Road To Adventure
(It
Was Really Thrilling And Challenging)
 |
| Animal Trails |
 |
| Natural Entrance |
 |
| Eerie Sound |
 |
| Fresh Aroma |
 |
| Mysterious Aura |
There were several animal trails and hunter
tracks as well as the villager routes. The trails and the tracks led deep into the
jungle. It was a natural entrance and exit for hunters and villagers. Especially
the villagers who collected petai, genuak, jering and perah as their source of income.
Anyway the jungle track was our road to adventure, especially during weekends.
We usually trodded along the villager route as far as the foothill. Yet the
roots and fallen trees became a barrier to our steps. It was really thrilling
and challenging. By then we could hear the wild scream of the monkeys and the
eerie sound of insects among the trees. This rhythm of the jungle seemed to
greet us with a bit of suspicion. However, we felt the fresh aroma of the
jungle and not to mention the mysterious aura of the hill.
 |
| The Sound Of Azan |
 |
| A Factual Narration |
 |
| A Fairy Tale |
 |
| A Dating Venue |
 |
| Good Behaviour |
On our way downhill after collecting some
berangan, perah and tempunik, we stopped to rest at Hulu waterfall. Sometimes
we swam and played under the waterfall. However we were warned by the village
elders not to misbehave or do bad manners. Whatever we had to respect the
surrounding area. It was believed that there was a neighbourhood of Bunian near
the watertfall. That's why they said, sometimes we could hear the sound of azan
and zikir amongst the trees. Anyway I was not sure whether it was a factual
narration or a fairy tale. Probably just to scare young people, not to make the
waterfall as a dating venue for "monkey business". However that fairy tale
somehow moulded our good behaviours.
Yet nowadays some young people lose their respect for the
public. They ignore social norms and
social restrictions that have long been practiced in the Bengkulu community.
Even they don't care about ill-mannered and "forbidden" relationship.
Just taking for granted, modernization is the only way of life. They even go to
the extent, assuming religious restriction are outdated. The words of old men
are just the voices of parrots repeating the same old stories. But what is
alarming, these social problems will gradually affect and disrupt the society
as a whole, especially drug abuse and sexual abuse.
