Better late than never!!

It was on the 1st of October 2015
 when I posted this adventure of mine but it was not in this blog. I remembered that I had some technical problem with the current blog and I decided to create a new one and this posting was sent there. It was long forgotten until my husband scrolled through photographs of this trip and he found this posting. 

Alhamdulillah.

So now, I have copied it here and I am very happy and glad that finally, I can share about my adventurous trip with you.

          A short trip to a place that I have always dreamed of....Kelah Sanctuary in Kenyir Lake! Kenyir Lake is the biggest man-made lake in South East Asia with an area of 260 000 hectares.  It provides water to the Sultan Mahmud Power Station. I was so proud to be able to visit Kenyir Lake because I was a part of this project! Yes... I can claim that most of the types of machinery used for excavation  and so on came from the place where I worked!  Ahaks!! Working with that company opened up my eyes and dealing with the locals  is another thing. But everything went well and now we Malaysian should be proud of this achievement! 

How beautiful it is!

The signature of Kenyir Lake.
Mind you, these are tips of trees which are sunken and the good
thing about it is that the dead trees became the feeding and breeding grounds for over 300 different species
of fish in this lake.

There are many attractions here in Kenyir Lake. They have waterfalls, herbs garden,  elephants sanctuary and of cause the wild Kelah. Never have I ever thought of being given the opportunity to see and experience feeding, playing and swimming with the wild KELAH. A real attraction it is!

The men trying hard to look younger! hahhahaha

Just look at the Kelah..... made me miss my Koi at home.

          My husband and I were invited to join in this trip by a neighbour whom we regarded as a friend and a brother along with six more couples who are also my neighbours.

          We decided to convoy and the journey started as early as 8 a.m after having breakfast together at Mawaddah Restaurant in Seksyen 4 Shah Alam. along the way we stopped by for petrol and by 1.30 p.m we arrived at Kampung Ping in Hulu Terengganu and had the tastiest lunch! The kampung folks served us Ikan Baung Masak Tempoyak, Gulai  Kulit Rambai with  Petai, Daging Bakar , Air Aam, Ulam-ulaman, Budu, Sambal Belacan along with Lime juice and syrup....Ya Allah! Best ever!!!

All kinds of food served on Pan Dragon.

          After lunch, we drove to Pengkalan Bot Gawi to hop on our 3 days 2 night Lake Cruise. The name of the boat is Pan Dragon and single-handedly owned by a young Malay chap  Encik Affendi. This is our ride!

The boat is fully airconditioned, 6 crews, 6 rooms for twos, a VVIP room,  3 shared bathrooms and toilets, a big hall for any events such as Solat Berjemaah, Indoor Games, Meetings and Karaoke Session too.

          Food is lavish. Definitely, you will not go hungry on board. Taste is good and clean. From day one they fed us with loads of food and it kept us wondering. Actually, they prepared breakfast for us but we arrived after we already had lunch! So, because the food had been prepared, they still served.

          Pan Dragon set sailed after a brief explanation about the boat and Emergency Drill was given by the owner himself. He spoke pure local language which some of us find hard to understand until it was translated! Hahahhaha. But it was manageable!

Our first stop was Sungai Petang. We anchored. Lots of activities on board can be done but some of us were so tired after a long 5 hours drive from home. But some went out fishing. We enjoyed each other's company talking and sharing thoughts. That was what this trip is all about!

The Hanging bridge.

             The next morning, after breakfast, we were taken by a speed boat to the KELAH Sanctuary. The guide told us that it was just a short walk.... he lied! hahahhahha! we have to climb stairs, walked long bridges, uphill, downhill, experienced a hanging bridge, walked, walked and walked and finally after 40-45 minutes, we arrived at the destination! But when we saw the KELAH swam o the river bank as if welcoming us, all the feelings of being lied to, the cramped tighs, the thirst and tired simply GONE.... one after another we walked slowly to the river and the minute our feet touched the water, the fish came and surrounded sucking all parts of our body whichever comes first.... Wow! what a wonderful experience....The long walk was worth it!! On the way home, even though we were tired, but satisfaction covers everything. We talked and talked about our new experience and in no while, we arrived back at the speed boat which immediately took us back to Pan Dragon.

Abled to hold on a Kelah with my bear hands.

Surrounded by the Kelahs.

          That night everybody slept well..... The boat took us to our second destination...Gua Bewah which is in The National Park. We anchored and some of us did visit the cave but not me. By looking at the structure of the stairs, I backed out! Instead, my ladies friends and I had an early Karaoke Session just amongst us... no male allowed. It was fun and we laughed at each other for the crazy things that we never thought that we could do! hahahha!

          Before departing, the boat took us to a Herbs Garden visit. I had been there before so I forego. Stayed back to pack my things.

Tired, hungry, thirsty but full of satisfaction!

Anchored at Gua Bewah.

           We arrived back at Gawi Jetty by 2.30pm. Everybody wished luck to each other because only a couple went home but the others decided to stay back in Kuala Terengganu.

