Thursday, November 27, 2014

Homecoming

Earlier this month we went back to Kedah to visit Tokwan and Maktok.  We're supposed to leave late at night but after about 1 hour the car broke down in the middle of a very dark and quiet highway.  Luckily we're able to turn back and Papa drove slowly and finally we reached home.  The next morning Papa sent the car to the workshop and around 11am we started the journey again. Phew!  Late that night we arrived at Maktok's house. 


The next morning we went out for breakfast.


 We love the food there.




After that Papa and I had some errands to do in Jitra.


The first stop, to pay the quit rent.


 The second stop, to pay the land tax.


That afternoon we went to Tok Ngah's house for lunch.


Budgerigars - my cousin's pet


They're cute!


Much to Zoey's delight.


Then we saw this snakehead fish. :)


My cousin's wife was cleaning them to make dried fish.


The I ventured inside to where the men were.
L to R: Papa, Tok Wan, my cousin (Shahidan)


Tok Ngah and Papa.
Hmm... Tok Ngah looks like chinese.


It was gloomy all day long that day.


The next day was better!


Which allowed Zoey to enjoy the paddy field.


She really enjoyed herself, running here and there.


Simple-life fun.


The sky was cloudy again - Nina was pointing towards the field.


Then we ventured the back road and found this old palace in ruins.


Then we went to Pekan Rabu - a friend of mine asked me to buy something for her.  And a lot of things for us! PEkan Rabu is famous for selling traditional food and for so many other things - like a one-stop center.


I didn't always go here when we lived in Kedah and this was my first time going there after living away.


I miss these! Yummy to my tummy.


This is also yummy! Made Chicken Pie yesterday.


Oh so heavenly and cheezy and chewey and sinful!


Maybe we'll go back to Kedah again in February - during the Chinese New Year Holiday because that's the earliest holiday for me.  Meanwhile we only have the weekends to go places.  No more leisure activities everywhere this time around.  And I suddenly feel tired!



Thursday, November 6, 2014

Pasir Salak Historical Complex

Last 2 weeks we stopped by this historical complex on our way home from Kedah.


To get there we had to pass through the old Kellie's Castle (click the link).


 Then we came to Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP). So, we detoured inside first.


I liked this weird looking Dewan Canselori.


 The travel was really weary!  However, it wasn't too difficult to get there.


And finally we arrived!  I wasn't sure what this huge building was for.  There's no information on it.  But if it's a house, I wouldn't want to live there. 


We headed to the main entrance.


This girl is not little anymore but Papa couldn't be bothered.


 Buying the tickets first.


 RM4 for adults and RM2 for children.


And she always had her own agenda, away from other people.


 We forgot about Si Puntum's Grave. 
I will google about Si Puntum later.


They first saw this watch tower and climbed the stairs but the door was locked.


 The ground floor of the watch tower.


One of some very few pictures with me in it.


Papa was getting ready.


His subject.


A very large building on the complex's ground.


There were a few others which we didn't know the functions.  Maybe just a display of the types of traditional buildings in Perak, I guess.


This complex was situated right next to the Perak River.  It's also the site where the locals killed a British Resident - JWW Birch - some hundred years ago. Hence, the reason this complex was erected - to commemorate and celebrate local warriors in their fight against the British.


Zoey with a gyroscope of some sort.


We're going inside the building in the background - a historical tunnel.

The historical tunnel shows dioramas of what happened in Pasir Salak and a few other historical events related to Malaysia and Perak in particular.


The founding of the Perak sultanate.


 The Durian Sebatang Meeting was held to discuss the murder of JWW Birch (a much-hated British Government Resident) and an agreement was reached during this meeting.


The appointment of the would-be assasinator.


The assassination of JWW Birch while he was taking a bath on the Perak River - he was depicted inside the hut (on the far left) - on 2 November 1875.


The trial in Matang on 22 December 1876 (after more than a year).


The hanging of  Dato' Maharajalela, Dato' Sagor and Pandak Indut on 20 January 1877 as a result of the verdict of the trial.


Because of the incident also, Sultan Abdullah, Dato' Ngah Ibrahim (remember our visit to Kota Ngah Ibrahim in August?) and Shahbandar Uda Mahamor were exiled to the Seychelles in 1877.


Then we ventured to the first floor (downstairs) to the Kris Gallery.


This was the only picture I was able to snap because after that the staff came and informed me that we're now allowed to take pictures.
There were hundreds of hundreds-of-years-old kris from all over the Southeast Asian region on display in this gallery.


After the Kris Gallery, we went outside towards a wide expanse and there were many old traditional houses there.


Zoey trying the traditional grinding machine.


An old and dilapidated house with the walls made from woven bamboo.


The building behind Nina looked like a storage hut of some sort.



The rear view of the Historical Tunnel building - super big!
The red stairs led to the toilet.


An elevated shelter.  The floor was made of woven mat and looked fragile.


A side view of the Historical Tunnel building - taken from the elevated shelter.


A special pose from Zoey.


It's always fun going to places with the family.  Everybody was tired, of course, but the memories were important and will be remembered for years to come.