Tree of Love

Smack in the middle of the road of this old mining town is a pokok ara. It looks old...probably as old as the Hainan & Khek Associations.

What's so facsinating about this old tree? Well...legend has it that if one is seeking love or a partner of the opposite sex...not sure about same sex tho, all one has to do is make a wish and touch the tree and before long one shall have one's wish come true! How did i come to know this? I'm a seeker of local folklore and food. I found this out from one of our Kuantan's Pinky. One Pinky said to the other, " I'm looking for Love" and the other told her about the local legend.

Hence she took effective action and went tree hugging and i tagged along to record the event with a reminder from my sumandak not to touch the tree lest i might get another girlfriend. :)

Results after 2 weeks...this Pinky met someone she liked! So the tree works!!! Then the other Pinky confessess..."actually i was just pulling your leg! :)"

Moral of the story...When one sees possibilities, then all things are possible!

Hailams in Kuantan

We 2 Hailams are visitors to the town, behind us and the bus is Sg. Lembing's Hainan Association which was established in 1964. Next to it is the Khek Association which was established in 64' too.Wow...1964! The Hailams must have been the one's making the kopi and cooking for the Khek miners. You see, we Hailams are known for our cooking and the Kheks are known for thier mining prowess. We 2 Hailams? We are known for creating havoc (the good kind la) & craziness and making a difference too and we contribute to the community by eating!

Breakfast!!!

Finally...FOOD!!! We were famished by the time we came down the hill and as we slalomed ourselves past the market we were looking for food. Our stomachs were growling in anticipation of food. Anything will do at that moment. We needed to be fed!

The local barrista and his...kopithua. This market place has 2 very prominent stalls. The kopithua and the mee stall. Trust me were we not picky at that very moment. Like i said we needed food.

The mee stall with multi choice of add-ons and Sg. Lembing's very own homemade mee. Healthy and wholesome and no preservatives. Chiak bei si one.

An exhausted looking Kuantan chick and her KL friends before the food goes into the stomach. Look close enuf and you can see the saliva at the edge of the lips. :)

Waa...si pei song...thats a look of contentment. Eating is the best thing ever after a good climb. Try it out.

Pasar Sg. Lembing

The market has always been my favorite place whenever i visit a new place. It's where i get to see the 'locals' in action. What they sell? What they buy, eat, wear etc etc. An interesting way to get to know the townspeople.

Ribena in it's natural state. Yes, this is the fruit that makes the juice that makes my Vodka tastier. Sumandak buying a bottle of homemade Ribena juice. Fresh from the garden.

The days catch...huge squids from the South China Sea. They are an arms length, 6 to 7 times bigger than the sotong we have at the Nasi Kandar stall. All fresh from the early morning haul.

This warehouse like building houses another section of the market.

This market starts later than the ones that i have been too. They started pretty much after we descended from Bukit Panorama...still think a better name is possible, which must have been about 7 plus to 8. Maybe this sleepy hollow wakes up later than most, especially with the mist still blanketing the town. We would still be asleep if not for the promise of catching a glimpse of the 'ham tan wong'!

Dances In The Mist

The most amazing things about this place is the mist. Never mind that we didn't get to see the big red 'ham tan' in the sky, the mist was just...magical! You can see it dancing in the valley to the east and on the west you can see it dancing over the roofs of Sg. Lembing town.

Kuantan girls Rock! and a Pinky caught on film.

Sumandak enjoying herself fooling around. This is a re-creation of how i took a shit in the bushes on Gunung Tahan. One of the very few flowers on this hill...bathed in dew drops.

Sweating Pinkies...doesn't matter if you are 50kg or 150kg...you would still sweat like a pig upon reaching the foot of the hill.

The dancing mists is an unforgettable sight.

Bukit Panorama

This is the most unglamorous name the authorities could come up with for this little hill in
Sg. Lembing Kuantan but then again what's new?

