiri to Bukit Botak is kinda...unmarked. We couldn't have known where to go, if it weren't for the Pak Cik.

We just followed this kind Pak Cik (uncle), who kindly led the way. My apologies as I am not able to give clear directions to get to Bukit Botak peak from Bukit Berdiri.

We had to cut across some plantations again. As we were walking, a (wild) wild boar crossed out path! It was quite an interesting sight :p though we were told that wild boars may get aggressive and it was kinda dangerous - so the pak cik that was leading the way took a branch and started disturbing the bushes as we moved along the trail, just to send out a "WE'RE HERE" signal to fend off any potential wild boars.

Was quite sad to see trees being cleared off :( the pak cik suspect that these may be the work of illegal loggers :(

After what seems like forever (the hike from Bukit Berdiri to Bukit Botak wasn't 20 minutes, I swear), we finally saw some markers!

And...the signature Instagrammable boulder at the peak of Bukit Botak!

I very much prefer the peak at Bukit Botak :) You get a more panoramic view of the surroundings at Bukit Botak, whereas the view is slightly obstructed at Bukit Berdiri.

We had a picnic there, courtesy of the pak cik and his friends.

From this peak, we took about 30-45 minutes to get back to our starting point. The pak cik brought us to a mini waterfall in the oil palm plantation but again, we just followed the pak cik so I can't give any clear directions, my apologies :( The waterfall though was littered with trash though, it was quite a sad sight. The pak cik said that the waterfall used to be much cleaner, but due to the irresponsible actions of mankind, sigh. I have no words for this. We buried what we could and left. 

Shout-out to the pak cik who kindly showed us around. He had a plastic bag with him and he picked up trash along the way. This was our "yield" by the end of the hike (excluding the trash at the waterfall - there was too much trash :( ).

Let us all be responsible hikers and leave behind no trash when we hike, please! I really enjoyed this hike and the company. Though be warned that the trail from Bukit Berdiri to Bukit Botak is kinda confusing unless you can get someone who is familiar with the trails, I really wouldn't recommend doing it alone especially for first-timers!

Bukit Botak & Bukit Berdiri

Difficulty: Moderately easy

Duration of hike: 2-3 hours (for the entire loop)

Other places to visit in Johor:
1. Pulau Mawar, Mersing
2. Gunung Arong, Mersing
3. Blue Lagoon of Kangkar Pulai
4. Rainforest Treehouse, Pulai
5. Aw Pottery, Ayer Hitam
6. Island hopping @ Mersing

Aw Pottery, Ayer Hitam, Johor

BACK IN those days when I used to teach in Johor, trailing along the Johor's leg of the North-South highway felt like a chore - that particular stretch of road takes about 2-2.5 hours to reach from end-to-end (North-most point of Johor to South-most point, vice versa) and the terrain around it, let's just say it is somewhat monotonous, or maybe because I trudge that stretch of the highway way too often, it feels somewhat...too familiar.

And thus began my search for interesting places to stopover during my drive down South to Johor/up North when leaving Johor.  

One of my favourite stopovers is at Ayer Hitam, a quaint little town located just about an hour's drive from Johor Bahru, conveniently right off the exit of North-South Highway. Ayer Hitam is also known as the ceramic town of Malaysia, due to the prolific number of ceramic factories there. Yes, you could purchase pretty and affordable ceramic products at this quaint little town!

One place you definitely shouldn't miss in Ayer Hitam is Aw Pottery. Aw Pottery is a pottery studio founded by the late Mr Aw Eng-Kwang, a renowned potter/sculptor, back in the late-1940.  Some of Mr Aw's handcrafted masterpieces are on display at our National Museum as well as the Singapore National Gallery! 

Mr Aw was an immigrant from the Teochew province in China. He started off making latex cup after he's settled down in Malaysia, following the latex boom back in those days, and later (somehow, somewhat, I'm not too sure about the details) developed into an art center. His talent was recognised after he joined the First Sculpture Exhibition in Singapore in 1967, as the popularity of Aw's Pottery began to soar.

