NOSTALGIA kicks in the minute you turn off the E25 Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Selangor highway to the highway heading to Tg Karang for Sekinchan.  

Memories of childhood trips, driving along the coastal roads, of being caught behind a timber lorry. Now, the roads are two lanes, so that you can overtake the heavy vehicles, including the padi-laden lorries and haulers, trudging along the highway. 

Sekinchan, a coastal town and an hour away from Kuala Lumpur, is in the northwest of Selangor in Sabak Bernam. You know you’ve arrived there when the endless rows of oil palm trees along the coastal road open up to a vast carpet of green, yellow and golden fields.  

Sekinchan is renowned for its high yield of rice since its adoption of advanced machinery in the process of padi planting, harvesting and processing. 

Sekinchan means “village suitable for farming” in Chinese. Blessed with fertile land and suitable weather, more than 1,600ha is farmed.  

Driving along the main road that leads to town, you will come across customised structures with only small holes on the top part of the wall. These are homes to swiftlets as the harvesting of the nest is a lucrative business here. The buildings pepper the view, adding character to the flat landscape.

Due to its proximity to the sea, Sekinchan is known as the land of plenty. The hamlet is also famous for its fruit orchards with mangoes being one of the main crops. Fruit stalls line the roads selling king mango, maize, ciku, jambu air and other seasonal fruits.

The fishing village also offers another picturesque view as colourful boats returns in the late afternoon with their daily catch. Needless to say, seafood restaurants are plentiful. – December 23, 2018.