IT IS now one of the best places for seafood in Johor state, but Kukup Fishing Village was better known in the old days for its pirates. The mangrove swamps and protected river mouths gave shelter to the buccaneers, who ambushed the boats that plied the old trade route between Malacca and Singapore.

Nowadays, the ambush is done by visitors aiming for the day's catch of fresh fish, prawns and other seafood from the rich waters.

Kukup seafood is renowned for being very good. There are about 18 restaurants on a single-lane street,all with a continuous flow of diners looking for delicious and spicy dishes. Virtually all the seafood is caught locally, and Kukup's reputation is such that the buses pour into the town every weekend with hundreds of diners, all eager to gorge themselves.

For the less gastronomical visitor, Kukup has another major attraction- the houses. The 1,000-odd residents of the town live above the water. Almost all the houses are built on stilts or piles driven into the riverbed,but unlike most over-water dwellings, they are not temporary structures.

Hotels, schools, temples, narrow roadways - all are built on stilts. Water is supplied to the houses by pipes.

Post boxes and small paved yards front the neat houses that look like the homes in any small town on dry land. The postman rides his motorbike around the town that is built above the water.

One of the major industries here is fish farming. The fish farmers do their rounds in fast motorboats, zipping between the ponds.

This way of life has been going on for about 150 years, and it is unusual because almost all the inhabitants of Kukup are non-Malay. Almost everyone in the village is a Chinese. Which means the architecture, the style and the layout of the village are more like rural Sichuan than Malaysia.

Just off the shore of Kukup Village is Pulau Kukup - the world's largest uninhabited mangrove island that is home to over 60 seabird species. Climb up the watchtower or spy on the hundreds of mangrove animals creeping about in the mud.

Whether you are a history buff, nature lover or a seafood gourmet, it is worth driving to Kukup. Or take a ferry from the Harbourfront Ferry Terminal.

And don't worry about pirates- they sell roti prata now. It's moreprofitable, they say.

Photo: Mallika Naguran