Pulau Ketam literally means “Crab Island” in Malay language is an island off Port Klang. According to Wikipedia, the island is submerged during high tide, housing on the island consists of “floating houses” perched on wooden stilts 1 to 10 meters (3 to 33 ft) above sea level. The main thoroughfares are narrow concreted pavements, whilst in the residential areas, the older rickety wooden plank bridges can still be seen. There are no cars on the island; bicycles, some of which are motorized, are the main means of transportation within the villages. There are no pavements linking the villages, the only means of transportation between villages is by boat. Daily ferry services link the island to Port Klang jetty on the mainland.
The main economic activity on the island is fishing. The island is also a tourist spot. I’ve been to this island as a kid, joining a neighbor’s family to visit her relative living in that island. As my memory is sketchy, the only thing I remember was how horrified I felt when I needed to use the bathroom. I was led to a small room with a hole cut out on the wooden plank floor. This was where I was supposed to pee! I couldn’t do it.
Many years later, this vision is still etched in my memory and I wanted to show Shane. I also think it would be a great cultural experience to see how other people live their lives. Our rental house is near the KTM (train) Telok Gadong station. It is only 3 stations away to the last line in Port Klang where we have to take a ferry ride to the island. We walked to the South Port Passenger Terminal, bought return tickets for the Alibaba speed boat ride and were reminded to check the schedules for our return ride in Pulau Ketam. We chose this ferry service because the boat looks new and it has an upper deck where we could enjoy the breeze and scene unhindered by the confine of the passenger deck below. The upper deck seating area is also equipped with life vests. This is one of the first thing we checked when we got onboard.
Upper deck of the boat. We were approaching Pulau Ketam. 
Fish farming
It was an enjoyable short boat ride. We saw a floating fish farm a distance away and the mangrove forest as we approached the main island. Scattered wooden houses on stilts lined the island and they became more compacted as we reached the ferry landing. The crowd today was more local to the island with traders coming in with goods purchased from the mainland. There were just a few tourists like us. It’s better to visit during the week days to avoid the tourist crowd in the island.
Pulau Ketam looks cleaner now and there is a community effort to recycle plastic waste. We arrived at low tide so here and there was garbage strewn on the soft tidal mudflats. I suspected some were brought in by the tidal waves from the mainland. Get used to the occasional stench in some area. And YES…the wooden toilet with a hole on the floor still exists but a visit to the first hotel as we walked away from the jetty showed it has sitting toilets that flushes!
Village ‘Central’ 
Outdoor toilet 
Wooden houses on stilts during low tide
I’ll say – keep an open mind and enjoy what the village has to offer. Hire an electric motorbike or bicycle. They are the best and quicker way to go around the village. The concrete pavements in the ‘village central’ led to narrower wooden planks as we rode further inland. At some point it was nerve wrecking for me but fun for Shane. I got off the bike while he took off up a rickety steep oval bridge that rattled as he rode on. He made a few rounds of it! LOL I think we irked some locals when we rode too slow on some narrow pavements but they never complained, at least not loudly that we could overhear 😛 Some houses are brightly painted and here and there were attempts at growing plants in pots.
Chinese temple paying homage to the Gods of the Sea 
Narrow pavement without the rail 
Over one of the many bridges
We ate lunch at a restaurant back at the ‘central’. It was a simple rice meal with a vegetable stir fry and a plate of buttered prawns. I don’t have the stomach to eat any crabs considering all the outdoor toilets we have seen. I am sure they catch their crabs from neighboring islands but so far I haven’t any information to confirm this. Food prices are slightly higher than on the mainland but it’s fair because everything has to be brought in from the mainland. Drinking water and electricity are piped in from the mainland too.
Overall, it was a place worth at least a day trip and overnight to more adventurous souls. There are more activities you can do by joining some tours. The habitants of this island has survived many years in all conditions. They have my respect for sustaining themselves independently and attracting visitors to their island.
Dried shrimps baked under the sun. Very potent smell here! 
Waiting for me to walk across the rickety bridge 
Having fun riding up this steep bridge and it was quite a traffic up there!