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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.


Sunday, August 05, 2007

Gunung Jerai calling out loud...

From Kangar, I took the bus to Alor Setar, Kedah... Then only can I get a bus towards Sungai Petani through the town of Gurun where lies a point to get on top of the 4,200-feet plus high Gunung (mount) Jerai.

The peak of Gunung Jerai beckons... I actually overshoot the point where a climb could be made by several kilometres. That means I have to find a bus heading back to Alor Setar while the time then was almot 6pm, a bus which is only available every half an hour or so...
Luckily a local youth saw my predicament and decided to sent me there by bike. Thank God... Otherwise I don't know what time I'll get a bus. Besides, I didn't know the exact point where I should embark... For all you know, I might just overshoot the destination again with time running out and dusk approaching!


There, the point where I should have embarked from the bus. Should have seen the obvious signboard but since one didn't know the actual location, one might soon tire while keeping a look-out from inside the bus and thus miss the signs...
Now, one of the reason I chose this point is that you can take vans straight to the mountain top. There are several routes to take up Mount Jerai including from Merbok and Yan... Have a look again at The ancient valley of Bujang in Merbok and Yan again... The call of Gunung Jerai... . But only this one have a rather proper road all the way up accesible by motor vehicles. I thought I want to save time and energy you see!
As it turns out, I could still catch a van going up. Only problem, I was the only prospective passenger left as it was already way pass 6pm... I must charter a whole van for at least RM50. Otherwise the fare could have been splitted with other passengers, down to about RM5 per person...
Now, I have always been a budget traveller... RM50 just to get up a mountain by van to me is waste of money... So what next? Just guess, haha!


One thing is for sure... I MUST get up Gunung Jerai. The first time I went on top was 10 years ago on my trusty big bike, the bike which at the moment is not functional as it is in need of repair and I don't the proper budget yet to spare which should cost at least RM2,000. The second time was by van 2-3 years ago, I can't remember went exactly. So what do I do? I decided to walk... Never mind that it would be a 13 km trip up the winding mountain road alone... Never mind that I was actually very tired having been on the road for the last 2 weeks or so.
Never mind it was getting dark... Never mind it was Malam Jumaat, the night before Friday, a night most Malays believe is the night where unseen forces and creatures roam free ghost and such... And Gunung Jerai is a place reputed to be full of such things! I just walked on... The call of Gunung Jerai was just too loud to ignore! I might be able to brush it aside while in Merbok, so in Yan but this time, I just had to have a go no matter what...

There... Visibility began to be drop as the last thraces of sunshine disappeared...

And the next day, I found myself waking up in nice lodge. What the heck?

The view from the room I spent the night... Not bad!


The resort on top of Gunung Jerai...
OK... What happened was I walked for more than 2 hours covering a distance of 8 km by 8.30pm or so, still 5 km to go to get to the top when a car passed by and I managed to hitchike. Even then, the car didn't want to stop at first... Not many cars would stop for a hitchiker much least in the jungles of Gunung Jerai reputed to be rife with mystical powers, not forgetting ghost and such.
It's only by God's grace that the driver in a car filled with 3 people felt pity that there's a man walking alone up the mountain at night with a big rucksack on his back. At first, he dismissed me as some sort creature one shouldn't even attempt to find out what but then God inspired in his heart to show pity and turn back to have a look. There!


Another view from the resort...

The actual summit of Gunung Jerai is still a distance away as can be deducted from this picture...

Still, this resort is very close to the summit which is situated rather high up as could be seen here...

A plaque about Gunung Jerai...


This is what it says... Read it yourself ya... Enough for me to point out that it says Gunung Jerai stands at 1,217 metre high from sea-level...

Another look at the land below...


This is actually a mosque... Hardly used but still a mosque just next to the resort.
I didn't realise what it was when I arrived as I couldn't see through the dark... Just the outlines and I didn't know what building it was... Otherwise, I could have saved money by lodging in the mosque, hah! :]


I wanted to get to the top. So I left the resort and saw this point on the route up. I felt a certain thug in my heart and decided to explore... See the electrical posts there... I saw a path heading into the jungle and took a walk...


After a while, I saw a clearing with a this man busy reciting some prayers... What the heck???? Is this a real man or is this one of the "creatures" of Gunung Jerai? Never mind, I let the man be... After all, I'm do different from him, human or not, as I like to explore areas said to be mystical and full of mysteries... And more than once I have been passed as some sort of "creature out there"... So there... Next! :]








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