After a long stressful day at work, I had the sudden urge to go chill by the sea. As usual, the Husband aka”I-hate-surprises” N became the victim of my spontaneity, as I dragged him along in search of the closest beach we could find: Pantai Morib in Banting, about an hour’s drive from our place.

Tucked along the Straits of Malacca, Morib Beach lacks the natural beauty of the East Coast beaches of Peninsular Malaysia: instead of white sand and blue sea, you get dark sand, brownish water, and a rocky shoreline hedged by mangroves.

Even so, I recall it being a popular tourist destination during my childhood years: my parents even brought me here once or twice. I think it was because people back in the day weren’t keen / weren’t able to travel far, and this was one of the only beach spots relatively close to KL. These days, many people have cars, the roads are much better, and they’re able to drive longer distances, so Morib has lost much of its appeal.

Anyhoo, my vague plan, which was cooked up at 4.30pm (about an hour before my work shift ended) was to get there, enjoy the sea breeze, and hopefully catch the sunset and a seafood dinner before heading home.

Unfortunately, none of that came to fruition.

I did my due diligence (by that I mean about 10 minutes of Googling) — but it did not reveal that the beach’s main area is closed for upgrading works and will only reopen in 2026. So when we arrived, much of the area was fenced off and all we could see was a cement wall and barricades. There was also no sunset since the sky suddenly turned cloudy on our way there. Talk about Murphy’s Law.

I was royally annoyed (even though it was mostly my own fault lol) – but I recalled seeing a sign to another beach called Pantai Kelanang on our way to Morib. Waze showed that it was about 10 minutes away, so I thought we could at least check it out.

The small road from Morib to Kelanang was deserted and poorly lit. On the way we passed a large troop of monkeys swinging from the electrical poles and congregating on the road – had to honk so we could pass. I do not recommend coming here on your own at night because the nearest town is pretty far, cell reception is poor, and you’d be hard-pressed looking for help if your vehicle broke down.

Got to Kelanang Beach, and it was…not too bad, all things considered. I don’t think the water is suitable for swiming (but there was a family doing so anyway) but there was a good breeze, which stirred the casuarina trees along the shoreline.

There is a camping area as well, which was occupied by several families. The food stalls nearby did not appear open since it was a weekday evening. Such a shame as I think the place would look nice if properly maintained. Oh well – at least the local council is upgrading Morib, so hopefully it will attract more tourists to the area.

In spite of everything, I enjoyed my time at the beach. The sky cleared slightly so we were able to glimpse slivers of orange amidst the clouds. The sea breeze in our faces was salty and cooling, and the sound of the waves lapping on shore was hypnotically relaxing. Living in the city, we’re rarely able to enjoy nature, so it’s nice to be outdoors once in awhile.

Would like to wrap this up with a Husband appreciation post. Thanks for putting up with my whims and fancies, and letting me drag you on random adventures even though I know it’s not in your nature.

As a final Murphy’s Law gift, it poured cats and dogs on the way back. I suppose it was a blessing that it started raining after we left, but visibility was so bad and the kampung roads so narrow and dark, I ended up hunching over my steering wheel with my whole body leaned forward throughout most of the return trip, all the while worrying I might run into a cow or a goat (or drive us into a ditch). Fun times.

**If you think coming all the way here for a small beach is boring, you can include it as part of a day trip with other attractions nearby such as Pulau Carey (Mah Meri Cultural Village)and Jugra (Lighthouse, Paragliding, Museum).

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