Cuti-Cuti Malaysia: Sky Mirror (天空之镜)

An escape to the secret Island, Sky Mirror 天空之镜 , SASARAN BEACH. Sasaran Beach is located 1.74 nautical miles off the coast of the fishing village of Jeram, Selangor. It's in Kuala Selangor.



I have always wanted to visit The Sky Mirror after seeing postings of friends on facebook who has been there. With crystal clear blue skies and a reflection, it is a great place to take some creatively remarkable pictures.

I jumped at the chance when a gf invited to join her group of tour buddies. Booking was done earlier by our tour leader, Alice Yip. So I tak payah headache. Pergi aje. I did not make the booking. If you are looking for a tour guide who plans everything for you, from the chartered cars to the meals and ticketing arrangements, you can PM Alice Yip as she is a seasoned tour guide. BTW she also does a few tours for overseas. Her FB link is this

But was given this band when we boarded the boat. Above pic was taken in front of the D' Tours ticketing area where we boarded the boat.

There were almost 30 of us and we all came in separate mini vans, this type of van. 

Let me share my experience with you.
We came, we saw, we conquered. 

So the night before I started packing and getting ready. I was ready to take plenty of awesome pictures and hence I needed props. I went to Jalan Jalan Japan a few days ago to purposely get some plastic toys that will add some joy into our photos. Toys that are water safe. Here are some of my toy shots which did not turn out as good as I wanted them to be. But netherless, it was a fun and memorable adventure.

As compared to these beautiful shots, with perfect reflections taken by our designated tour guide cum photographer. Conclusion: Get the professional photographer to take more photos cause they will know what poses and angles best. I have also tried taking most shots on my own as I was confident I could capture the essence of the reflections. Alas, I was wrong! I would rate my pics 50% and the photographer's 100%. I will share some of my shots later after these professionally shot ones. (And he was only using a cell phone camera ya) 



He art directed us for most of these poses.



This is one of my favorite shot from a few friends from the group whom I just knew. Well isn't this a beautiful formation.
This is a really cute one too! I wished we spent more time with poses like these with the photographer.This is how he gets his perfect shots. Going all the way down, right to the sea bed and getting wet. I am not sure how the reflector boards play a role in creating the beautiful shots above.
 I could only admire what others have taken. Well in comparison, let me share with you my shots. This was me, partially at the tip of the sea bed with my baju terkena water for that perfect shot (yang tak menjadi)
I was trying to take this shot!
Mission Fail 1 on Famingo props. 

 EPIC JUMP SHOT IS A MUST!





 Superman Wannabe

 I purposely went to buy this colourful wind thingy (I dunno what to call this) and brought it along. 
 I even brought along 2 umbrellas as props. Yes I brought many many things. See I was handsfull in the boat.

This red helmet-like umbrella can finally see light as I bought it from Taiwan almost 8 years ago. Cute leh. OK! Pic fail again. Lesson learnt! Air belum entirely surut and I started taking pic which the reflection never came out. So tak jaid lah. This was what I learnt after observing pics before and after air pasang dan surut. For clear reflections, the water must first recede to a minimal level.



I also brought my rainbow umbrella along to add some colours to my pics. No regrets tapi lepas taking these few pics my umbrella rosak.

Trying out the  Forced Perspective Shot.


Somehow this did not turn out as good as the professional photographer. Probably because I wasn't down entirely close to the sea bed.
 Tip No. 1: You've gotta find your spot to take pics minus the crowd. The lighting has to be right (the angle the sun shines and where you're standing. The water level has to be receded. These are some random pics I took admiring the vast area. These people look so tiny!


Also trying out some shots with my fish eye lenses but kaburlah! Failed again.
These shots were taken at the pier before we boarded the boat.


Looking back earlier.
These shots were taken at the start of our journey to Sky Mirror. A boat full of people. All super excited!

 Before the start of the journey everyone was told to head to the loo first (toilet) cause at Sky Mirror apa pun tak ada and we will be stuck there for at least an hour plus. So better empty your you know what first.
Gaya saya on the boat. I had my sunglasses the whole time as the sun was glaring. If you have, don't forget to bring one to protect your eyes. Get the polarized ones. OK! I took my hat off after boarded the boat. It wasn't a good idea wearing the hat in the boat cause it will FLY AWAY! Remember I mentioned about the boat speeding up after a mere 5-10mins? That's why!!! Refrain from wearing scarfs too as it will melayang too! 


