SUNGAI CHOH (22) : Once Upon A Time | Road To Adventure

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.

Social Norms

Forbidden Relationship

Religious Restriction

Voices Of Parrot

Social Problems

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 They even go to the extent, assuming religious restriction are outdated.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.

SUNGAI CHOH (21) : Once Upon A Time | Really Unsympathetic

Really Unsympathetic

(Action Speaks Louder Than Words) 

Unsympathetic

Wouldn't Hesitate

Something Wrong

Action Speaks

Louder Than Words

We rather turned back when we heard Cikgu Mansur's voice. Really unsympathetic to our ears. He wouldn’t hesitate to take any action if we had done something wrong. To him words were wasting time. That’s true, “action speaks louder than words”.That's why we nicknamed him "Cikgu Rimau", because anger would turn his voice to a roar. When he was not in a good mood, we had to be very careful not to annoy him. So we just kept quiet or might as well let the "tiger" alone.  But once he was angry, we all trembled to the bone.

Most Popular

English Teacher

Beyond Compare

Too Ramantic

A Cat Walk

Anyway, If we were to vote for the most popular teacher, surely "Cikgu Rimau" was out of the list. Of course,  the popular vote was in the hands of Teacher Halimah. Our English teacher,  whose beauty was beyond compare. Her smile could subdue the courage of young people as well. But I liked her because of her  pleasant voice and her curly hair. Her voice was too rhythmic and romantic, so pleasant and promising. When she walked she looked like a model walking down a catwalk.  Her hair looked wavy, so attractive to my eyes. So that’s once upon a time story at Sekolah Umum Sungai Choh. Was I too imaginative by then?

A Goodd Luck

Handicraft Subject

Without Mercy

Unexpected Dream

A Win-Win Situation

However I still remembered the incident that brought me a good luck. So to make it a destiny, that morning I forgot to find fresh bamboo for handicraft subject. Fortunately  a burnt  bamboo "lemang" was available at my backyard. But then, unfortunately I raised the blood of "cikgu Rimau" in the class. So without mercy I was beaten to bleed. To my surprise he suddenly embraced,  and persuaded me not to tell my parents. I  simply nodded. Surely it was  unexpected dream then. Yet from that day,  I was the right-hand man of “Cikgu Rimau”. Might be this was a win-win situation.

SUNGAI CHOH (20) : Once Upon A Time | Burning Firewood

The Aroma Of Bengkulu Cuisine

(Firwood Was A Necessary Commodity For The Kitchen)

Smoky Haze

Floated Gently

Bengkulu Cuisine

Rhythmic Message

More Delicious

Sometimes my elder brother and I had to collect firewood from a rubber plantation. Only a hearing distance from my backyard. Those were the days, when firewood was a necessary commodity for the kitchen. No firewood meant no food to eat. Of course at noon, the smoky haze from the kitchen floated gently. Sooner or later the aroma of burning firewood and the aroma of Bengkulu cuisine filled the entire room. By then our stomachs sent a rhythmic message to our ears. What a mouth-watering aroma. Indeed, the food cooked by firewood was more delicious. Even sometimes as words of joke, the old folks would say; "you are unaware when your father-in-law is walking behind you". Meaning, how appetizing the meal was.

A Bowl Of Rice

"Sambal Tempoyak"

Meeting Room

Nutrition Information

Even though the dish was just a bowl of rice, a slice of small fish and a plate of vegetables, nevertheless everything was appetizing. Especially, when "sambal tempoyak" and "kicap" were avaible, "ladas nian". Usually we ended up with sweat all over our faces. Then lay on the wooden wall with eyes getting smaller and smaller.  By then the taste was what mattered most. So it was true that the kitchen was a family meeting room and the taste was a family bond back then. However we  did not really care about nutrition information or serving size whatever. Even the words of energy, protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins were rare to the ears of our mother.

Puntung Berasap

Floating Smoke

File Of Firewood

Latest Equipments

Modern Touch

However “zaman puntung berasap” have gone for ever. No floating smoke fill the kitchen and no pile of firewoods can be seen in the corner of the kitchen. No more sitting on the floor, “duduk bersila makan bersama”. So the culture of eating together that Bengkulu people practiced in those days can no longer  be seen anywhere. On the other hand, the kitchen nowadays is provided with the latest equipments in line with the modern touch such as refrigerator, washing machine, microwave, dishwasher, rice cooker, water heaters, you name it.

SUNGAI CHOH (19) : Once Upon A Time | River Expedition

A Place Of Interest 

(We Began Our River Expedition)

A Rendezvous

River Expedition

Wading Upstream

Amazing Beauty

Musical Sound

During the weekend I had a rendezvous with my good friends, Ud and Enol. So that morning we walked down the road. We passed Sekolah Umum Sungai Choh and continued to the bridge of Sungai Choh in Kampung Tanjung. The bridge was actually a place of interest for young people of Bengkulu to chat as they sat on the bridge fence. Sometimes they teased the girls who passed by the bridge. So then under the bridge we began our river expedition. Though small, the river winded its course through fruit orchards and bushes. Occasionally we came across women washing clothes and bathing. However we went on wading upstream, as far as Hulu Waterfall. Hulu Waterfall was once an amazing beauty to the eyes and a musical sound  to the ears.

Really A Tragedy

Lost Its Beauty

Touch Of Nature

Recreational Retreat

Heartbreaking Phenomenon

However in the course of time, Hulu Waterfall then became nostalgic to the feelings. Recently my friend Sameon HT ex penghulu of Batang Kali sent  a pathetic message about Hulu Waterfall. It was really a tragedy to the waterfall. No longer as it was in the mid-fifties. It had lost its beauty and wonder. Even the touch of nature had gone for ever. No more recreational retreat for the family, no more dating place for the youth and no more honey moon venue for the newly married couple. What a heartbreaking phenomenon. It's no longer sustained and maintained its beauty and wonder. It is left in the bushes, abandoned and deserted. Nobody visits it and no one else enjoys its beauty. Not  even  a shadow to see and no even a trace to follow.

Modern Retreat

Modern Fantasy

Touch Of Nature

Feeling Of Blessing

Gift Of Nature

However, nowadays our grandchildren  lose themselves in the joy and excitement of the modern retreat. A place of recreational activities  for pleasure and amusement, such as Water World I-City, Sunway Lagoon, Legoland, A’Formosa Resort, Sunway Lost Word; you just name it. They seem to float in the realm of modern fantasy, followed by the cries of joy. However there is no touch of nature and no feeling of blessing. The kids only get the excitement of merry-go-round but they never ever feel the gift of nature. There is no cry for astonishment, only laughter for pleasure. And there is no wild calls from the jungle, only the deafening noise from merry-go-round. Everything has changed. Sometimes these changes make grandpa and grandma lonely and isolated. Only past memories give them a bit of happiness.