Fun.....Fun.....Fun......

I'm blessed and glad that I was able to make a trip to Trengganu ...land of my forefathers . It was an opportunity too to impart knowledge to my children of their roots. I think its important to tell them stories ; about your family ...... your forefathers , your heritage ; childhood stories......anything . I hope in the future they will make an effort to tell these stories to their children too .

Like I said it was a strange feeling ....driving down the highway with scenes of endless sandy beaches ....looking golden in the sun ; tall coconut trees literally on both sides of the road ...with swaying leaves as if welcoming us ......

I watched ....taking in the whole view . For a moment , I went back in time .....to the late 1920s the time grandfather packed his bags and moved out .....leaving his kampong . Hit the road Jack!

I can imagine the place .............a huge area , practically a jungle .The beach would have been been pretty much the same .....more rustic and more trees on its shores .....with sampans beached there as well .The water would have been more blue ...cleaner , pollution free and much much more beautiful . I doubt if there were any rubbish strewn on the beach .

The folks would have led a simpler life ....mostly fishermen and doing their cottage industries of batik painting , songket weaving and wood carvings ....of which they are famous for . Yes , they are simple people but they are rich in their heritage ....which we could still see and experience now .

On the other hand , they could be finding hard to survive ....too poor to even find the next meal . Perhaps that was why grandpa left the place ...seeking for a better future and a better livelihood . Or maybe he had a tiff with his family .....walked out and never looked back . A sacrifice indeed .....for himself and his descendents . If grandpa had not left his kampong ...he would not have met my grandmother . My mother would not be there and I would not be on this planet too . I existed because of these people .....

I don't know how he looked like .....his height etc. Was he tall , dark and handsome ? Being dark ....there's no doubt about it . He could be dark .....because to have that very fair skin in my family is quite rare .But I know he must have been a nice man ...enough to make my grandmother loved and married him .He died and was buried in Kuching ; far from his birth place . He must have been a tall man ....I saw his grave about 25 years ago . It was quite long. That was the only time I visited both his grave and my grandmother's .

Now , a century after he was born ...I went to his birthplace .....hehehe.....back to my roots , back to where I partly belong.

Perhaps a few more visits ...and we could get to know the place better .However , whatever time we had there we enjoyed and savoured the moments .

At the beach ..with waves swirling at his feet as it hit shore . Fun for Amir.

I like this . Amir made this out of sea shells.

Playing Chess on a huge chess board . Yasmin said she won the game .
Amir said she forfeited the game .....so he should have won .Whatever !!

The one and only Yasmin Fatimah .