Holiday 02: Langkawi

Mahsuri cursed.."padang jarak padang tekukur.."that was then...and now after 7th generation this Legendary Island has become tourist spot for many reasons..the sand, the beach,the natural beauty of hill side, the myth and legend...but this is not a good spot for those who thought that they could come here for a laid back kinda holiday, a hideout or a place to seek solace...for instance Cenang Beach is no longer what it used to be..no more vista to the beach except these new stores and restaurant that grows like mushroom..everywhere, just like in Batu Ferrenghi..and taking a stroll along that only road is no longer enjoyable..too many cars by the roadside..no more fresh breeze from the ocean..blocked by this new development just in the name of attracting the so-called tourist...there is no control at all.

This is the fact, in Malaysia we developed and revitalised certain historical area or interesting places just for the sake of having more tourist until we forget the meaning and essence of the place itself..do we think that tourist wants to see all those fake frontage of old shophouses, big malls, gigantic replicas of historic artifact...? If you pass by Jalan Laksamana in Malacca Town you'll notice that there are painted in RED..and the Stadhuys is also red, so does few other building nearby the hill....if we are talking about history, we should go back deeper, its not only about the colour...the shophouse originally painted not in red!!!...so why waste so much money on having a theme...this ain't a Theme Park...and what about those fake replica of Windmill..lame..

So, we go back to the island up north....I used to wait for school holiday just to spent few days by the beach, kutip biji getah..kutip siput where Taman Legenda is now...there used to be white sandy beach with sampan stranded nearby...and the water is clean...you could count how many bus and cab and big building...walking around was an interesting experience..and at night you don't see to much neon light and bright lights from condo's and apartment...that makes a perfect night to listen to any ghost story or myth of the island...and Telaga Air Hangat back then was surrounded by bushes and there were no high bricks or any building,...just the well, the trees and you...and if you are there after 6pm..that's the most perfect time to experience the real myth and legend....its not you gonna see glimpses of ghost or anything like that...but the feeling is different...same goes to the Famous Tomb..too many building and stalls selling minyak gamat, air gamat, souvenirs..etc etc.....

We used to have this natural beauty and it is best enjoyed at it's own state rather than redeveloping and enhancing until we lost the meaning of the place...

p/s this entry doesnt look like a holiday post right..? just expressing how sad it is now..

Panggilan Pulau

..will be away....by the beach..legendary island..

..will be back..and left my footsteps on white sandy beaches...

the last time i was there was in 2002..working at an office that is overlooking an island..back then it was free and easy kinda life...but tonite it's gonna be the 3 of us..err..actually four..

Passion

I thought that passion fruits are sweet...i just discovered that they are actually BITTER SWEET..

Van Der Wijck

Looking for a good book nowadays is so hard...i normally didn't planned of what book to buy..just browsed the book rack, sometimes i do remember the book cover but can't recall the title..



I was at MPH for almost 40 minutes yesterday..from one section to another..nothing intrigued my mind..there were copies of Tunku Halim's Juriah's Song...the summary sounds good..but i don't have the gut to experience any horror story at this moment...i had few horrible experience last few days just before we left for Cameron Highland and the day we came back....maybe it was just in my mind..so no horror movie or books..



Book stores now are sofisticated..with cutting edge design, with glass panel, sleek and shiny book rack...but no matter how modern it is, i still loves to walk between a timber book rack which are higher than we have now..dim and narrow...i love the sight of old books especially with hard cover...i wonder where we could still find those kind of store..



I ended up with Hamka's Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck...only one copy left, so better grab it now..its hard to find good Malay literature now...

Holiday 01: Cameron Highland

It was wet and winding road with sharp corners, but it was all worth it..nothing could replace the beauty of nature, the smell of fresh grass and trees, the forest voice..(the birds singing, the leaves fall..)

The green tea valley looks surreal when suddenly the mist came, hot Masala Tea could not beat the cold of Cameron Highland after the rain pour down its heavy load. The river flows smoothly and completed this picturesque evening view of the valley. It must have been colder when the first time they discovered this highland..according to a veteran whom we met at Kea Farm, the last 12 years, you need to wear a jacket or sweater at 12noon..compared to now, I just wore a simple blouse...:-)

"On the valley low, on a mountain high...the world is our home..", hope they don't over spoilt this beauty with new development just to attract tourist..this fragile green lung need to be preserved.

Who can resist this 'smelly' but tasty green thing,..these three kids were tough when it come to business..no discount..no bargain at all..their childhood life are different, no PS2..no board game..just nature as their playground

Simple life..cool and fresh air, no worry (yet)..,look at this simple temporary shelter, there is beauty in it..

Natural source for daily income..wild plant from the wild jungle...

'home sweet home'..house made of bamboo..simple and practical for these free and easy people, no need to worry about the layout, the artistic value or colours and what not,..

...but I simply love the other house with nipah leaves..

they remind me of corals..but our corals are dying..I've seen dead corals in Perhentian and it was a scary view...looks like a tones of scattered bones..

lovely coral cactus..this is what i call 'em

dried gourd hanging on a trellis..like an antic giant bell

Best treat on cool afternoon surrounded by strawberies

Little girl in white and lilac with purple flower as a backdrop..

Maal Hijrah

Salam Maal Hijrah ,..semoga tahun baru ini memberikan kita lebih keberkatan



We are leaving for Cameron Highland tomorrow with hubby's friend....the last time I went to Cameron Highland was in 2000, helping my friend with her thesis..the first time was with a big group of young and aspiring budding architect (?)...making puppet, sketch presentation..jungle trekking...



Tomorrow will be different..I'm looking forward for this vacation

Hope we have a safe journey..

01.01.2 0 0 8

First day of 2008..and first step for Sufiya at Putrajaya Lake Club....

Happy New Year to all friends out there...