SUNGAI CHOH (17) : Once Upon A Time | Worthy Of Effort

Once Upon A Time

(The Boys’ “Warriors” Explored Every Corner Of The Jungle)

Section 17

Long House

Wooden Shop

Jalan Tanjung 1

Junction of Jalan Tanjung 1

We didn't know who started  firing the first bamboo cannon. However he was the first to declare the battle of sound. Whatever, it was just a matter of time. Only the first to finish  the homemade bamboo cannon had the opportunity to unofficially fire the first round.  By then it was worthy of  effort. Actually the explosion of a bamboo cannon was a sign of Ramadan. It meant Ramadan was just around the corner. However the bamboo cannons begun the battle of sound when fasting day was declared. So all the boys from each Village: Kampung Padang, Kampung Hulu, Kampung Lembak, Kampung Baru, Kampung Sekolah, Kampung Hilir Terendam and Kampung Tanjung would struggle hard to make their cannon the loudest of all. It was not surprising when the boys' "warriors" explored every corner of the jungle  to find the best bamboo for their cannons. Thus everybody tried to be at one’s best.

Sungai Sarawak

Sg. Choh Stesen

Sister's Wedding

Jalan Tanjung 1

House By The Road

You would be the honour of your village, if your cannon met the expectation of all “warriors”. That was an homage to the tradition of bengkulu “warriors”. So of course my eldest brother and I made our own cannon. Only to find the bamboo from a nearby river. For sure the bamboo was not as “wild” as  the bamboo from the thick forest. Anyway we couldn’t  bother much, as long as we were together in the battle of bamboo cannon. After all we could claim the title of bamboo canon “warriors”. By then, it was really an excitement. “Arok nian” when the explosion broke the silence of the night, and then repeated after each explosion. It was like a relay of explosion, never ending until late at night. The more late the night the stronger the blast.  So the bamboo cannon battle continued until early in the morning. Only occasionally heard in the morning when many of the bamboo “warriors” had gone to bed, It had been a hard day's night,  so they slept soundly. 

Lonely Counryside

Reality Of Kampung Life

"Di Balik Kedewasaan"

Homestay In Kg. Tanjung

Surau Al-Idris Tulis Tanjung

However  today’s boys only find themselves in the jungle of the bricks. They never have experienced the heart beating adventure of a lifetime. Even more, they never experience the real warriors of bamboo cannon. In fact, we experienced the hardships, and the pain of wandering through bushes and forests in search of bamboo. We felt insect bites, pierced by shrubs and thorns and scratched by thorny forest trees. So they are no more and no  less, keyboard warriors. Thus they manifest their  warrior nature in a safe environment, only fighting in virtual battle. Anyway It's just the invention of technology without any adventurous life or any fighting spirit. Actually it doesn't make any difference, either they are the winners or they are the losers. In the end, they have to  experience from a long  mental fatigue.