"Visit to Pulau Ketam" a Kuala Selangor Travel Page by Edy8

Pulau Ketam, which in Malay means "Island of crabs" is located about half an hour’s drive from High 5 Breadtown off Shah Alam, Selangor. The island is accessible from Pulau Ketam Jetty, about forty minutes away by fast air-conditioned torpedo ferry or about one-hour by the slower open-air boat, which respectively charges a fare of RM7 and RM 5 for the trip.

If a group of people wants to escape from the humdrum of 9 to 5 jobs and the noisy city, this is Pulau Ketam is the place to go. If workers want a place of retreat to plan for new directions or in this economic turmoil, to seek new inspirations, this could be the retreat to consider. How does it compared with a resort in Kukup? The answer is - it depends.

While a Kukup resort is only about two-hour away by car from Singapore, Pulau Ketam is about seven hours away. Kukup is part of Johore with towns nearby, while Pulau Ketam is a sparsely populated island on its own. There appears to be no vehicles on Pulau Ketam, only bicycles which are rentable at RM5 for the whole day. Cheap seafood is readily available at both places, but in Pulau Ketam, I think they are of the smaller species and the restaurants are less crowded. Don’t hope to get good chicken or duck rice as chickens and ducks seem to be hiding somewhere. Vegetables are also scarce. I saw some older persons enjoying themselves eating the famous Basang’s `Bak-Kut-Teh at the coffee-shops. Certainly meat is an precious item on this island!

There are two reputable hotels on Pulau Ketam namely Pulau Ketam Inn and Hotel Sea Lion. The published rates of Pulau Ketam Inn ranges from RM85 for a Quad room to RM35 for a double standard (fan) room. At Hotel Sea Lion, the published rates are from RM 98 for a VIP air-conditioned room to RM 28 for a standard (single) room. In terms of convenience and location, I can say that Hotel Sea Lion is better especially if you choose rooms which have windows open to the seaside….. However, at the time of stay, Room 32 and 33 appears to be ill-equipped. Hence, if you have a choice, avoid these rooms.

Karaoke singing appears to be the main entertainment besides the Singapore TV programmes for residents and visitors of the island. Besides that, we could see only one massage centre with only one masseur. But I can vouch she provides good and cheap no hanky-panky kind of massage when you get your turn. I heard there were some shady massages, but about three weeks back they were dealt with by the strong winds and they are gone, hahaha. Another good entertainment is for ladies to pamper themselves with hair wash or hair cut or a remake of themselves. Don’t ask for shopping because there are only shops selling essentials and household items. Don’t ask for tours because there are only villagers drying fishes, small prawns and smelly `belachans’! For the curious, there are Chinese temples, houses-on-stilts and tiny mud crabs at ebb tide.
So, how to spend time in Pulau Ketam at Hotel Sea Lion!? My humble suggestion is to order a good seafood steamboat dinner upon arrival and as we eat our fill, enjoy the sea breeze and chit-chat over nothing. Some can proceed to the stage for karaoke singing or at our request, the boss can serenade us with an array of songs with his strong and melodious voice – we heard he won some singing contests too. After the food, we can start a mini casino or do some finger exercise on the table, just ask and the boss will arrange the logistics. Or if we just like to practice tiger-time, the drinks are cheap and available until early in the morning.

And nothing like a good night’s sleep at this quiet and dark place. After two days, I am sure, we will be eager to make our trip back home. And that is it - a sojourn back in time to Pulau Ketam!