'Paddy Garden Museum' Greets Visitors To Langkawi Island

By Sakini Mohd Said LANGKAWI (Kedah, Malaysia), June 13 (Bernama) -- The sight of paddy fields may appear 'foreign' to those who were born in the urban areas, but the people who come from rural villages are quite familiar with the 'lush and green' scenery of these fields. Paddy fields are flooded parcels of land used for growing paddy. They are typical features in rice-farming countries like Malaysia, where large quantities of water are available for irrigation. Mud, irrigation canals, catfish and even snakes are among the features that are synonymous with paddy fields in the country. In Langkawi, most of the tourists are attracted to historical and exotic spots like the Mahsuri mausoleum and 'Beras Terbakar (Field of Burnt Rice),' apart from shopping and scuba-diving activities. However, Langkawi has another unique attraction that cannot be found in other tourism destinations – the 'Laman Padi,' or the Rice Garden Museum. Laman Padi is Langkawi's latest attraction, and one that should not be missed by agro-tourism lovers. LAMAN PADI Located a mere 50 metres away from Pantai Chenang, and at only a 10-minute drive from the Langkawi International Airport, the 6.5 hectare (14.28-acre) Laman Padi has been developed as an eco-tourism attraction based on the village-style concept. Laman Padi at Langkawi showcases the history, heritage and development of the nation's rice-cultivation industry. Commencing operations in 1998, Laman Padi is the best arena for tourists who want to venture into the world of paddy planting on a field measuring 3.7 hectare (8.6 acre). The attractions here include a rice museum displaying artefacts, charts and photographs indicating the significance of paddy cultivation for the country. Laman Padi provides an insight into traditional paddy-planting tools like the tenggala (plough) and the methods used to husk raw paddy grains using the tampi, sisir and barrels for manual threshing. "The paintings depict paddy field sceneries and show how paddy is planted using traditional tools. The paintings will help the visitors learn more, as merely reading the information provided is not adequate for them to fully appreciate the idea," explained Rosdy Abd Hamid, a museum assistant, to Bernama. ACTIVITIES In Laman Padi, by spending only RM3-RM5 (US$0.94-US$1.57 for locals) and RM5-RM10 (US$1.57-US$3.14 for foreigners), depending on the type of activity, visitors can participate in various paddy-planting stages – right from sowing the young paddy plants to paddy harvesting! At Laman Variati in the museum, visitors can experience the daily life of a paddy farmer. "Tourists will have the opportunity to sample the daily routine of a paddy farmer here. "There are two types of paddy planting – the traditional way and the modern way – and visitors can view them both," Rosdy remarked, adding that visitors can also enjoy fishing using the serkap, plough a paddy field and learn how to thatch an attap roof. ROOFTOP PADDY At Laman Padi, visitors can also see paddy fields growing on rooftops, as against the normal paddy-planting areas that are located on flat, open fields. Laman Padi also cultivates various herbs such as Tongkat Ali, Kacip Fatimah, serai (lemon grass) and lidah buaya (aloe vera), which are traditional remedies for chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. According to the chief executive officer of the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada), Khalid Ramli, there are plans to build huts at Laman Padi, to provide homestay packages for tourists. "Tourists can stay in the huts and cook tapioca and salted fish, among other activities. It is just like to going back to the basics," he explained. He added that the fish ponds at Laman Padi will be improved for the benefit of the visitors. -- BERNAMA