The bridges across the Perak river at Kuala Kangsar

Peace be upon you all my dear readers. Today I'm going to start the supporting articles for a series on Perak recently started in the blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU. Come...

On the old trunk road from Kuala Kangsar to Ipoh lies an old bridge across the Perak river...

Known as the Iskandar bridge, it was built in the year 1928. Here's a view from the other side...



Some 7 km downriver nearer to the town of Kuala Kangsar lies the Sultan Abdul Jalil bridge...

Completed less than a decade ago, it connects the sub-urban area of Sayong to the fringe of Kuala Kangsar town.

A visit to the high waterfalls at Lata Kinjang

Something from my March 2010 picture files...

During the March school holidays, me and wife spontaneously decided to take our kids to the Lata Kinjang waterfalls...

At first we just wanted to take a drive towards Kuala Kubu Baru 40 km from our house. On the way we felt like going further to Tanjung Malim, just past the Perak-Selangor border. Upon arriving there we felt like hey... why not go on to Lata Kinjang were lies a very high series of waterfall? Although the place is 150 km away from our house the drive felt like a breeze and we practically arrived there in no time. Here's a number of Orang Asli (indigenous people) house which could seen towards the waterfalls.

The wife and kids posing at the lowest waterfall...

Oh, now I remember. That day, 13th March was when our baby Muhammad Al-Rasyid became 5-months old!

There, baby Al-Rasyid loves this place...

Just look at the other people enjoying it too...

As for me, it is customary to try the limits...

So I decided to climb up further. Thank God for the stairs...

Here's the second level of waterfalls...

I've circled the position of the first level relative from here...

Still there are upper reaches to explore...

So time to climb further on.

The third level in view...

One could see a suspension bridge going across higher...

Actually the bridge has been closed to public. But hey, I can't help exploring OK...

From the bridge one could see visitors enjoying the waters at what seemed to be the fourth level. Anyway, it is a level higher than the place I've mentioned as the third...

A look towards the lower levels. See the people having picnic? That is at the place I've marked as third level. Lower down towards the centre of the picture is the second. It's almost impossible to see the first level with the naked eye...

Yet Lata Kinjang still have higher waterfalls!

Too bad, the suspension bridge is the last and highest place with a clear path. If you want to go higher you have to do some serious jungle trekking. That's all...

Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh articles in full

Since the series "Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh" have been succesfully completed, it makes good sense to do a compilation of the links. Here I'd like to also add links to the stories running alongside in the blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU (which features video clips of this trip). Do enjoy it OK... :]

1. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Dari Perak bertukar ke Perlak...

2. Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : A sudden unexpected trip...

3. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Ke kompleks anak yatim Nurin di Lhoong

4. Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : A feeling of old Kedah... or rather, old Malay country before Western colonialists spoiled everything?

5. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Makam Syiah Kuala... dan makam Maharajalela Abdul Rahim...

6. Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : Enter the tomb of Syiah Kuala...

7. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Pemandangan kapal apung...

8. Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : The ship that got swept inland by the Tsunami of 2004

9. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Gunongan dan beberapa tempat bersejarah di Banda Aceh

10. Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : The historical sites at Banda Aceh

11. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Rombongan ke Perlak...

12. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Majlis Maulud di Masjid Nurun Niswah, Perlak

13. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Makam Sultan Saiyid Maulana Abdul Aziz Shah...

14. Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : Maulidur Rasul, the Ahlul Bait Sultan and a legacy from old Perlak

15. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Kuala Idi dan makam raja daerah sini...

16. Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : The kings of Idi

17. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Makam Sultan Malikus Saleh!

18. Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Kembali ke Banda Aceh, singgah ke Masjid Raya Baiturrahman

19. Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : Back to Banda Aceh

Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : Back to Banda Aceh

Saturday evening was a relaxing time as we waited for the convoy to mack the move back to Banda Aceh. Here's a view from inside our hotel in Idi, the dome of a nearby mosque in view...

Our baby Muhammad Al-Rasyid sprawling on the couch...

When he woke up we took him downstairs. Here's a pix of baby with mummy in front of a frame containing an artist's impression of the first four Caliphs of Islam, the best companions and deputies of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Here's a pix in front of our hotel.

We left Idi after Maghrib, that is around 7:30 pm or so. As our route to Banda Aceh passed-by Geudong, Lhokseumawe were lies the tomb of the pious king Sultan Malikus Saleh (deceased 1297 AD or so), we paid a visit. Here's our friends Haji Muzaffar and Puan Suzana in front of the tomb.

