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This blogspot is a medium to share my thoughts and adventures apart from promoting my books. Below are the books which have been written or authored and published by myself.


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Mencari Diri dan Erti".

ISBN 983-42031-0-1, Jun 2006


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Membela Syiar yang Asal"

ISBN 983-42031-1-x, May 2007


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Sirih Pulang ke Gagang?"

ISBN 978-983-42031-2-2, November 2007


It is interesting to note that while these books were written in Malay it has gained enough attention to merit being part of the collections of the American Library of Congress and National Library of Australia. Look here and here.


While the first three books were published by my own company, the fourth titled "Rumah Azan" was published in April 2009 by a company called Karnadya with the help of the Malaysian national literary body Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. It features beautiful pictures along with stories behind selected mosques which could be related to the history of Islam and the Malays alongside the formation of the Malaysian nation. Look at the article A collaboration of old collegemates - the book "Rumah Azan".


My fifth book "Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and Malay Sultanates", an English translation and adaptation of the Malay book "Ahlul Bait (Keluarga) Rasulullah SAW dan Kesultanan Melayu" authored by Hj Muzaffar Mohamad and Tun Suzana Othman was published early 2010. Look here... My 5th book is out! Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and the Malay Sultanates... . For more information check out my Malay blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU.



Like my fourth book "Rumah Azan", the sixth book "Kereta Api Menuju Destinasi" is also a coffee-table book which is published by the company Karnadya with the cooperation of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (the main Malay literary body in Malaysia). Coming out January 2011 it features pictures and stories on the adventure travelling by train to all of Peninsular Malaysia along with the interesting places which could be reached this way.


My seventh book "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" in turn is a coffee-table book which is written, editted, designed and has pictures taken by me. Coming out of the factory October 2011, this book which combines family history with history of places such as Singapura, Johor, Batu Pahat, Muar and in fact the history of the island of Java and England has been reviewed with me interviewed live in the program Selamat Pagi Malaysia at RTM1. Look at the article Siaran langsung ulasan buku "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" dan temu ramah di Selamat Pagi Malaysia. Some selected contents have been featured in Sneak peek "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah".


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The "Berpetualang ke Aceh" series of novels could be obtained in e-book form. Enter http://www.e-sentral.com/, click general novel and go to page 4. You can also type the word "Aceh" at the search box. Or click straight Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3.


Saturday, July 28, 2007

Yan again... The call of Gunung Jerai...

19th January 2007. If memory serves me right, it was a Friday... So the Yan main mosque would play host to the Jumaat or Friday congregational prayers soon. Still, I want to continue exploring around but not too far as I didn't want to miss the weekly congregational prayer which is obliged by men.
Actually Muslims in the midst of travel are exempted from this obligation. They can opt to conduct the normal daily Zuhur or early afternoon prayers as a replacement. Why, a person travelling far like me could even delay the Zuhur prayers right well into the ends of the time for Asar prayers, that is just before dusk but I chose to conduct the Jumaat because of the feeling of brotherhood it evokes having many people congregating at one place all in the name of God, the Creator of all in existence!

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And so I just walked around the town centre... It's just a kilometre away and I could make the Jumaat prayers in time at a moment's call...


It's only after the Jumaat prayers that I decided to take the rather long walk going inland away from the town of Yan. That's when I passed Kampung (village) Aceh, said to be the place where Aceh immigrants were originally concentrated at in Yan.

Too bad I didn't feel much connection. The locals said, most of the old folks of Acehnese descent have either moved out or passed away. The remaining young didn't keep close to their roots, as in practicing the way of their elders especially religious-wise... Perhaps that is why I could only scarcely feel the connection? Nevertheless, I do feel slight spiritual pulls here and there, maybe because of the aura left behind by the deceased elders? It's just I felt a stronger pull calling me to walk on... To where? Let's just continue with the story...



I walked on and came across this school. My legs still want to go on...


As it is, the peaks of Gunung Jerai seemed to beckon!


