cable stayed bridge at kong kong in johor

today, we went back to kong kong in johor to check on the status of the cable-stayed bridge that is being constructed across the johor river. the stated completion date was the end of 2008 but when we reached kong kong today, there was still no cable bridge in sight. the main span of the bridge will be 500m and the pylon height is going to be 150m above the surface of the river.





what we saw from the yaacob's fishing jetty at kong kong were the two main towers in the middle of the river. we checked with the local people and they believed that the bridge should be ready by the end of the year (2009). the bridge forms part of the senai-desaru highway. it is expected to reduce travelling time to desaru (from johor bahru) by about 50 minutes.

yaacob's jetty seems like a popular fishing spot in this part of the johor river. we made enquiries and found out that it would cost rm$30 to hire a boat for 12 hours to go fishing along the johor river. there was a write-up in the berita harian featuring the owner of the place, with a picture of him and his prized catch.

at the kong kong and the kg sg latoh junction, there are a few eateries. some are built on stilts over the waters of the johor river. the stalls sell malay dishes like mee rebus, nasi lemak and mee soto. over in johor, especially in this part of it, it is a common practice to help yourselves to the items that you want to go with your rice. we had lunch at kong kong before making our way back.

while we were near one of the eateries, a father and son came back from the river with their catch. they had use nets and caught more than fifteen of these river cat fish. they told us the fish were for their own consumption.

this fishing village is a nice get-away. it is only 42km from johor bahru and you can get to it via the pasir gudang highway. we took a slightly different route to get there. we travelled a short stretch of the pasir gudang highway and exited near the giant hypermarket to get onto route j10 which took us past masai before reaching kong kong.

on our next visit, my friend victor samuel intends to hire a boat to take us up the johor river to johor lama. when he was a university student, he went on a trip along the same river with his lecturer and some other students.

the unfinished crooked bridge

they are putting the finishing touches to the soon-to-be opened customs, immigration and quarantine complex in johor bahru but there is one section that has been left hanging... the aborted crooked bridge.

the section in the above picture would have been the beginning of the scenic or crooked bridge had construction not been halted by mr abdullah badawi's government.

where do you go to get a good view of the aborted bridge? this well-patronised coffee shop along jalan kuda lumba in johor bahru. this coffee shop has three equally popular stalls selling braised duck, laksa and beef noodles.

swiftlet farming in malaysia

when we visited the mango farm just outside sungei rengit, we were assailed by loud bird noises, which i thought was coming from the roof of the house. over the roof, they had a black netting which i assumed was to block out the sunlight. there was also a new brick building next to the residence which did not seem to have a roof. when i made enquiry, the owner told me that it was a bird house.

my friend victor pointed out to me the tweeters from which the sound was being emitted. it was placed under the roof of the house. i suppose the sound was to attract the birds into the house. i could see some swifts flying around the area.

the brick building behind the house had lines of holes, evenly spaced out, at different levels. at first, i thought they were openings for the swifts to enter and leave the building. on closer examination, i found that these holes were actually covered with some wire mesh. i think they were more for ventilation. i found out later that the birds enter through an entrance on the roof top.

seems to me that swift farming is quite a lucrative business because it would have cost the mango farmer tens of thousand of ringgit to get people to construct the four-storey building. we also noticed that the other mango farm had a similar building. i have also seen bird houses for swifts when i visited other towns in west malaysia. some of these bird houses were right in the middle of the town.

so, instead of building their nests in caves or on cracks of granite cliffs, the farmers create an environment conducive for the swifts to build their nests and to lay the eggs. the nests are constructed with glutinuous strands of starch-like saliva of the birds. to make the place conducive, the farmer has to look into the temperature, the humidity and the darkness of the place.

bird's nest soup is an expensive delicacy, sought after by asians, especially the chinese.

going to johor via tanjong pengelih

today, we went to johor via its third entry point - the immigration and customs at tanjong pengelih. it is apparently not a popular entry point, especially on weekdays, because at changi creek the other passengers had to wait for more than an hour before the requisite 12 passengers was met for the bumboat to start the one-hour trip. when the 5 of us joined the queue, the number was exceeded by 1, so my friend kwan had to sacrifice his going. the fare is s$8 per person, one way.

our sole purpose of going to laid-back sungei rengit in south-eastern johor was to enjoy the seafood that has been attracting weekend crowds from singapore. still, there are other attractions like the mango farms and the ostrich farm. the taxi-driver quoted rm$18 for the trip from the jetty to sungei rengit. we decided to charter the taxi so that he could take us to all the places we wanted to visit and to drive us back to tanjong pengelih after our lunch.

there are two mango farms about 5km from sungei rengit. if you are travelling from the jetty to the town, it is on your left. the one outside, nearer the road, is a smaller farm. the bigger farm, whose owner came from sitiawan, is about 1 km further in along the same track. huge honey mangoes can be had for rm$5 a kilo.

the ostrich farm is about 2km past sungei rengit. there is an admission charge of rm$10 if you want to get up close to these big birds.

i had tried to promote this place among my former colleagues when i was still working but there were no takers. i would rave about the cheap and delicious food served at the many seafood restaurants. we found out that a meal there would still cost less than half s'pore's price.

while most singaporeans flock to the well-rated jade garden restaurant, we decided to try out the one across the road. it is called the sin kong seafood restaurant. we had chilli crabs - about 2 kg, steamed fish, sambal kangkong, hot plate tofu, mantou and chinese tea. the bill was rm$107 (s$45.30). i have eaten at both restaurants and i find the food at the less well-known restaurant just as good.

the ostrich farm @ sungei rengit

the ostrich farm, located about 2km outside sungei rengit, has about 300 ostriches ranging from one-day old chick, still encased in its shell, to 30-year old adults. the original ostriches were bought from africa at the cost of rm$20k each. an ostrich can live up to 75 years although 50 years is the norm.

most of the ostriches are kept in enclosures but there are a few free-roaming ones. they are so used to having people around them that they will gamely pose for pictures. they will also allow visitors to touch them and stroke their leathery neck.

the diet of the ostriches consists mainly of seeds and plant matter. they are fed three meals a day. the adult male is easily distinguishable from the female by its red beak, black feathers and bigger size.

the female ostrich lays egg on alternate days and after laying twelve eggs, it takes a break. each ostrich egg weighs about 1.5kg and its content is equivalent to 25 ordinary eggs. there are many more female ostriches (hens) than male ostriches (cocks) on the farm. each male will mate with about five females.

on the farm, apart from ostriches, there are a few cassowaries and a cage of polish chicken. the crested polish chicken has long, sharp spurs meant for fighting. but those kept on this farm do not fight. they are good at playing 'dead'.

admission charge is rm$10 for an adult and rm$5 for a child. they have part-time guides to show you around and give a commentary on what you see on the farm.