Thursday, August 09, 2007

Welcome to my place, Visitor

I do check visitor page on my blog. Someyimes I check on Google Earth and look at the map, where is that place, and all that.

Some place reminds me that I had been there some time in my life.
Take this for example:

Kampung Suharto, Malaysia Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:21:49 -0500
Singapore, Singapore Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:42:21 -0500
Kampong Bukit Lanjan, Malaysia Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:23:40 -0500

I have been to Kampung Suharto only once, back in 1984. It was a Felda settlement just on the other side of hutan simpan at the back of coastal Tanjong Karang/Sabak Bernam. But back then , even now, there is only one road, near Sungai Besar that connect coastal Selangor with inland Selangor. Back then it was mostly kelapa sawit, with a big Felda factory near Kampung Suharto.

Why I went there? My uncle, Suriadi was a Felda settler and lived there. We always called him by his nickname, Pak Gendu. He is my mother's younger brother. My older brother was getting married back then. As always our custom, we had to physically invite our closest relatives ourselves when we are having a big kenduris. Kenduri kahwin is a big kenduri by any standard. A time for family get together, so we know our kith and kins. Something that is obviously missing in Western societies. Too expensive I suppose.
So that afternoon, some time in December of 1984, three bothers (me, Kang Ron and Kholid drove in a Mini Cooper to Sungai Besar up to Simpang Lima (is that right?) and then inland pass the hutan simpan and onto Tanjung Malim road and then to Kampung Suharto.

Pak Gendu told us stories of big ular sawa, as big as batang kelapa crossing the main road, of his car one time broke down in the middle of nowhere near hutan etc.

That Kampung Bukit Lanjan that I highlighted? Isnt that kampung orang asli across the road from Kampung Sungai Penchala? Been there once. Back in 1993 I was working for a Japanese appliance/electrical products company called Ken Sasaki. One day me and the driver were to deliver this washing machine to a radio announcer/reader who lived in the village. There was a kedai runcit at the entrance of the village, so we asked this person name's house (forgot her name, but I do remember her daughter was good looking) and a villager on a motorbike showed us a house. But it was not the right one. Then to another house, but that house has no electricity, not likely, and finally to a wooden bungalow not far from the kedai runcit!
We installed the washing machine, waited until one load of washing completed, had a cuppa. Nice. Feel like home.

2 comments:

Poliklinik Salehudin said...

asm.
well, it is been a long time since i read in. kampung bukit lanjan only left tu small piece of land right now. thanks to emkay development which bought over the area and changed it to mutiara damansara.it is the most expensive noth pj section. over there we can see ikea, harvey norman, mofaz , etc.

Poliklinik Salehudin said...

asm,
well it is already been along time since i right in.
kampung bukit lanjan only left to a small plot of land.thanks to emkay development which turn it over to become the most expensive property in selangor.overthere you can see ikea,harvey norman, tesco and mofaz doing brisk bussiness.they call it mutiara damansara.