Port Dickson

My wife and I spent last weekend on the road—or more precisely, on a bus—along with some 40-odd members of The Old Frees' Association. We’d all signed up for an overnight OFA trip to Port Dickson. Why Port Dickson, of all places? I’m not entirely sure, but the trip as a whole felt rather underwhelming to me.

One part of the itinerary took us to a model Hakka village near Dengkil, intended to replicate the original circular Hakka villages of China and attract visitors to this place. But where were the tourists? Besides our two buses from Penang, there was hardly a soul to be seen. To add to the letdown, the lunch served there was not Hakka but Malay cuisine. Our next stop was a dragon fruit farm near the Kuala Lumpur international airport, where the excitement came not from the fruit but from watching planes fly low overhead. The farm did boast a Guinness World Record for a giant concrete replica of a dragon fruit—though how that made it into Guinness, I have no idea.

Our third stop was the Port Dickson Pantai Saujana beach, a popular spot for local tourists that left me quite dumbfounded. I found myself more interested in the night market across the road, where we were possibly the only non-Malays in the crowd. As for the beach itself, its only redeeming quality must be the stunning sunsets visitors get to witness.

The following morning, we visited the colourful Yun Loong Temple and were fascinated to learn that its main deity, Chor Soo Kong, is also worshipped at Penang’s own Snake Temple—a comforting connection to home. After the temple, we visited the Army Museum, which, thankfully, proved interesting. The displays were substantial enough: real aircraft, helicopters, armoured vehicles, tanks, guns and ammunition, along with a tunnel simulating the underground living conditions of the Communists in Malaya. Then, of course, we stopped in Seremban on our way home for their siew pau—about as authentic as it gets! Although, to be honest, they didn’t taste any different than similar siew paus back home in Penang and elsewhere.

Lastly, a word about our accommodation. We stayed at The Guest Hotel in Port Dickson, which I absolutely loved—a testament to its spacious rooms and facilities, which, regrettably, we didn’t have time to enjoy on this short overnight trip. That, as it happens, was the trip’s only real highlight.

ADDENDUM: This was only my second visit to Port Dickson, my first being nearly 50 years ago. Back then, I had gotten to know several people in Seremban, fellow chess players I’d met at the MSSM chess competitions in 1972 and 1973. Since I was studying in Petaling Jaya at the time, I would occasionally make trips to Seremban, sometimes by bus or on my motorcycle. I remember the Mantin Pass, a winding stretch of road. On one of these visits, my friends from Seremban suggested a day trip to Port Dickson in his father’s Datsun. So off we went, six of us crammed into the car because we were all skinny in our youth, off to the beach. I still remember us tucking into our roti john ordered from a Malay stall there. Those were the good old days…

A shout-out to my old Seremban pals: Chua Poh Soon, Wong Chee Foo, Lim Chun Yin (and his sister, Lean Na), Khaw Hock Lye, Thang Fook Kheong, David Lim and Liew Wing Kwong!