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! :]

Muar river cruise part II...

OK... Continuing straight from Muar river cruise part 1...

I looked the opposite direction towards the Muar river mouth. Then I realised the actual breadth and immensity of this quite mighty river...

I looked again towards the front then to the right... The Sultan Abu Bakar building which is one of the iconic landmark of Muar appeared full view...

And this of course is another iconic Muar building... The Umno Pagoh 12-storey building (that's what they officially say. But when I count I think it's more like 14 or 15 floors) which was the tallest building in Muar for more than 20 years! And the only building more than 5-storeys tall around for almost as long...

Further in front, the famous Muar bridge beckons. I still remember the local urban legend... They said, due to the ghostly nature of the Muar river (there's plenty of legends abound including those regarding the existence of a giant white crocodile lurking in the waters!), sacrifies had to be made to erect the bridge. And so among the components making up the structure were severed heads of children... Seriously, that's how the legend goes!

That was quite scary... It managed to keep some of us kids rather home-bound at times, too scared to even cross the street for fear that the "Keling penyabit" (Indians with scythe) would come and take our heads! And these "Keling penyabit" (plural ya... There's many of them) actually exist cycling their tricycles (or whatever they call those boxes with wheels attached to bicycles) with a bunches of freshly-cut grass inside and a scythe or two on top. People say they hide the heads under the grass... Oh no!!!

This is the new Muar bus-stand complex, built over the demolished old one and completed just a few months back...

Further ahead is the customs and marine complex (or something like that)... After all Muar is one of the main embarkation points for visitors from abroad Indonesian island of Sumatera...

Hmm... I can't actually point out this section of buildings except for one with the blue minaret on top... That used to be the Muar railway station, before the railings were disassembled, that was years before I was born in 1970...

As the Muar bridge looms nearer, one could see the rather spanking new supermarket across which is now one of the pride of Muarians... Previously, the town of Muar is considered to lie only on the south side of the river which is to the right of this picture. At the north lies only a few settlements and no commerce except for the few shops that lined up the old road to Melaka.

Then things began to change in the late 80s with the opening of factories on that part of the Muar river bank... Still it was not considered part of town until the recent year or two... When new commerce buildings such as the supermarket in the picture rose up to extend the township borders to cover both sides of the rather mighty Muar river!

Seen here is the Mara building which houses some foodstalls and small businesses belonging to Malay traders. Completed some 5 years ago, it is one of the newer components of modern Muar...

Slightly further is this part of town which lies at the southern end of the Muar bridge...

Ah... The bridge itself. Having spent half of my life admiring this particular landmark of Muar, just the thought of cruising under it makes the heart beats much faster. Next...

Muar river cruise part I...

Ladies and gentlemen, without much further ado, as the title suggest...

You see, for me there's something mystical about the Muar river. After all it's the biggest and longest river in the southern parts of the Peninsular and I have spent a major part of my teenage years playing alongside its banks. But I've only been on the river cruising on a boat only 3 times my whole life! The first, if I'm not mistaken was some 10 years ago when the Muar river cruise was first started... The second I think was about 5 years ago or so when I was still a married man. Now I want to share some pictures of the 3rd cruise, made slightly over 2 weeks ago... Come!

Here is the yatch harbour next to the jetty seen in the previous picture. It is situated right at the immense mouth of the Muar river. If memory serves me right, works on it started sometime in 2002 and were completed early this year. But I have yet to see yatches mooring nearby... Then again I don't often come down to visit Muar nowadays although it is the town where I was born and grew up at...

On thing's for sure, they have gone a notch up or two in promoting tourism and the river cruise. Last time I remember, the boats used then were simple functional white. Now, it has a more classic look befitting a place for tourists... Especially one that is rich in history...

For information the Muar river has been featured in some prominent classic Malay literary pieces. In fact the Sulalatus Salatin (known also as the Sejarah Melayu or the Malay Annals) mentioned Muar as the place where the founder and first king of Melaka twice tried to set up new states but failed. Thus that's why he travelled furthered up north to open Melaka and this happened sometime 600 years ago!

Actually this picture was taken one afternoon while walking around Tanjung Emas (part of the southern tip of the Muar estuary). One look at this boat and I felt I must take a river cruise. And so I did 2 days later or so...

Now, this picture is taken just after embarking on the boat. You can see the second main mosque of Muar in it...

The boat starts to move along the much frequented parts of Tanjung Emas... The Muar town centre beckons...

And so, for the first time ever I had a view from the river of the Dataran Muar (literally translated as the Muar square) area built at Tanjung Emas and completed 3-4 years ago...

On the left, the Muar second mosque gets nearer...

And so all onboard just sit relaxed enjoying the view...

The original Muar main mosque built in the 1920s is now in full view...

Muar town centre getting nearer...

Oh... Next to the main mosque lies the Istana Hinggap (literally translated as the visiting palace) for Johor royals... Next...

