The Paya Indah wetlands in Malaysia have such huge potentials as a sport fishing and eco tourism paradise. If only the party in charge is willing to make some effort.
This is a case of you reap what you sow. Only there is no sowing being done.
Forget about the crocodile and hippo enclosures in the wetlands. They are boring. Pathetic even. Let’s go straight into the fishy stuffs because we know those are what you want to see and find out.
The photos shown here are taken at places that are not normally where the public are allowed access to.
Forgotten Gem
They used to be accessible and facilities such as toilets, information signage, viewing platforms and towers can be found at many places.
After the wetlands was closed down for many years and re-opened, these backstage places never saw the light of day anymore. The public areas now are near the entrance and is actually only a very small section of the entire Paya Indah wetlands.
“Oh man, the place must be over-flowing with fish since entry is restricted”
If you are thinking “Oh man, the place must be over flowing with fish since entry is restricted”. Boy, you are wrong. Even with such expanse of water the aquatic population is very unbalanced. Sure, there are fish but not even close to what you would expect from a place like this.
One have to work hard to catch fish. We came to this conclusion after many visits and from trying out many techniques.
Giant snakehead (toman) and striped snakehead (haruan) are by far the most common species caught though many species of fish are said to lurk in the lakes around the wetlands.
Trails like the one above criss cross the entire wetlands. Many with lakes and ponds on both sides. Can you spot the angler in the photo?
A Rumah Melayu (Malay house) show-house left idle beside one of the main lakes.
A tad alarming to stumble upon this cage which is obviously meant for something big. We found out later that yes, it is a crocodile trap and one just have to be a little bit more alert fishing here.
Jimmy the “haruman-man” seen here with one of the many snakeheads he’s successfully caught at the wetlands.
Small giant snakeheads are much easier to catch due to their aggressive behavior as compared to the adults that grow wary quickly.
Click on photo to enlarge and see the beauty of the place.
Many parts of the Paya Indah wetlands is truly beautiful. Too bad its potential as a eco-sports tourism destination is totally ignored.
History Keep Repeating Itself
You will find many such “projects” scattered throughout Malaysia, sadly (One such place that comes to mind is Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam. But that’s a whole other story in itself). Places with huge potentials, opened and launched with a lot of hoo-hah, and then just neglected by the people in charge.
If would have been much better off if these places are simply left alone, untouched.
Let me know your opinions in the comments below.