We woke up at 0330hrs on a Sun morning in Kuantan town and headed for Sg. Tembeling. Our host drove like a rally driver thru a rather curvy road occasionally splattered with cows lying on the mac adam tar road. We arrived at the foot of the hill at about 0500hrs.

Even in the wee hours of the morning when the air is crisply fresh some people do get winded and need a lungful of O2 while there are those that question the wisdom of getting up so frickin early in the morning to climb a hill with a totally uncreative name...courtesy of the local authorities. Yes. I do have issues with their 'creativity'.

Host...Huey the rally driver, checking on the entourage to see if anyone fell off the hill in the darkness. Chilly as it may be, some of us sweat like pigs but always armed to the teeth with a smile...after all it's only a hill and not some 3000m mountain. That would definately not bring forth a smile, more of a curse thru gritted teeth perhaps.

A pair of hailam boys and cute Kuantan chicks standing atop Bukit Panorama. Time: approximately 0700hrs. Date: Oct 07th. The day the sun refused to show itself. We waited and waited to no avail. Rise it did of course...amidst the thick mist. We were spectators of the great dance of the mists.

Breathtaking.

Touching Lives

When someone decides to make a difference to another, something happens...a life is touched. Making that difference is a conscious effort and when it is unconditional the experience is nothing short of... magical.

Don't you believe me!

Just reach out and touch someone and see what happens. Not only will you make a difference to that someone but it might awaken your heart to giving. I warn you tho...it could be contagious.

Take a risk! Reach out...

Signing Off

At the end of the day the kids and old folks signed off on the WOW day banner in acknowledgement of the WOW that the PINKIES created for them and unbeknownst to them a great difference was made to those that contributed financially or otherwise. This day was made successful thru the contributions of the M'sian public and also the volunteers (GLPs & friends) that came forth unconditionally to assist and support the Pinkies in making it a WOW!

The kids signed probably their very first 'signature'...i remember my very first signature, a sign of growing up.

Aunty signing off in appreciation of the wonderful day at the beach...

..and for the Pinkies a meaningful day. A WOW day!

What a Beach!

When we okayed the Pink Squad to bring the kids to the edge of the water, they were thrilled. More thrilled than the kids i believe b'cos they did not want to dissappoint the kids by saying 'No' to them. Thus a number of the Pinkies created a human barricade to prevent the kids from going too far out and watch out for the safety of the children.

Mr. PD showing off his muscles and the girls waiting for the next wave to crash in.

The kids just love water and the leery judge can't keep his eyes off Ms. PD.

Special attention for some smaller kids in case they get swept away...no no these are kids who are below the water line. Hmm where did i hear that before??? Never mind.

The kids, the old folks, tho not all went into the sea (one or two did) enjoyed watching the kids playing in the sea and they enjoyed the breeze too. All in all a successful saturday for all concerned.

A Day at The Zoo

PD's Zoo is actually more of an Ostrich farm...the other animals were kinda adopted i guess. The kids and old folks enjoyed themselves and we were no exception either. It's every kids dream...the zoo. A place where we can set our 'animal' free.

The kids were treated to an ostrich ride and we had a first hand test of the leather goods. Sure feels different from the ones with LV or Gucci stamped on them.

Testing some traditional medicine 'live'. One happy croc with two very nervous women holding it. The one in shades (probably can't see) is just happy knowing she is holding something sizeable...just wondering why it's cold. :)

I get to be Crocodile Dundee for the moment.

Lunch Time!

One of the many selfless helpers' carrying Ayam A1 sponsored by Ayamas serving the orphans, old folks and also the Pinkies.

Most of the stalls were closed due to the Ramadan month but that did not stop our Muslim Pinkies serving food to the children and old folks. An act which must be a test to their will power since all of them were fasting as they were making a difference to our special guest.

The uncles had their little corner...

..and the kids had one of their own too...

...and there are Pinkies who just felt at home with the kids.