The Padi Museum is situated at the foot of Gunung Keriang, 8 km North of Alor Star. Gunung Keriang, locally known as Crystal Mountain, is an outcrop of crystallised stones, harvested by locals for sales just below the hill!
The Padi Museum was constructed in 2000 with six (or five?) cylindrical structures resembling padi stalks. The main structure high in the middle is where the attraction is.
Walking up the staircase, there is a circular movable platform for you to sit and view the beautiful 3-D painting on the wall facing you. The painting runs continuously as a cylindrical piece!
This circular mural measures 103 metres in circumference and 8 metres in height. It was drawn by 50 artists from North Korea.
The following shots were taken. A scene of a kampung community.
The padi field, may not believe that it is a painting indeed.
Note that the plants at the foreground are actually preserved realia.
A scene beside the Crystal Mountain. Again, objects at the foreground are realia.
The beautiful rainbow, this is most likable part of the painting.
One has to pay RM2 to bring in a camera. You will be given a small card with a rubber band to tie around your camera. There is this hard-working officer checking if your camera, particularly hand-phone with a camera function, is smuggled in without making any payment. She would stop you from taking photographs. This photo shows a person sitting on the revolving platform, while the officer stands on the permanent inner platform. Over her back, a group of spectators are viewing the painting facing the opposite side. The roof shows its circular structure.
There are four or five circular halls with fixed paintings at the middle level of the building. These paintings include of the history of padi cultivation and various scenes of padi field.
At the lowest level, there is a souvenir shop and a wide area of exhibition on anything related to padi, padi farming and rice, The "Tikus Bodoh" is the most attractive exhibit of all, a mouse trap!
It is educational, yet it is so cheap to visit as the entrance fee is only RM3 for adult and RM1 for children and student.
There is a canteen at the periphery of the Padi Museum compound, serving good local food and drink! The canteen operator's school-going children speak perfect English!