          Overall, I can say that I am blessed to have such good,  caring and positive thinking neighbours whom I know that I can rely on. As Muslims, we all prayed and made dua together at all timesand the males took turn to be Imams. This adventure will always be in my mind and in my heart.... forever. 

          To all, thanks for the good times and your company really made me feel so very happy and indeed this is a memorable trip for all of us. Maybe we will go to some other adventures together. InSyaAllah.

Meet my personal chauffer....

Our dearest Sleeping Beauty.

Thank you Allah for this beautiful friendship.

The Manja Mama.

My One and Only Kelah...hehehehhe

Just sharing

           Gone were the days where shopping is top of the list! Been there and loved it. But that was then. Now? No more.....well... not so much.

Some of the collections of mine!

          Whenever I went abroad, there will always be something for everyone back home, especially to those who are nearest to our heart and who helped us. But usually, most of the gifts were for our children and family members. I am just sharing my feelings and not trying to show off. 

Yosemite National Park, tells us how we should
 take good care of our nature.

Karlovy Vary.
A small town in Prague. Reminded us of our brother Azmi Mustaffa who
is married to Azemina. This town is well known for its crystal
and tableware. Not forgetting their famous mineral water.

          Throughout the years, I learned. The tactic is not to start buying for a person because the list will go on and on and on. And finally, you found out that you bought nothing for yourself! Does it sound familiar to you? You ended paying extra baggage! Lucky thing is that those days the airliners were not as 'calculative' as today! hahahhaha. The only thing that they do not charge today is the usage of the toilets! hahahhaahah.....just imagine!

Every visit to Paris, Montmartre is a must for us. This is where
you can see street artists doing their sketches and paitings of faces, objects, buildings,
animals, flowers and so on. You can see them start from scratch.
I spent hours here without realizing the time flew.

          Now that the children are all grown-ups and some of the family members are gone, not much income, so what do we do? Buy fridge magnets!

Unique buildings designed and built by their famous artist and architect,
Antoni Gaudi. He is one of a kind.
Below are some of his work of art.

          Besides photographs from our analogue cameras, digital cameras or camera-phones, fridge magnets will remind us of the places that we visited. True enough. I have a magnet which I bought 30 years ago from Hawaii. My husband was in the University of Hawaii in Manoa for a management course! When he was busy in his class, I was running around with the rest of the spouses visiting places. It reminded me of an incident when my husband and I drove into the wrong side of the road! We really had a good laugh at ourselves. We had to share a plate of fried rice which we bought from a Thai Restaurant. Not because we are so loving but the cost!! hahahahha.  I remembered walking by Waikiki Beach, in the shopping malls and in the street and I wished to bump into Steve McGarrett from the Hawaii Five-O from the tv series. Hahahahhahah..... A daydream syndrome! I wish I can revisit again. InSyaAllah.

My forever favourite TV Series. The original
actor Jack Lord,  Steve McGarrettMcGarrett died in 1998 at the age of 79.
He suffered Alzheimer for 2 years before his death.

Aloha....

           Fridge magnets come in many forms and made of different materials like ceramic, plastic, wood, glass, fabric and so on. Magnets tell us about the places we visited.  Sometimes it tells us about the history, about preservations of ancient buildings, about taking care of nature and anything that is about that place. Rome magnets are usually about their ancient buildings as far as many centuries ago, Spain's regarding their love of sports in Bull Fighting, Russia's with their colourful yesterday, Bosnia's with their war stories, Tallinn, a small town in Estonia,  attracted musicians from all over the world to perform yearly. The West Berlin and East Berlin separated by the wall. Jerusalem Al Quds with the stories from the Holy Quran about the Messangers of Allah and the people from that era.

The East and the West were
separated by the wall. 

A visit to Jerusalem Al-Quds was an unforgettable experience.

Every step we took, we felt the presence of the Messengers.

Subhanallah.

           

          Each and every place that I visited, left memories. Well, some good memories and very few are not. But that is life. There are ups and downs. Not every trip that you take is great but if it is not, try not to make it worst. If you are the organiser, change to plan B and if you are the follower, just stick to your group or just stay foot! The choice is yours. Nobody can force you to do things that you dislike.

My friends and I went cruising in The Mediterranean

and we visited this beautiful island.

We met some Bangladesh workers selling toys by the roadside and they spoke to us in Malay!

They used to work in our country.

Took 2 cable cars to the topmost. Some turned blue.
Two went back to the foot of the mountain. The rest
enjoyed the view and made loads of photographs.

          So, little fridge magnets not only tell people about the places we already visited but also brought back loads of memories. See, how a little thing like that can bring back all those wonderful memories! This money cannot buy but we do need money to buy fridge magnets! By the way, it is small in size and low in cost and easy to carry. You do not have to pay for the extra baggage for it!

A visit to Bosnia Herzegovina is a true walk of tears. I cried most of the time
imagining the sufferings of our brothers and sisters during the war.
The genocide was terrible and the sufferings were unbearable for the Bosnians.
May Allah give them peace.

