Destinations
Selangor: A Plate of Culture, A Bowl of Rice Te x t b y LI LY R I A N I Images by RAIHAN FOZIAN & ED JUNAIDI ABU BAKAR
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When eating meets travelling, the combination creates ecstasy that is best shared on social media. And what makes the Eat.Travel. Write Hulu ke Kuala (‘From Hulu Selangor to Kuala Selangor’) familiarisation trip organised by Selangor State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) unique are the cultural and heritage elements highlighted along the way that include gastronomic delights, for example nasi kluban, bakso and soto; historical attractions like Kuala Kubu colonial heritage trail; and recreational activities such as paragliding, cycling in the paddy fields and enjoying Cholo Cholo Hot Springs. On top of all that, travellers can also watch kuda kepang, a traditional Javanese dance performance that has flourished at certain places in Peninsular Malaysia. Hulu Selangor Kuala Kubu was a mining town back in 1925. The kubu (fortress) was constructed before the British colonial powers took over, and it is the site where Raja Mahdi and Syed Mashor fought against Tengku Kudin during the Selangor Civil War from 1867 to 1874. This former British town at the foot of Fraser’s Hill was washed away by the 1883 flood, killing Sir Cecil Ranking, the District Officer at the time. Local legend has it that the flood was due to him shooting a mystical white crocodile regarded as the guardian of the river. Following that incident, Kuala Kubu Bharu was rebuilt on higher ground by Charles Crompton Reade, a town planner from New Zealand, based on garden city concept with distinctive zoning of town, residential areas and hospital separated by gardens, making it the first modern garden township in Asia.