Better sit tight. The boat tend to speed up after 2 mins and you've gotta sit still and hang on to your grip!
 Boat kena balance. 
 This talented chap in orange was our professional photographer of the day. He did a great job with all the photos and taking care the well being of all his boat passengers. And the other guy is our boat driver. Very experienced he seemed to know his directions in the sea very well. I was clueless how did they know which direction to drive to boat.
 I have seen the waters stareted of as milky teh tarik 
 and gradually turning to a lighter shade of green and finally blue when closer to our destination.
 The waves can be high and mighty. Luckily tak kena sea sick with boat bergoyang.

 This was the point where the ship had to "park". Check out the water level when we reached about noon time. OK! This is another important factor. The Sky Mirror's daily tide bila air pasang and surut hari-hari pun tak sama. According to those working there attending to the ticket sale (yes, I interviewed them) The Sky Mirror is open for visits and tours about 4 days before and after the 1st and 15th of each month. Yes, hanya dua kali dalam masa sebulan. Because on other days this no man's land is actually a deep blue sea filled with water. It can get dangerous as the tide rises up. 


Hence we only spent about 1.5 hours there. Our boat ride for that day started about 11.00pm. We reached Sky Mirror about 12noon. Lepak there till 1.30pm and take pic (waiting for air to surut too) On some days the boat leaves to the Sky Mirror as early as 6am! Yes, I am not kidding. The tide waits for no man! You can only go to the Sasaran Beach when the tide is super low (more like when the water is right at your ankle).

First selfie when I jumped down the boat.
This unique tourist attraction that is only accessible to tourists twice a month, that is during the new moon and full moon periods.

 Gang yang turut serta with a creative shot of our hands before the start of our journey to Sky Mirror.

I am so glad that Malaysia ada our very own place like Sky Mirror to take awesome pictures like the Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat. At least we do not have to go to Bolivia to get that kind of pics. *wink

Here are some tips courtesy of 天空之镜D Tours Kuala Selangor Sky Mirror & Eagle Feeding Tour

《D Tours Kuala Selangor SKY MIRROR》

Citizen
RM75 Adult
RM60 Child (3y-11y)

Foreigner
RM90 Adult
RM90 Child (3y-11y)

★Include Insurance (Insurance only trip in the boat)
★Two Ways Boat Ticket
★Sky Mirror Beach
★Photographer
★Windmill
★Discount Voucher Seafood Restaurant
★Simple Lunch and Mineral Water


0745 Gather at D Tours Jetty

0800 Go to the magical beach ~ Sky Mirror, see the wonder of nature.

0830 Arrived to Sky Mirror Beach and Take photo

1000 Prepare Back To D Tours Jetty from Sky Mirror Beach

1030 Back to Jetty, simple clean up.

☞ The whole trip is about three hours. There will be a person in charge to guide you through the whole trip.

★This is a sample schedule.

【 REMINDER 】

� Please prepare yourself with hat or cap,umbrella, sunglasses, sunscreen, camera, towel and slippers.
� Dress yourself with colourful outfit, long-sleeve top and short pants are preferable. Prepare another set of outfit just in case you have too much fun in the water.
� After coming back to the jetty, if you want to bath at our terminal washroom, kindly bring your own shower gel and towel.
� Standby coat or scarf if you are afraid of cold.
� Do not smoke on boat or on the beach during the tour.
Please help keep the natural in safe.
� The marine life is supposed to kept on the shores, not to be taken away. Do not litter.
� Please help us to keep the beach clean. Take away any rubbish you found on the beach.

☞ Departure time will change according to the tide. We'll inform you before.
★Time of departure
>Lunar 1st and 15th : 8am
>Before Lunar 1st and 15th: 7am-7.30am
>After Lunar 1st and 15th extend 30min per day .



 The ticketing counter with helpful staff answering all my questions. They can be busy at times but they will still entertain you. Our group selfie before we embark on our journey and boat ride.
  The crowd while waiting at the jetty. It can be crowded ya. But there are chairs for people to sit and wait.
 Everyone takes a life jacket before boarding the boat.


JUNE 2018 Schedule 



JULY 2018 Schedule 


AUGUST 2018 Schedule 

SEPTEMBER 2018 Schedule 


Here are some info on the time of departure (depending on tide) if you are planning on a trip to the Sky Mirror between June and Sept 2018. Hope you'll find this useful for you to plan ahead!

For more info log on to 天空之镜D Tours Kuala Selangor Sky Mirror&Eagle Feeding Tour facebook page.


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