Interesting to see this tree right in the middle of the road. I learned later (actually I did feel it there and then), there's a strong spirital presence emanating from the tree!


Much later I came to this sign-post... Both places mentioned are local resorts... Which one should I go to... The answer came rather obvious. Just follow the pull like a spaceship being sucked by a tractor beam in an episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century... Head for the foot of Gunung Jerai... Just walk on straight... (Now I'm beginning to sound like a Zombie... Say this with a drawling voice: I need brains! Haha!)


And so I arrived at the resort area of Titi Hayun, literally translated as the 'swinging small bridge'. It seems there was one such bridge there at one time. Now it is replaced by this concrete one which can only swing if there's a Tsunami or a Transformers giant robot swinging it for fun... Hmm...






Right after crossing this bridge, I saw this staircase up the hill...O o.... I though I just want to have a splash at the ravines here but something is pulling me up the stairs... Ah... Just follow the light... Is it the call of Gunung Jerai grabbing me by the balls?


And there I was, this unfit self for the lack of sporting activities the last 20 years with a huge rucksack behind my back alone climbing up this stairs... Coincidently, the locals call this staircase Tangga Seribu or the thousand steps... I found out why while almost being flat!


I found this shack and decided to stop for rest. After all, I couldn't see any more steps... Perhaps there are some more and I was told later, the steps actually leads all the way to the peak of Gunung Jerai but I think enough climbing for the day. I was already having breathing trouble the last few weeks for reasons I'm not sure of... Maybe because of the side-effects of abruptly stopping smoking since September? After 22 years of hardcore blowing and puffing to clear my stress away? Or maybe I'm having breathing problems of the black magic attacks I believed were instigated against me my some people who wants me dead? I sure can't reveal the details...

Whatever, I was nearly out of breath then. I swear, it's only a strong self-will which contributes a systematic control of breathing which stops me from passing out alone in this jungle... Otherwise, God know what would happen to me next...

Nevertheless, I managed to put my body and breathing in order and went down the steps safely. It's time to take a dip in the cool waters and ease myself...


Later, I was taken to this surau (small praying hall)... Let me continue the story in another article ya... Cheers! :]



2 comments:

Unknown said...

Assalamualaikum,
Saya dilahirkan di Singapura dan di besarkan di Johor Bahru. Bapa saya adalah dari keturunan Jawa dan ibu saya berasal dari keturunan Arab yang menetap di Singapura dari keluarga moyang saya Muhamad bin Ahmad Al-Sagof. Sekarang ni saya menetap di Kedah berhadapan dengan Gunung Jerai. Buat pertama kali saya mendaki gunung ini saya telah singgah ke suatu tempat di puncak no.2 iaitu Padang Saf Tok Sheikh. Melalui seorang sahabat yang saya jumpa disana mengatakan saya memang bertuah dapat temukan tempat ini kerana tempat itu sebenarnya adalah tempat yang mula-mula sekali Agama Islam berkembang. Pada 1000thn yg lalu Nusantara ini terdiri dari pulau-pulau. Pada masa itu sekeliling gunung dikelilingi air laut. Hanya kelihatan gunung sahaja yang tinggal. Ini dibuktikan kerana setiap gunung mesti ada batu yang berbentuk seperti Kapal (Batu Kapal). Di Padang Saf Tok Sheikh pula, lantai batunya mempunyai garisan saf-saf yang menghadap arah kiblat. Disitu juga tempat Tok Sheikh mengislamkan Sultan Kedah pada masa itu dan mengajarkan tentang Agama Islam. Dibawah batu saf itu terdapatnya Gua Gajah tempat berkhalwat. Sebenarnya sejarah kita telah banyak digelapkan oleh penjajah Inggeris sehingga kita pun tak tahu asal-usul kedatangan Islam di Nusantara. -LovingSharingCaring-

Radzi Sapiee said...

Wassalam. Terimakasih atas penerangan ini...