Hey guys!

We’re in Perlis for work – but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun. 😀

After filming wrapped up at the palace, we were taken on a tour of sights around the state. Aside from being one of the rice bowls of Malaysia, Perlis also boasts agricultural produce, such as the Harum Manis, a popular mango variant known for being exceptionally meaty, sweet and fragrant. Rather than calling it ‘mangga‘ (malay for mango), Perlisians call it ‘Mempelam’.

The Pusat Kecermelangan Harum Manis is a research centre-cum-plantation where visitors can find out more about the process of planting, caring for and harvesting harum manis mangoes, as well as make purchases. It’s run by Jabatan Pertanian Perlis.

We got there in the afternoon and there were only a few mangoes left for sale. Got a kilo (RM20), which yielded about 4 medium-sized mangoes. The staff will advise as to when they are best eaten.

Paid a visit to the plantation.

Taste isn’t the only thing that makes the harum manis more expensive than other variants on the market. It’s the painstaking process of caring for the trees, as each fruit has to be individually wrapped (to protect it from pests) and harvested by hand. The only season that you can get them is from April to early June.

Beautiful fruit. They don’t turn yellow (maybe a slight tinge) and remain greenish even when ripe. Some people might find it too sweet, almost sugary (fine for me though!)

Visiting the Timah Tasoh Dam; a good place to take pictures. You can’t go down on that island thing though.

Shoppers will like Padang Besar, a border town close to Thailand where you can find cheap, knockoff goods, from toys to jewellery, watches, shoes, hats, T-shirts and makeup. There were lipsticks and fragrances going for as low as RM5, although I wouldn’t recommend those – who knows what they’re made of lol.

I didn’t enjoy this place much as I’m not a shopper and it was really stuffy within the complex, but I can see the appeal for some.

Heading back via the Chuping Valley – a vast expanse of flat grasslands.

Our last stop for the day was to a Rock Melon plantation. We were lucky as the melons were just turning ripe and we could see the huge fruit dangling from the vines.

And that’s all for Perlis!

To see a list of Things To Do in Perlis, check out this post.