Jom, Let's visit Muar

By Laura Lee

I haven't been to Muar in Johor for ages and was thus stumped when I was introduced to its many new attractions during my two-day visit at end-January 2018!

Before we started on our bus tour of Johor’s royal town which is filled with heritage, we were each given a T-shirt featuring The Loving Sisters beautifully packed in a rectangular white box.

I haven't heard of these two sisters before and was drawn to the picture of them in close embrace printed on our charcoal grey t-shirt and on the box cover, which contains the salient details about this mural.

Located at Jalan Arab, this mural made it into our Malaysia Book of Records as the country’s biggest portrait mural on 18 July 2016, two days after Russian mural artist Julia Volchkova, 28, completed it.

Measuring 11.9 metres high and 9.8 metres, it took her 10 days to complete the mural.

Sponsored by Aking Advertising and Signcraft Sdn Bhd, a board by the side of the mural explains that the affection shown by these two sisters – Nur Najwa Alieshia, seven, and Nur Najiyah Amani, three, represented the strong sense of belonging and attachment the Muarians feel towards this royal town.

This aptly captures the local expression, “Orang Muo, Gaya Muo”.

Muar, which is fondly referred to as “Muo” by the locals, derives its name from the word, muara, which means river mouth.

It was proclaimed an "empress town" in 1887 by Johor Sultan Abu Bakar after his consort Sultanah Fatimah. In 2012, the present Johor ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, proclaimed it as the royal town.

Our next stop was a short walk to the Jalan Meriam where Muar’s oldest Hindu temple, Nattukkotai Chettiars’ Sri Murugan Temple is sited. We were treated to some Indian savouries and teh tarik and had the privilege to catch a glimpse of the chariot that would carry the statue of Lord Sri Murugan during the Thaipusam procession on 31 January. Thaipusam is one of the festivals celebrated in Malaysia.

Our lunch stop was at Pantai Leka in Parit Jawa, a small fishing village, which is famous for its asam pedas fish cooked with tamarind sauce and chilli paste.

Thumbs up for a hearty lunch that includes mussels, omelette, squids and a vegetable dish.

For bird watchers and avid photographers, have your binoculars and zoon lens ready to catch sight of the migratory birds at this idyllic setting of Pantai Leka.

We headed next to watch a high pole lion dance performance by Kun Seng Keng, defending champion of the World Lion Dance Championship. Founded by Tan Chong Hing in 1988, the Kun Seng Keng Lion and Dragon Dance Association has its roots in Muar.

We had the opportunity to see here the many trophies and titles that they have collected over the years.

I was asked to lift one of these trophies. It's very heavy. So, don't think it's easy carting them away.

By the way, Malaysia’s high pole lion dance is going for submission as an intangible cultural heritage under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in March.

Our afternoon activities included a boat ride to one of the kelongs to see how the kupang or mussels we had for lunch were reared. It was an interesting ride as we could see some of the locals catching prawns and ladies having their mud baths.

I enjoyed my visit to Desa Kerome Eco Resort, particularly for its food although there are activities like archery that you can participate in. Just love the spicy dips that go with its goreng pisang or banana fritters and another savoury. 

We returned to town to board a leisurely cruise  at Tanjung Emas jetty of about an hour to soak in the sights along Muar River that included the clock tower, Sultan Abu Bakar building and the sun setting. 

Sunset view of the clock tower

Most of us could not wait to return to Muar Traders Hotel housed inside the Muar Trade Centre at Jalan Peteri for a quick check-in before dinner. Next to our hotel is Laman Ole Ole Maharani, a community-based market that promotes local food and products, including handicrafts.

I managed to catch an overview of its offerings before our bus departed for our dinner venue at Restoran Marina Tanjung Emas, near where we were earlier for the riverine cruise.

With our packed group of four bus loads comprising travel agents, bloggers and media, it was a long queue for the buffet style dinner for some of our travel mates.

We had cultural and live band performances to entertain us while we ate. 

After dinner, we were free to explore the grounds of Tanjung Emas recreational park, with had bicycles and LED lighted vehicles for rent. 

The bus later dropped us at near Jalan Meriam, where we headed for Muar Soup House, where all the night market stalls are located. This eatery, which is famous for its soup kambing, is as old as I’m.

It’s a short walk to our three-star hotel and that’s just my first day in Muar, thanks to Tourism Johor, Muar Tourism, and Travel Writers Association Malaysia.