Balik Kampung

(Picture of the day: Sunset in Kampung)

First of all, as a Malaysian, I'm proudly to say (or scream)...

HAPPY MERDEKA DAY!!!
May God bless Malaysia with everlasting peace, harmony and unity!

For me, this year I celebrated my Merdeka Day in kampung. I have to admit, as much as a KL girl I am, I still cannot live without my kampung.

The fresh air in the morning, the blazing sun in the afternoon and the chilly night in the middle of a palm estate, where you can hear clearly the sound of crickets, the birds chirping in the morning and the best of all, the sound of the hen cockcrow-ing at dawn.

That, my friend, is the real life of kampung.

My kampung is not that far, just an hour or two from home. It's in Perak, near the Selangor border, Tg.Malim (where you can find the best YikMun pau in Perak). It's pretty much isolated from town, worse than KTT, I betcha!

(The road to my kampung. Very hutan-ish)

Though, that is where my dad grew up and needless to say, my second home.

Despite of its lack in modern facilities (my grandpa is so smart, in order to save electricity and excretion of urine, he substituted the zinc roof in the toilet with a clear, see-through, translucent roof which gives us shivers at night in case of you-know-who appears),

it's rich with Malay traditional cultures and of course, not to mention, the food. Fabulous is all I've got to say.

Gulai Ayam, sambal belacan, cecapan, sahang, ikan wadi, sambal tempoyak, ulam, nasi ulam, ikan masak cuka and the best, sambal kering make my kampung like no other places on earth. Homey and cosy.


( That is called Papai or sambal cempedak. Yes people, it's cempedak cooked with chili.)

Neighbours know each other very well (Anak neigbour depan is so handsome! but he's in Jordan now, studying medicine)

and not to mention, everyone sticks up their nose in each other's bussiness (Trust me, my grandma is the taiko in that) but that, I take it as being concerned about one another.

So, on that night of Merdeka, we only celebrated it with a cup of teh tarik. Haha.

P.s. No matter where you are across the globe, Selamat Menyambut Bulan Ramadhan Al-Mubarak!