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| Since my early childhood days, I always like to travel. I attributed this passion for travelling to my parents, especially my father. They like to go 'makan angin' with groups of people from the village on an organized tour, usually after the fruit seasons. Their destinations were Singapore, Penang, Kelantan, Golok and Kuala Lumpur. Travelling in those days were considered as a luxury opportunity. My father also used to organize such trips, popularly known as 'rombongan' for the kampung (village) folk. He usually brought along all of his children on the trip, or at least the five of us. |
| Look at us! Ell@, M@k, @tih, @luk, @dan and @cik. Parading in M@k's
creation. I don't believe that I actually worn a purple trousers! If I'm
not mistaken this photo was taken in front of The Van Kleef Aquarium, Singapore
circa 1976. In the back ground you can see the 'chartered' bus that brought
us to Singapore.
The standard itinerary in any trip to Singapore will be Woodlands, Sembawang, Sungei Road, Haw Par Villa, Kallang, C. K. Tang, either the Singapore Museum or Changi Airport and it always ends in Geylang. The favourite things to bring back from Singapore were cheap apples (10 for 1 sin dollar), canned lychee /longan, Van Houten chocolate, vinyl mat, chinaware and electronic items. It was cheap then because Singapore was a free port. |
| In 1978 my sister @cik went to a boarding school (SMSJ) in Kluang, Johor. Those days it took nearly 4 hours to drive from Tangkak to Kluang. My parents will go visit her at her hostel at least once in every 2 months. We always look forward for the trip because we like the idea of passing through other towns and villages. When I got the offer to study in MRSM Kulim, Kedah, I was so exited. It was the first time I had to go somewhere on a train. From Tangkak, we went to Segamat to catch the Express Rakyat train. From Segamat, we travel through Gemas, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and finally Butterworth, Pulau Pinang. We stayed one night there and took a bus to Bukit Mertajam. From Bukit Mertajam we had to take another bus to Kulim. All this travelling really excite me, especially when I had the opportunity to meet people with different dialect and cultural norm than mine. |
| My house is closer to Melaka than Johor Bahru (capital state of Johor). We went to Melaka to buy fresh fish from it's market or new materials for Hari Raya clothes. Sometimes my father will drive us there just to visit A' Famosa, the Melacca Museum and the 'benteng' (promenade) area to watch 'belodok' (a type of fish) playing in the mud, or eating satay at the stalls along the sea front. |
| When I was studying Architecture in ITM, our second class trip was
Melaka (we went to Penang the first semester). It was a good town to start
appreciating architecture. Our assignment were to make as many architectural
sketches as possible. We also went to visit the beach area in Tanjung Bidara.
However, today the water is a bit polluted and fill with jellyfish.
This photo was taken in front of the famous 'Dutch era' building in the old town square. In the background you can see the Christ Church. All the building around this 'historical precinct' is painted red. I don't know why. My sister (Kak Nomek) used to tell us that it was painted red because it's belong to the 'red giant'. ??? Until today I could not figure out what she means! That's my brother Rosdan. |
| In front of the 'Flor de Lamar' replica. It was actually the Maritime
Museum, showcasing the rich maritime history of Melaka. Flor de Lamar was
the Dutch galleon that sunk in the Selat Melaka (Strait of Melacca) when
fleeing the city (with treasures from the Melaccan Empire) before Melacca
fall to the British forces (or something like that). Actually, I'm not
really sure of the history.
Because our kampung is actually very close to Melaka, we do visit it
often (you do notice my brother is wearing the same T-shirt, don't you?). |
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