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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.


Thursday, August 09, 2007

The Dutch Fort in Pulau (island of) Pangkor, Perak...

Somewhere on the south-east coast of Pulau Pangkor lies a certain historical monument... The sign-board says it clearly... Kota Belanda or the Dutch Fort...


My dear friend Diamond Archer who likes to pose... Here is a view of the fort from the above sign-board...


I on the other hand prefer this kind of pose... That's me trying to 'stab' the Dutch. Why? Let me continue with the story...


The official story said the Dutch Fort was built sometime ago because the Dutch who came to the Malay Archipelago then were interested in trade especially of tin ore. So this particular fort was built for them to store tin ore... Or is that just it?

Another signboard describing the history of the Dutch Fort further...


It says the fort was built in 1670 AD. Then it was attacked by the Malays who were not happy with the way the Dutch get their tin ore.

The fort was rebuilt in 1743 and was guarded by 60 soldiers, at least that's what it said. Then it was abandoned since 1748 (or was it 1749? Sorry. I can't read the whole writing clearly)...

Whatever, just consider this. Why were the Malays not happy with the Dutch? Is it just about trading or were there other causes? One thing's for sure, history has proved the Dutch who came then were colonialists bent on conquering the Malay lands and taking advantage of the people. In order to do that, they have resorted to every dirty means possible including lying, slandering the locals and making them fight against each other... Go figure!


The fort seen from a different angle. Right down from where I was standing was the remains of an old dungeon. Is that where they kept the tin ore hah?


Another view of the fort. Sorry if I sound like I hated the Dutch, In truth, I hate all colonialists as they have subverted my people and changed the history so much as to make the Malays so lost until now. Enough story-telling. Time for rest. Cheers!



More of Pangkor... Going on to what's inscribed on a stone...

OK... Continuing straight from the last story on Pangkor...


A kind of cave not far from our chalet...


A smaller island off Pangkor...

There's a Malay saying "ular menyusup akar tak akan hilang bisanya" (literally "a snake slithering under tree-roots won't lose its venom") which means a strong and powerful person can stoop down to humble himself and yet that won't make him weak... In other word, don't worry or fear being humble, something like that...
I saw this cat walking through this roots and wondered if the saying applies in this case too... Hmm...

The picture towards the beach from a food-stall where we had lunch the next day. Oh, for the record, we converged in Manjung on January 27th of 2007 and left for Pangkor the next day. So this picture was taken on January 29th then...


A rather unique and strange tree right in front of our chalet. Why, it even have a 'cave' which could fit one or two grown-ups inside!


Part of the beach seen from our chalet. In the picture is a Chinese temple which peculiarly had a statue of Donald Duck on top!


The tomb of a 17th Century Malay warrior said to be of Bugis descent known as Panglima Kulop Mentok. He lead a small army which destroyed a Dutch fort nearby and drove the invaders away... A story on the fort will follow after this article is completed, God willing!



This is the Batu Bersurat (inscribed stone) of Pangkor...


Inscribed on the stone are rough letters and figures which tells the story of how a Dutch baby was 'kidnapped' by a tiger sometime in the 17th Century. The official interpretation is that the tiger is a symbol to denote the Malays... That means, the Malays kidnapped a Dutch baby in order to scare them away!

Some locals here beg to differ saying that it was the Portugese who did the kidnapping as they were rival colonialists to the Dutch. Furthermore, it is against the Muslim faith to kidnap babies even if they are the babies of our enemies but the Malays were accused of the crime in order to turn them into the villains. Hmm... Food for thought here... Heavy food for thought!


The view of the mainland from the location of the stone. Seen in the background is the naval base in Lumut...

The main mosque of Pangkor... Next!

Remembering Pangkor...

