Getting in touch with her roots, Annice Lyn takes a breather from sports photography to capture the hidden gems of Peninsular Malaysia via road trip, in the Porsche Cayenne.
If you’re not yet familiar with the work of Annice Lyn, consider this an official urging to check it out. The former figure skater turned sports shutterbug is known for her work on the Olympics since PyeongChang 2018, where she was the first and only Malaysian female photographer whose work was accredited. Since then, Annice has also gone on to co-found Women Photographers Malaysia, a community focused on growing a vibrant culture through visual storytelling.
Storytelling is the basis of Annice’s work. “The biggest achievement, for me, would be taking an important picture that holds conversations together,” she told us in a recent interview we had with her. The beauty of Annice’s photos is that they have the ability to tell stories, giving some truth to the old adage ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’.
Just recently, the KL-based photojournalist took a breather from sports and set out on a road trip out of the city to capture Peninsular Malaysia in its true, gritty form — a journey through heritage sites and local cultural spots, where Annice sought to encapsulate authentic depictions of people and landscapes.
Annice Lyn, a photography trailblazer in her own right, opted to explore these obscure landscapes with yet another trailblazer in the automotive world: the Cayenne, the first Porsche model to ever be assembled outside of continental Europe.
Rough winds do shake, but the Cayenne cushions the bumps
Annice begins her journey up north-west, heading straight for Gua Kajang in Perak, near the UNESCO heritage site of Lenggong Valley: the site of the first cave archaeological excavation in Malaysia, which reveals traces of the country’s ancient history. “I discovered a hidden gem in Lenggong Valley,” says Annice. “With so much history to uncover and so many possibilities to explore, it offers a surreal sense of escape into a different world.”
While the journey is not as smooth-sailing as the discovery, the 340hp Porsche Cayenne is relentless on the winding, hilly roads up where the breezes are much stronger. When asphalt ends and the dirt begins, the unique Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) of the Cayenne cushions the bumps capably until it arrives safely at the tunnel-like entrance of Gua Kajang, with its stalagmites and stalactites.
Stories of the locale, straight from the source
Onward to the coastal town of Kuala Sepetang, Annice is transported to her childhood days when vendors selling knick-knacks were abundant. The idyllic, ‘kampung-chic’ fishing village once called Port Weld, with its quiet roads and street-side stores, offers Annice a chance to reflect on the simpler pleasures in life.
“The friendly locals welcomed and invited me to learn the traditional art of mat weaving,” she recounts, from the stories told to her surrounding the culture of the place. “It is such an intricate process, and the attention to detail is second to none. Handcrafted by the locals, each mat is unique and resembles the personalisation of the Cayenne: tailored to every individual.”
After the lesson in mat weaving, Annice makes a detour back to the city centre of Kuala Lumpur. Amidst the skyscrapers and teeming nightlife, you can find historic sites if you look closely. Here, Annice explores Rumah Tangsi: once a townhouse for renowned businessman Loke Chow Kit, now a contemporary hub for the arts.
From there, it’s only a 10-minute drive in the Cayenne to the 112-year-old Sentul Depot — railway engineering workshop turned weekend makers’ market housing works made by creators from all over Malaysia. Annice’s final stop is the refurbished Zhong Shan building, first constructed in the 1950s and is now home to the likes of art collectives, letterpress printers, independent booksellers, and underground musicians.
“As a visual storyteller, I believe that photography is a tool that allows me to capture the present and preserve the past,” Annice comments. “I’m glad that these historical sites are given the appreciation they deserve, and the community is able to breathe new life and purpose into these century-old buildings.”
Follow Annice Lyn’s journey across Malaysia in the Porsche Cayenne on Porsche Malaysia’s Facebook, Instagram pages and website HERE. To learn more about the Cayenne, head to your nearest Porsche Centre at mycayenne.online, or visit its official website for more information.
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Written by
Puteri Yasmin Suraya
Senior Writer, Features and Tech
Hailing from an English Literature & Creative Writing background, Yasmin has a deep love for fiction and poetry. When she’s not reading or café-hopping, she spends most of her time in the comfort of her own room binge-watching period romances, (badly) belting out show tunes, and curating Spotify playlists to match her mood for the week.