The Bastion Santiago... Is it really worth keeping?

While on the subject of remains and symbols of Western imperialism, let me just talk a bit on this remains uncovered quite recently, just a few years ago about 100 metres or so from the gates of the A Famosa...

This is the Bastion Santiago, a portion of an old fort discovered just a few years ago...

See... It does look quite nice. Reminds me of the castle walls in mid-town Canterbury and some parts of England. But that is in England where the Western castles do belong. Now we are talking about Western forts in the Malay lands which are symbols of the downfall of the Malays...

A plaque nearby explained some history about this particular Western remains. Actually I did took a nice picture of the plaque where the writing could be read properly hence the excerpts below. Too bad while highlighting and then cropping certain parts, I accidently saved the cropping on top of the original picture... I should have saved it with a different name... And so the picture of the plaque above had to be taken from parts of another picture...

Read this excerpts yourself. If you can't view it properly, then right-click and open it in another window.

Now, I have no problem if the authorities wants to keep this place as a historic monument eventhough it is a symbol of Western conquest. It does look good and to me, we could share it with others. What bothers me (and some others too) is how the authorities planned to spend millions of Ringgit to REBUILT the fort in the name of tourism! Good Lord... It is already an insult that so many Malay monuments of old have been destroyed to make way for Western forts on Malay lands, now you want to rebuilt it too? Why not rebuilt the whole or at least part of the old Malay city? Why build symbols of the Malay downfall...

Ah... I might as well get off the subject before my blood boils. So long!

Up and around Bukit (the hill of) Melaka

OK... Here, I feel like sharing some pictures around Bukit (hill of) Melaka. Actually this place is officially known as Bukit St Paul, after a 16th Century (or was it 17th Century) Christian priest who was said to be instrumental in preaching that faith in the Malay lands. On top of the hill was built a church dedicated to him hence the name. But me being a Malay is of the opinion that this guy was a usurper. So let me just tell the story in my own strange way ya, here goes...

I think most Malaysians or those who have visited Melaka know this sight very well. At the foot of the hill in the picture is the remains of the fort built by the Portuguese after they conquered the city of Melaka in the 1511 AD. The fort is known as the A Famosa... On top is the church of St Paul...

At the other side of the foothill is the replica of Malay palace from the old days of the Melaka Sultanate. Too bad, it is not as well-known as the A Famosa which is a symbol of the downfall of the Malays...

True to its name, the A Famosa is so famous as to be touted as the most major tourist attraction in Melaka...

Next to it is a road called Jalan (street of) Istana (palace) leading to the Melaka Sultanate palace replica. Again, too bad it is not as famous as the A Famosa...

Just look at the number of people going through its gates to get up the hill...

Ah... And so the solid remains of Western colonialism stays on unshaken watching over the Malay lands...

Just look at the sight it commands. Just slightly over 10 years ago or so, I still remember the field seen in the picture as lying next to the beach and the Straits of Melaka. Now with the advent of time, plenty of land has been reclaimed to make way for development pushing up the shore by more than a kilometre further!

Inside the remains of the church of St. Paul, I took the chance to hang out the latest promotional poster for my "Berpetualang ke Aceh" book series...

There... Caught a potential fan already...

Here is the old bell tower of the church...

And here is a plaque explaining the history...

For a better read, you can right-click this picture and open it in another window...

I sit inside and spent some time breathing the air and feeling the aura and the atmosphere of this place...

Outside, I saw this statue of St. Paul. Frankly the first thought that came to my mind was to spit on it then bang it down with something but that would be hooliganism... Why am I so angry? Because I know it for a fact, this top of the hill was actually the spot where the original Melaka Sultanate palace was built. At the foothill was the main mosque and next to it was the royal cemetery. As a Malay Muslim (especially of old Malay royal descend), of course I feel angry knowing how this place was turned upside down so to make way for symbols of Western imperialism. So what happened then?

Well, I think plenty of historians (except those bigotted agents of Western thinking and puppets of colonialism) know that all symbols of Malay history was thorned down and rend asunder after the Portuguese managed to subdue the old Melaka city. Then, they need material to built their fort and guess what... The easiest way is to tear the Malay buildings including parts of the main mosque, palace, even tombstones and used to stones to built their fort. That should be enough reason to make me so angry... Angry too at St. Paul for being a symbol of that conquest and destruction of Malay values but I chose to be sane... Instead of defacing the statue in any way, I decided to pose along with my "Berpetualang ke Aceh" promotional poster!

Despite my early foul mood, I left the place on a brighter note. I might not be able to change history or replace the building up here with the original Malay palace but I still can try to tell as many people as possible the real significance of this place... That it is a reminder of Western imperialism and how strong its influence on the common mind once its fangs has set in... The warning and message. Don't fall into the trap once again! Enough...