Though the sun has risen, it appears only as a surreal glow through the thick fog as this kayak-fisher paddles under one of the bridges of Beris Lake in Sik, Kedah.
THE eastern banks of Beris Lake in Kedah are a mountainous jungle stretching for about 30km before ending in Thailand’s Yala Valley.
The peaks of this mountain range are as high as 1,000m above sea level.
When the first rays of the rising sun touch Kelantan and southern Thailand, all that can be seen at Beris Lake is a deep sapphire sky.
This shield of mountains helps to create stratus nebulosus clouds that hug the jungle like a thick fog around the lake at dawn.
This is one of the few lakes in Malaysia where you can be shrouded in fog.
The shield of mountains in the eastern banks of Beris Lake blocking the rays of the rising sun, allowing stratus nebulosus clouds to form as a thick fog in the jungles around the lake. — Photo courtesy of Ban Neoh
And going to Beris Lake is more than just that, because this place is deep within Kedah’s Malay heartland.
The recent state elections brought up much talk about Perikatan Nasional and a “green wave”.
Some groups paint the picture of an ultra-conservative, rigid and intolerant society that supports Perikatan.
But spend a few days at Beris Lake and visit the villages and the nearby town of Sik, and you will be touched by how friendly and warm the common folk are.
I began going to Beris Lake in 2018, and at the peak, I went twice a month.
It is a 16 sq km lake. With that much water, one can do hardcore paddling, and once, I stayed there for four days and paddled over 100km, earning myself fat blisters all over my palms and fingers from gripping the paddle for more than 10 hours a day.
I stayed in village-style lakeside resorts, and there are many in Beris Lake. You only have to scan the area on Google Maps to find them.
These small, rural chalets are family-run, and they will be the first people in this Malay heartland that you will interact with and get a taste of classic kampung friendliness.
These families are used to hosting visitors from as far away as Russia, Hong Kong, Japan, England and many other countries because anglers from around the world go to Beris Lake in search of the giant toman.
When a giant toman strikes your lure, there is no hesitant tap, no momentary confusion; it grabs and swims away with the force of a train. Anglers who have felt the giant toman’s velocity will never forget it.
If angling is your sole desire at Beris Lake, it might be better to hire a boat and a fishing guide because the lake is so large. Just note that nearly all Beris Lake fishing guides will insist you release any giant toman you catch to maintain fish stocks.
But if you are into exploring the lake on your own, do set your alarm for 5am, fix your own coffee and scrambled eggs (most of the village lake resorts do not have F&B service, so bring along your outdoor cooking gear).
Paddle out before dawn while the sky is a meek blue. You will find the morning fog usually on the southeastern or southwestern banks.
The fog does not always appear. It depends on meteorological factors. But it happens often enough that you can hope for it.
The fog will be so thick that even after the sun inches over the hills, it will be a weak, nebulous orb. It is only around 9am or 10am that the sun has the power to burn the fog away.
And speaking of the sun, when it sets, it is time to get back on land and look for a hearty dinner.
If you are there on Mondays or Saturdays, it is necessary to drop by the pasar malam in Sik town, 20 minutes’ drive south of Beris Lake.
Bring your camera because there will be many breathtaking sights, such as the poultry vendor scoring the dressed kampung chicken with a blow torch to make it tastier. You will see fruits, vegetables and fish that you have never seen in pasar malam in the cities.
And you might encounter a pakcik who sells beef bee hoon soup (rice vermicelli in a beef broth). You cannot miss him because his bone broth is prepared in cauldrons the size of lorry tyres. And his rice vermicelli seem to have been parboiled with turmeric powder, making them yellowish.
Between Beris Lake and Sik town, a cultural awakening awaits everyone.
Here lives a community of Siamese-Malaysians in small villages.
They have many temples, called wat, and you really must visit these to immerse yourself in their rustic, provincial architecture.
There are fewer than 50,000 Siamese-Malaysians, and they are free to keep alive their ancient Siamese ways, epitomising Malaysia as a land of many peoples sharing a single nationality.
