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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.


Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Muar river cruise part III

Continuing from Muar river cruise part II...


The Muar bridge is just right in front. Built sometime in the early 1970s (before that, people have to take ferries to get across), its monolithic components never fail to astound the nostalgic child in me!


Hah... A better view of what's underneath... There's a part of me that felt like jumping off-board the boat to lodge at one of the foundations...


Then the sky got clearer again with some fishing boats mooring at the southern river side right of the boat... We are clear pass the bridge...


And in tandem with that, a good view of the supermarket on the northern side...


Further up right is the Muar wet market building which houses its own urban legend...


I turned my head to snap a picture of the Muar bridge which we have left behind...

A closer view of the wet market... Looks like a giant barge or some sort of floating building isn't it? A few years back, just under 5 years or so ago, someone (or was it a few persons) claimed to have seen a giant snake with head as big as a Kancil car staring from the waters underneath the market! The story says that the snake is a kind of abomination which have lived under the market for ages feeding from the left-over carcass of animals slaughtered at the market!
The story goes further that the snake was hiding there because it was afraid of the legendary white crocodile of the Muar river. Hmm... This is beginning to sound like and episode from Ultraman! Nevertheless, many believed it and swallowed the stories hook, line and sinker. So much so that another story spreaded around saying a few bomohs (magic and mystics practioner) were being engaged to call the giant snake out in front of everyone!
The story got a substantial number of Malaysians excited. It made the pages of a few magazines as the tale spreads out prompting tens of thousands from as far up north as Perlis to converge in Muar and witness the breathtaking spectacle expected ahead!
As it turns out, the creature never showed its face. Now I remember... They said it didn't show its face because it was afraid of the great white giant Muar river crocodile. Can you believe that?
Nevertheless, many Muar traders made a hefty sum that day including those who sells food and souvenirs. Perhaps they were the ones who 'saw' the creature in the first place?

Oh... Next to the wet market is the Bentayan food hawkers complex. Notice the space underneath the middle of the building? Believe it or not, that is the mouth of the river Bentayan... Now, that is one historical piece of a place...

Official history recorded that here lies the last stand of the Melaka Malays against the invading Portuguese army right after the fall of the city of Melaka in 1511. Perhaps the giant snake is a remnant of that era? Who knows...


A little further up and we approached the first bend (or curve?) of the Muar river... Now, my cheap camera might not be able to catch the sight as it is but this should be enough to tell you that right in the middle of the picture, some 2 kilometres away lies the second Muar bridge completed about three years ago to divert the growing traffic out of main town.

Too bad we didn't cruise further upriver. As the boat weaves to make a turn, part of me was complaining inside... Is this trip really worth the RM10 I paid? I thought they said the cruise would last 40 minutes but I think I have counted to only slightly over 20 minutes or so...


As the boat completed turning, I was resigned to the thought that this is what you get for RM10. Then the boat went on passing the jetty where we embarked from and headed for open sea. That's when I thought the RM10 fare was really worth it. Too bad, my camera was out of battery and I can't catch more pictures...


Still luckily, after switching off the camera for a few times and turning it back on, I managed to get enough power to make this last shot... The view of the town Muar from the further end of the Muar estuary. That's all ya. Take care! :]


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

woww...in my 34 yrs or so on the earth tak pernah terasa nak naik river cruise kat Muar ni..but now after reading this...must try it whenever i go back to Muar..the kids will love it i think...

Anonymous said...

went back to muar last weekend..couldnt resist the cruise..hehe..went for it with the kids, my cousin n her husband n their kids n my mum..i thought it was going to be biasa je but how wrong could i be...it was awesome experience..for everyone i guess...because of the cruise i realised that the new mosque opp the old mosque is exactly a replica..from the design to the colour to everything...thanks radzi..took some pix too..

Anonymous said...

by the way, when we went back we didnt head to the open sea...it just went right back to the jetty..

Radzi Sapiee said...

Hehe! Glad that my story manage to rekindle the childhood interest about Muar in you... Cheers! :]

p/s: By the way I just arrived in Mersing. After Aidil Adha in Muar, I went to Batu Pahat then Pontian then JB and last night I was in Kota Tinggi...