Time to break the ice after making my last posting here about a week ago. Continuing straight from where we left off in On to the summit of Gunung Jerai to close a chapter...
What happened was, after I went down the mountain, I hitchiked (or did I stopped a taxi? I forgot) to the nearest town of Gurun. What I do remember is I was in a rush as the time was almost 4pm while I have to be in Manjung, Perak some 300 km away as early as possible the next day.
From Gurun, I got the bus to Sungai Petani then to Butterworth. From Butterworth I wasted no time by taking the express bus to Ipoh where I planned to spend the night before taking the morning bus to Manjung. As it turned out, I was not allowed to sleep at the surau (small praying hall) at the bus station and there's actually one early morning bus at 2am to get to Manjung.
The bus is actually the express bus from Kuala Lumpur to Manjung which must go through Ipoh. Suffice to say, I took it and arrived in Manjung for the Subuh early morning prayers.
Now why the rush to Manjung? Well, actually there's a gathering of more than 20 people who got to know each other including me at a forum in the Internet. It was fun and informative for everyone - most of those who attended knows (and practice!) a measure of silat, the Malay art of self-defence and some Malay magic. Strangely, I don't feel like taking pictures... Maybe because there were many others snapping pictures for the record?
As I was already in Manjung, the next stop on my list is the island of Pangkor just a few kilometres off the next town Lumut. A few forumers decided to follow me. So here are the pictures for posterity (at least I feel like taking pictures, that is when there's not so many of us around). Here it is...



Posing at the jetty in Lumut... In the picture (just mention the nicknames used on the Internet ya) from left are Pendita Gila, Diamond Archer, Abnormal Suam and Master C-Fu...


It is Pendita Gila's turn to snap a picture especially since he's not going to Pangkor. That's me, the third from left...


We got a nice chalet at the west side of Pulau (island of) Pangkor, can't remember the name of the place off-hand... Master C-Fu (left) having a romantic moment with Abnormal Suam... Haha! :]




The guys playing cavemen at one part of the beach...


Abnormal Suam is positive, he just found the 65 million year-old fossil of a trilobite! Yeah, sure...


The 'monkeys' settling down after enough playing cavemen...


Looking at such a view can sure turn grown-up adults into gaping apes or instant philosophers and Michelangelos!


Ah... Pangkor is surely a gem... Next!

Sunday, August 05, 2007

On to the summit of Gunung Jerai to close a chapter...

Here we meet again dear readers. This is the final piece for stories based on a previous trip to the north in January, a journey which is actually the extension to an almost Peninsular-wide travel covering the East Coast in December and parts of Johore and Malacca early January followed by the trip which leads to the lonely climb up Gunung Jerai on Malam Jumaat as told in Gunung Jerai calling out loud....
This piece was supposed to be completed last night but I ran out of time. I have been sitting for 7 hours non-stop churning out stories for my blogspots and when Gunung Jerai calling out loud... was completed, it was already 2.49 am or so, 11 minutes before the Internet Cafe in Kajang I was in is closed.
So let me continue from where we left off ya, the climb to the summit of Gunung Jerai after leaving the resort...

This is the Sheikh Abdullah well complex on the way to the summit. The complex was built by the Kedah state government as tourists and visitors especially those with religious and mystical leaning tend to visit a certain well here. The well was said to be built by an ancient religious teacher known as Sheikh Abdullah who is believed to have come to Kedah sometime in the year 1130 AD or so, almost 900 years ago!


The path leading to a small roofed resting place next to the well. The place also serves as a surau a small praying hall. Actually the night before, I planned to sleep at this place. Right after I was dropped at the Gunung Jerai resort entrance (remember, I got to hitchike a car?), I immediately asked the guard working there the way to Sheikh Abdullah's well.

So there I was walking in the dark nearly a kilometre to the well. The first thing I did upon arrival was to take wudhuk (ritual purification) using water from the well and did my Maghrib (early night complusory prayers) and Isyak (later compulsory prayer) combined in one go as allowed for those on travel.


After prayers, I sat at the surau and was contemplating sleeping there. The dark and loneliness didn't bother me, nor did the cold and damp mountain air. Maybe because my body was still hot and sweating after all the exercise walking some 8km up Gunung Jerai.

After half an hour or so, then only I began to feel the cold. As it is, I was not so well after changing climate so much and all the tiring walk and travelling the last 2 weeks. And I didn't bring any camping equipment, not even a torch-light while my trusty jacket which I've brought nearly everywhere the last 5 years was lost somewhere between Yan and Alor Setar, I forgot when.

