This is a picture of parts of Sungai (river of) Chemperoh next to the house of my adopted father S.H. Alattas atau Pak Habib. Once upon a time, the area used to be my main resting place and venue for playing about whenever resting in Janda Baik.
A part of Pak Habib's house complex.
Janda Baik's police station.
Hmm... What shall we call this. Is it a monument? What is sure, it is a kind of marking which says one is already inside the village of Janda Baik.
Oh... Maybe some would ask, why is the village named Janda Baik (literally translated, 'the good widow')? Which widow is so good such that her 'nickname' becomes the name of a village in the middle of the mountains of Banjaran Titiwangsa (Peninsular Malaysia's main mountain range).
Actually there are a few versions of stories on how the village became known as Janda Baik. But I tend to believe the story about the woman whose husband went out and left her... There's a story saying the husband is a bad person, a gambler and such. There's one that says he just went out to travel and never came back.
What is sure, the wife is faithful. Although her beauty invited many suitors, she still holds the fort and waited for the husband to return.
According to Islamic law, a wife left without physical and 'non-pyhsical' support (Sorry... Can't find the right translation for batin in this context as it denotes a husband's duty to give sexual pleasure to his wife) for up to a certain period (I think about 3 months) has the right to sever a marital tie. Maybe that is why the woman in this story is called Janda Baik (the good widow)? Because, although according to the story, she was never divorced, she can be called a widow considering that the woman is said to pass away while the husband (or ex-husband?) never came back. Or maybe the husband passed away earlier, and so the woman became a widow?
A more mysterious story said, the Good Widow meant here is still alive up to this day living at the mountains nearby! She lives in the unseen world, once in while appearing in this visible material world especially when there's somebody who really needs help!
This is the main gate to a private property. Look at the carvings and the trees on its side. Beautiful isn't it?
This is a house based on bamboos being built by a friend, Ahmad Nazim. Nazim is a British citizen who have embraced Islam for sometime and is married to a local citizen.
The building seen here was built using his own hands and muscles with the help of some friends. Seen in the picture is Nazim and one of his daughters.
Look carefully at this picture. Behind the trees at the back is and old house from Perak, said to be an old palace. The story is available here... Rumah lama Perak di Janda Baik (An old Perak house...
Oh... Maybe some would ask, where do I often stay nowadays when in Janda Baik? After all at the start of this article, I did say, once upon a time, I used to stay at Pak Habib's place, meaning that I don't stay there anymore isn't it?
The answer is in the link given above also in a new posting about book promotion to be made at the CATATAN SI MERAH SILU blogspot later. Meanwhile, let me make the necessary updates for the other blogspots ya... Peace be upon you!
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