In 1980, Mr Aw and his wife decided to retire in United States, and they've since passed on. Aw Pottery's faded to a dormant stage after his passing until Aw Lee Lang, the youngest daughter of Mr Aw decided to return to Malaysia in 2013 to revive Aw's Pottery. She gave the studio a major facelift and the place is now refreshed with a new look and renewed energy. 

Aw Pottery is now open for visitors and is free to visit :) So when you're there, do take time to walk around the compound and appreciate the little things around it, especially the garden. Slow down and admire the plants propped in beautifully crafted pots. Pay attention to each of their unique characteristics and intrinsic details.

When I was doing my research about Aw's Pottery, one comment that was frequently left by visitors is to visit their toilet...now you might be like me, wondering what good is there visiting a toilet? I mean, how great can a toilet be? Perhaps it'll be something like Japan? Maybe?

My jaws dropped when I saw the toilet.

Trust me, you'll never see a toilet like this anywhere.

The toilet was...absolutely stunning. Gorgeous.

I was blown away by the intricate detailing of the walls, which features fragments of ceramic pieces

Walk into the toilets and wow, I was blown away. The walls, flooring, bench....everything. Was just so intricately put together.

I am absolutely NOT a toilet selfie person, but I really couldn't help it

And another one outside. Just look at that healthy & bushy Pegaga (Pennywort) plant there!
Visitors are encouraged to leave a donation for the upkeep & maintenance of the toilet.

There's also a mini museum you could visit, featuring some of the works of the late Mr Aw

Aw's Pottery sells an array of porcelain products - from flower pots, decorative ornaments, kitchenware, candlelight holder...to anything you can imagine!

I had so much fun scouring through the compound! It felt as though I was in a treasure island :p

I could spend an entire afternoon there, scouring for pots. Everything was unique and affordable :)

Also, you may visit their kiln, which is a chamber used to bake ceramics/pottery. Apparently, this is one of the longest kilns in the world. Kilns are slowly going extinct as ceramic-making methods are slowly being replaced with more modern techniques.

Aw Pottery do offer pottery classes and workshops, or group tours too. The arrangement has to be made in advanced

Aw Pottery Studio
13 Kampung Macap
Johor

Contact Number: 07-754 1476
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Artist/Aw-pottery-Malaysia-305346809640382/
Website: https://www.awpotterystudio.net/

Operating Hours:
8.30am-5pm, Friday to Tuesday
Closed on Wednesdays & Thursdays

Yew Swee - my favourite curry laksa place!

If you ask me what's my favourite curry laksa place in Malaysia, it'd definitely be in Yew Swee at Taman Abad, Johor.

Located at Taman Abad, which is just about 10 minutes drive from CIQ, Yew Swee is well-known kopitiam among the locals & also Singaporeans for its curry laksa.

Besides curry laksa, they also serve clear soup noodles, dry dark sauce noodles, lor mee and mein hoon kuih.

I find that the prices for Yew Swee is a little high for Johor (I typically pay RM4-6 for a bowl of noodle in Johor) - a small bowl of curry laksa costs RM8, and the medium and large costs RM9 and RM10 respectively. Despite so, I feel that the price is justified by the quality and quantity of ingredients served though!

Curry Laksa (Small) RM8
Another big plus point of Yew Swee to me is the ability to customize your noodles. You might argue that almost all curry laksa places allow customers to customize their noodles but...

YOU CAN ORDER MEN HOON KUIH WITH YOUR CURRY LAKSA. +++ Brownie points. :D
A small bowl of laksa was definitely more than enough for me - look at how generous the toppings are! Fishball, fired tofu skin, tofu, cockles, bean sprout...simmering in a rich curry laksa broth with a strong hint of coconut milk. Simply divine. The laksa here is more towards the lemak-y side (read: rich in coconut milk!), I tend to steer clear from food that is rich in coconut milk but Yew Swee curry laksa is a huge exception!

You can adjust the spiciness level by adding lime and sambal paste which is provided on each table.

Also, don't forget to give their cucur udang (prawn fritters) a try! It usually gets sold out pretty early, so do go there before 11am to get your hands on them!

Yew Swee
64, Jalan Harimau Tarum,
Taman Century,
80300 Johor Bahru, Johor