As time passed by and the chill began to get to the bone with not much to protect my body except the shirts and thin clothings I brought, I decided might as well have a comfortable sleep somewhere else to recharge my batteries. So that is how I ended up at the resort.

Anyway, back to the issue of Sheikh Abdullah's well. Why is it such a special place for many? Well suffice to say, he is said to be an ancient saint from Baghdad. And the saint was said to be the person responsible for converting Sultan Muzaffar Shah to Islam, the first Kedah ruler said to embrace the faith spread by the seal of the prophets, Muhammad Rasulullah SAW. For a brief story on the ruler, click Sultan Muzaffar Shah, the first king of Kedah?.

From the well complex, I walked up the road to the summit and saw this abandoned building not far up...


Further up, I saw a path on the right leading to the jungle with pieces of plastics tied at some trees to point to a certain direction... I decided to find out what's inside...


Some 15 minutes later, I came across this curious boulder formation... Ah, I remember this... I've read about this particular boulder up Gunung Jerai in some tabloids about mysteries... The boulder is said to be an ancient ship which turned to stone, some said after it was cursed by a giant creature known as the Sang Kelembai...


Whether the myth has any truth or not, let's just leave it aside. I decided to check the whole length of the boulder and true enough, it does have the shape of an overturnerd ship, albeit an odd looking one!

At one end, I saw a small stream coming out from the boulder making up small pools. I looked around for any sign of life... Sure enough, at least there's no human around except me... And so I indulged in one of my favourite pastime that is skinny dipping haha! The water was definitely chilly but I enjoyed the dip which managed to freshen up my tired bones...


I also took the opportunity to do a quick wash on a few soiled clothers. Then dry it out on the 'ship'...I also used the time waiting to do my Zuhur (afternoon prayers) combined with Asar (late afternoon prayers) before lying down for a quick nap.

Now, I forgot to take a close-up picture of certain features of the 'ship' boulder but I can surely vouch that the majority of the surface which could be seen (that is parts not covered by tree-roots and such) does show the charateristics of a ship's hull... You can see formations that look like planks and ropes that normally makes up a wooden ship... You have to see it yourself to believe it.

So how could a ship end up near the summit of a 4,000 feet plus mountain? Well, the legends did say, once upon a time, Gunung Jerai was actually an ancient island known as Pulau Serai... That is when most of the land you see now was submerged in water... Enough of that.


After some time, I decided to get out of that particular part of Gunung Jerai and continue the walk up the summit...


Another look at the land below...


This picture should give an idea how far I've walked from the resort I spent the night at...


Sometime later, I came across this signboard. It points the way to a trail leading to Merbok, one of the points where I could climb up Gunung Jerai from. Have a look at The ancient valley of Bujang in Merbok for a connecting story...


There... The transmission tower next to the summit of Gunung Jerai. I went up to the gates but it was guarded by the military and turned out to be off-limits to civilians. Furthermore, I was already very tired and time was running out. The day was 26th January 2007 and I must be in Manjung, Perak, some 200km away the next day to attend a gathering of people known through an Internet forum.

I started the walk down and soon enough there was a person on bike passing my way, probably a military personnel in plain-clothes stationed on top of Gunung Jerai. He was kind enough to take me on the bike down until the main road. Suffice to say, I immediately left Kedah to head for Perak.

Actually while on the way down only did I remember that there is a certain path just before the gate guarded by the military through which I could go up the summit. I've been told about this path before by those whose been up all the way there. Up there lies other famous places often visited by those of religious and mystical leanings... Places known as Padang (field of) Tok Sheikh (as in Sheikh Abdullah) and Batu Sajadah (stone for praying), both attributed to the saint Sheikh Abdullah. It's just I thought the entry to the path was next to the gate guarded by the military. The military personel I met said he didn't know there is such a path when asked and I was just too tired then to verify his claim.

I guess, it is not time yet for me to step there. God willing, there will be another climb at another time. What is important now, I've completed my set of stories on the trip up north to be let out and now I can rest a bit. For information, this piece is my 99th posting in this blogspot. So there... Cheers! :]


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! :]