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Do you know one way to make your road trip more exciting? Apart from an awesome road trip playlist, all you need to do is to add an element of surprise to it and the best way to do it is with paranormal stories and haunted places! Whether you believe in it or not is another story, but spooky stories bring a whole lot of excitement and thrill to your whole journey.
Malaysia is known for having numerous haunted roads and places but while it is often said that you shouldn’t experiment with what is unseen, this does not stop thrill-seeking ghostbusters from making a visit just to make contact with the unknown.
So, if you are easily spooked, this is the time for you to hit the exit button on your browser. You have been warned!
1. Kellie’s Castle in Perak
Kellie’s Castle is located in Batu Gajah Perak and, just like the Taj Mahal in India, this castle was built as a symbol of love from William Kellie Smith to his wife. This castle is an architectural gem as it combines both Moorish and Western elements in its construction. But it was never completed as Kellie Smith died of pneumonia in Europe back in 1926.
This castle has an eerie reputation with the discovery of four hidden tunnels under the house where over 70 construction workers died from the Spanish Flu while working on them. Some have even seen Smith’s restless spirit roaming around a balcony that is now called “Ghostly Cloister Balcony”. It is also said that his six-year-old daughter has been seen wearing an all-white ensemble and running around her abandoned bedroom.
As tourists have often gotten themselves lost in the tunnels while exploring, these tunnels are officially off-limits for all visitors today. But that doesn’t stop many from getting that eerie and spooky feeling when visiting this uncompleted mansion.
2. Batu Maung War Museum in Penang
The Batu Maung War Museum in Penang, also known as the Ghost Hill because of the massacres that happened there, used to be a fort for the British army back in the 1930s. But after World War II, the Japanese army took over the site and made it into a place where they locked up prisoners from war. It is said that a lone soldier named Tadashi Suzuki carried out gruesome beheadings and tortured over 100 prisoners with his samurai sword here.
This museum was included in a National Geographic documentary as one of the 10 top scariest places to visit in Asia as some of its attractions display plastic corpses and recreate realistic beheading experiences for tourists.
Not only does this place send shivers down your spine, but it is also said that visitors have heard the sound of human screams echoing from the prison room while others have seen visions of Suzuki wandering the tunnels in this museum.
3. Karak Highway
Karak Highway is famously known in Malaysia as the most haunted highway. It connects Kuala Lumpur to Genting Highlands and was built back in 1970 but was only opened to the public in 1977. This highway stretches for 60 kilometers and is long, dark, and winding. This makes it prone to accidents which often results in death. The largest crash that happened here took place in 1990, known as the 1990 Highway Crash, where a bus carrying passengers collided with a lorry, an FRU truck, 2 taxis, and 6 cars, leaving 17 people dead. So, it does not come as a surprise that there are numerous horror stories that are set on this particular highway. Here are some infamous horror stories believed to haunt Karak Highway:
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The young boy missing his mother
There are different sightings about people having seen a young schoolboy wandering the roadside of the dark Karak highway, looking lost. Do not ever stop if you come across a boy like this as he is looking for his dead mom and will continue asking “have you seen my mother?” repetitively.
According to the legend, there was once an accident here that involved a young boy in his school uniform and his mother who was driving. She was thrown out of the car upon impact while the son remained in the passenger’s seat with glass from the windscreen pierced into his eyes. Until today, it is said that he is still walking around that highway looking for his beloved mother.
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The Yellow Volkswagen Beetle
The sighting of any yellow Volkswagen Beetle can be a mundane occurrence on any road, but if you see one on the Karak Highway you should definitely be worried. It is said that this yellow Volkswagen will first block your lane and move slowly, forcing you to overtake it. Once you’ve done that and continue driving along, there are chances of you seeing the yellow VW again, again driving as slow as possible. You will then be forced again to overtake this slow car but after a short while, the same VW appears again. So, as long as you overtake it, you will keep seeing it in front of you again and again, and again.
There are also stories about how there is no one driving the car and it appears to be driving in reverse. So, if you ever notice a yellow VW Beetle on the Karak Highway, it’s best not to overtake it as it might keep appearing in front of you and cause an unwanted accident.
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The flying pontianak
According to many motorists, they have seen a pontianak flying on the highway. As the legend goes, this pontianak is believed to be a woman who died during childbirth and is looking for revenge. She especially targets men and tears off their internal organs. These motorists claimed that this pontianak comes in the form of a beautiful young woman in white that is able to make heads turn. She is usually at the side of the road asking for a lift.
While no one knows if this story involves an otherworld entity or an actual psychotic murderer, it’s best to not stop for anyone or anything especially at night on the Karak Highway.
The paranormal legends surrounding Malaysia make road trips feel even more special
No matter if you are a firm believer or a skeptic when it comes to eerie ghost stories and paranormal activities, these stories are sure to make your hair stand or give you goosebumps. But, if you are easily scared, driving on a dark road alone might freak you out.
Just to be on the safe side, it’s always wise to travel when it is still bright outside or when the sun is still up. After all, it is said that ghosts or any other unusual sightings only happen at night.
For more stories like this, read: 3 Real-Life Malaysian Horror Encounters During Halloween and I Used To Live In A Haunted House At Happy Garden In Klang, Here’s What Happened.
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