Dear FOS
Dear FOS,
I was away recently. I took a no pay sabbatical leave. I had to attend to the kenduri of my son-in-law side. I was booked on an Air Asia flight by my son. Reached Alor Star around 8.30 am. I didn’ make any arrangement but knew very well whom I should call and meet up.
I was calling an old friend Abd Rashid Mat of Jitra. Planned a trip to our favourite nasi kandak but while I was on the phone I saw somebody outside the baggage claim area waving. Due to poor vision I couldn’t make the person. He called my handphone and said he wanted to take me to my favourite nasi kandak for breakfast. It was my Bisan alright. I cancelled my schedule for the morning with Rashid.
Awesome. The Nasi kandak with otak kambing masak chili hijau, curry kambing, a piece of salted egg and some dalca made my trip perfect.
We booked a homestay unit for us. Later we were joined by my two daughters and their spouses. A corner lot terrace house for a mere RM 100 per day was a good bargain. It was Friday and I took the opportunity to recover from my early hours flight. While I was asleep, the rain poured. Quite heavy but not flood causing as the week before. The whole nothern area had a bad flood and Rashid’s area was no exception. I was planning to also pay a courtesy call on him and emphatise with the flood havoc he experienced. The homestay unit I took was the only one operational after the bad flood. This is the only unit in the whole nearby area that is located the nearest to the kenduri house.
After Friday prayer my bisan picked my wife and I for a light lunch of laksa Kuala Kedah which actually was a two plates of laksa and also two bungkus of pulut sambal. Wow. The laksa was thick with gravy, rice based laksa and cukup rasa. The pulut, you all must try.
While spending the afternoon with my bisan I decided to call my Chinese Towkey Fisherman friend and check out on availability of newly arrived catch. I was lucky and drove to his pelantar for three whole fishes of ikan nyok-nyok puteh. Each of 3 kg weight. All has been processed and ready to be cooked. It ended being served as our chicken rice dinner with ikan nyok-nyok puteh as the appetiser. Slept well.
Sat 27th November. The kenduri day. Rashid picked me up. Toured the most quiet city in Malaysia, Alor Star. No jam. No crowd. Listenned to his pok pet pok pet non stop. He has a lot to talk. We have not probably met for 5 years now. He was talking and I was all for listening. Sometimes being a talker will not make you a good listener though. But it was good too to shut up and listen. He was shocked with the flood. Somebody knocked on his door crying flood. He pushed his wife and two children into his waja, drove a higher ground and dashed back to drive his second car the kancil to safety. Then he realised he has left his paralyed mother in law at home. She was in the other room. Water was rising. He waddled the water, carried the mother in law on his back and scrambled to higher ground.
He was invited to a nearby gathering after the flooding, listened to a minister, two deputies and a couple of other politicians with a promise of assistance. Nothing came except a voucher. Meanwhile the persatuan buddhist was the first to knock on his door with assistance. He was leter visited by a group of on duty volunteers and took his voucher and handed a bottle of soya sauce and 200gm of flour. So much ho ha on the bantuan. It is not surprising. My bisan had his fishing net and boat destroyed during the sunami in Kuala Muda, got some assistant and later wsa asked to pay back in instalments.
He droved me to my homestay and everyone was ready to move for the kenduri. Rashid had two kenduris to attend. Took a picture and said good bye and was hoping to meet again the next day for a good feast together.
The kenduri had international attendees, from Thailand. This is customary for a border state. Siamese are good neighbours. Had a good lunch with kambing panggang and a lot of goodies from Thailand and Langkawi, the duty free port.
The dinner was just a pizzahut salad and crunchy pizza. Slept well.
Rashid picked me for a breakfast gulai temenung but it was off day for the restaurant. Drove to Simpang Ampat for nasi kandak Hj Ramli . Had udang harimau, curry ayam kampung and a salted egg while Rashid had 2 udang harimau (one jumped onto his plate) and a plateful of sotong goreng tepung. What a meal and the beauty is you will never go bankcrupt eating in the north.
Lunch was in Perlis. My chidren drove me to Kangar for ikan keli goreng garing. We ordered a dozen kelis, a siakap bakar, a pari and some kembongs with a lot of fresh ulam. Keladi, nangka was tasty dishes served as well. All in, paid only Rm 66 ringgit with deserts of jelly kelapa and air chinchow. What a makan. After lunch visited my grand daughters whose grand mother is in Kangar and they were having their holiday. The two cucus smelled kambing, ayam, itek and what not. They were enjoying their kampong stays. But that didn’t matter. You still hold them and kissed them. Many times over eventhough you say to them “bucuknya”. That are cucus.
Monday’s flight home was at 9.10 pm. Had the whole day to roam. Went to pasar rabu for dodol and a wholesaler for gelama besar masam (mau sikit, mari ambik).
Had keowteow for lunch and rain poured as usual during our stay in the afternoon. Quite heavy. Around four the rain stopped and my wife called me and showed a haruan at our door step. Actually Rashid had a tahan taut schedule everyday I was there(catching fish in sangkar). He caught many haruans. I was licking my lips listening to his fishes stories. Now here came a haruan to our doorstep. Talked it out but instead of calling Rashid to pick it up or send to my bisan, we looked around to figure out the source of the haruan. Other then the surrounding padi fields, no fish pond, it must be from the sky. Mind you, during kemarau when the whole sawah is dry, fishes will be made availabele the instant rain starts falling down. Ask how. Surely from the sky, I thought. We had no choice. We saved the fish from being useless, we deep fried and had it for dinner with curry kepala ikan nyok-nyok puteh we got from Chia the fish towkay the other day kept by my bisan.
My wife and I were sent to the airport by my daughter and her husband. My Bisan was also waiting there. When will I make a similar trip again. It was a holiday. No internet, blog, comments or TVs. Tomorrow is a KL day. I wonder what is the road ahead. Staroba, FOS, my blog but more importantly my catch up with the solat at the masjid.
My apology for not able to meet up with the rest of the gang. Sabri Saari, Mariti Siran, Amran Rejab, Nordin Osman, Wan Saipallah and Dzawahir Hj Gani, you all take care. May god bless us and we shall meet again. Amin