When we found out how little fridge magnets did wonders in our lives, we created a wonderful little gift for our guests at our daughter's wedding. She is now a mother of 3 and most of the people who came to that wedding told us what wonderful door gift we made and they still have it stuck to their refrigerator at home. And that magnet brought back memories of the event and the people they met...some are still around and some moved on.  

My daughter Siti Nurhana and Muhammad A'sim.
It was on the 14th of December 2007.
May Allah bless them with happiness 

         So whenever you visit places, remind yourself to buy a meaningful magnet to remind you of the moments you spent there. But, please do not forget the real function of a fridge magnet to help us put a note on the door of the refrigerator as a reminder to do something, list of things to buy, reminders, bills

Bila senja berlabuh

Senja 28 Disember 2018
Kuala Sepetang

Bila senja berlabuh

Sang mentari mengundur diri

memberi laluan kepada si purnama

 menyinari bumi

ketika itu...

kesunyian melanda 

Bila bersedih

hati menjadi tidak keruan

ketika itu...

tiada apa yang mampu kukerjakan

tiada yang dapat kufikirkan

aku menjadi lesu 

Siang terasa teramat singkat

malam terasa terlalu lama

jiwa dihuni kesepian

emosi terganggu

mata dipejam tetapi tak lelap

Keseorangan

Kesepian

Al Quran penemanku

Bait-bait kalimahMu

Seolah-olah berkata kepadaku

Ya Allah....ampunilah

kasihanilah

tenangkanlah jiwa dan perasaan ini

berikanlah aku kekuatan

tingkatkanlah kesabaran

kepada keluargaku

isteriku dan anak-anakku

Keperluanku

 keinginanku

sedikit cuma

kasih sayang dan perhatian

dari mereka

terima kasih atas pengorbananmu

Allah sahaja yang tahu

bertapa bersyukurnya aku

Ziarah, sokongan moral 

dan ingatan 

dari teman, sahabat dan taulan

kehadiran mereka disekeliling 

mengembalikan semangat juang

melupakan kesakitan walau seketika

gurau senda dan gelak ketawa

bersembang tentang kisah lama

kisah pencapaian,

kisah lucu bersama

suatu ketika dahulu

mengamit kenangan 

aku, dia dan mereka

bibir terukir senyuman

masih ada yang sayang

Alhamdulillah

Menziarahi sahabat ... Pak Yahya di Bukit Sentosa, Rawang
pada  1 Januari 2019

Suatu Penantian

Hari ini kembali kesunyian

tiada lagi teriakan

tiada lagi jeritan

tiada lagi panggilan

kedua kekandanya memulakan sesi persekolahan

Abang Ammar di Tahun Lima

Abang Aafi di Tahun Satu

Semoga kedua kekanda Aaira cemerlang

Kepulangan mereka dinanti

Satu penantian yang

penuh kesabaran

penuh debaran

Mana Raysha?

Mana Rayqal?

Peanantian suatu penyiksaan.
Abang mana?

Raysha dan Rayqal

Sepupu Ammar, Aafi dan Aaira.

Sejarah berulang

Permulaan kekayaan. Kaki gajah Long Jaafar disaluti Bijih Timah.
Kekayaan Long Jaafar disambung oleh anaknya Ngah Ibrahim.

Jika kita lupa

Lalai dan alpa

Kehilangan itu pasti

Kekecewaan selamanya dirasai

Mendulang bijih.

Tuan yang hilang haluan

Bangga dengan ketuanan

Khayal dengan kemewahan

Mengundang kekalahan

Hamba yang kuat bekerja

Membanting tulang tak kira masa

Lupa erti kepenatan

Lupa minum dan makan

Memikirkan masa hadapan

Bukan untuk dirinya

Tapi untuk anak bangsanya

Kini menjadi tuanpunya

Kota Ngah Ibrahim kini dijadikan Muzium Matang yang
mengisahkan semalamnya.

Tiada yang kekal selamanya

Tonggak yang dibangga-bangga

Harta yang sedikit dikikis rata

Kuasa hilang sekelip mata

Cucu cicit tak dapat merasa

Hilang segalanya

Kini tuan menjadi penjaja

Itulah bahana

Lupa, lalai dan alpa....

Sejarah berulang

Namun tidak diambil iktibar

Seabad lalu Larut maju

Dikuasai penuh oleh bangsaku

Pekerja asing dijemput membantu

Di antara mereka  tidak bersekutu

Akhirnya... 

Ghee Hin dan Hai San bertinju

Tiga kali Perang Larut berlaku

Kongsi-kongsi gelap menjadi kuncu

   

Inggeris dirujuk untuk membantu

Bantuan selalu mahukan sesuatu

Sultan dan Menteri diperhakimkan

Keduanya dijatuhkan hukuman

Dipenjara di pulau yang jauh

Matinya pun di Kota Singa

Kerana kelemahan

Kerana perjanjian

Akhirnya

Tergadai segalanya

Tinggallah bangsaku bertelegu

Di satu sudut duduk mendagu

Memikirkan kesilapan yang lalu

Bagai luncai dengan labu