Later we stopped at Matang to enjoy its famous satay. If I remember correctly it was around 1 am then...

A distance after the town Bireuen we stopped and visited Makam Syahid Lapan, the tomb of the 8 martyrs who died under Dutch fire early 20th century.

Here's the last picture I took in this trip, when we stopped for breakfast at a place on the foot of Mount Seulawah. This place is more than 40 km away from Banda Aceh. But that is already near considering the fact that we started in Idi some 340 km further away.

That very afternoon we took the flight back to Malaysia. So this is the end of the "Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh" series. Cheers! :]

Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : The kings of Idi

Continuing the current series of my latest trip to Aceh end of February...

Saturday 27th 2010. After the Maulidur Rasul and tomb visit in Perlak we're back in Idi where our hotel lies. The hotel happened to be only 1 km or so from Kuala Idi, the mouth of the Idi river. So we decided to have a look around...

It was at Kuala Idi that we met some locals who told us of the existence of the tomb of the king of Idi. As the tomb is less than 5 km away, we decided to check it out next...

The king of Idi was a local ruler who served under the Sultan of Aceh. Such local rulers were called Ampon Sheikh each being overlord of their own private domains. So we were at the tomb or rather tombs of the Ampon Sheikhs of Idi (there's a number of them buried here I was told). Have a look at the article Makam (tomb of) Ampon Sheikh Idi made in the blogspot SENI LAMA MELAYU (MALAY OLDEN ART) just now.

Next to the tomb lies this house...

It belongs to some family members of the Ampon Sheikh of Idi. Although officially they have been stripped from their regal position the family are still respected and revered by locals.



Part of the door of this house are carvings which used to formed the old Idi palace...

The palace used to lie on this part of land behind this house. Hmm... my wife and baby seemed to be present in every shot. What can I say? I love and adore them very much.

If I'm not mistaken this is the actual site of the palace.

Further behind lies remnants of the old concrete gate that one has to go through to enter the palace grounds.

Here's the house and tomb area in perspective to the site of the palace...

And here's the wife, baby and our driver just outside the gates...

Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : Maulidur Rasul, the Ahlul Bait Sultan and a legacy from old Perlak

Soon came the time to go to Perlak, the actual place where we intend to celebrate the Maulidur Rasul or Prophet Muhammad SAW's birthday. This place lies eight hours away by road from Banda Aceh. Continued from the article Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : The historical sites at Banda Aceh.

In the article The Aceh connection... made more than a month ago I've shown the picture above without making any explanation. Now let me tell you all dear readers this... the carvings seen with sharp points jutting out of every corner represent something from a bygone era of Aceh. While one is hardpressed to find such carvings at any present house or building in Aceh in this modern times, it is quite common at some old wooden infrastructures in Perak, Malaysia. When I first noticed such carvings in Perak while looking up my roots which led to Aceh, my heart tells me that it did originated from Aceh. But my trips to that part of the world in January 2004, June 2009 and January 2010 failed to offer any evidence...

The funny thing is I finally found this carving in my latest trip to Aceh at the end of February 2010, a trip made to celebrate the Maulidur Rasul (Prophet Muhammad SAW's) birthday in Perlak, an area which used to be the centre of the first Islamic kingdom in the Malay Archipelago ruled by an Ahlul Bait (the Prophet's descendant) since some 1,200 years ago...

What happened was on Thursday night we left Banda Aceh for Perlak. Since Perlak is now a small 'cowboy' town, we could only find proper lodging at Idi some 25 km north of Perlak. That's where we stayed, at a hotel called Bandar Khalifah which used to be the name of the central city of old Perlak. Friday morning as we waited for our convoy to get to the celebrations in Perlak, me, wife and baby stepped out of the hotel grounds and saw the carvings. A local then told us the carvings represented an era from old Perlak where similar carvings used to grace houses and buildings just like the ones I've seen in Perak!

Anyway soon we went to Perlak and arrived at the mosque of Nurun Niswah which was newly opened for the Maulidur Rasul celebration. While this is the main reason this trip to Aceh was made I won't elaborate much. Instead you can have a look at the video clips featured in the article Maulidur Rasul di Aceh : Majlis Maulud di Masjid Nurun Niswah, Perlak made in the Malay blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU.

You see, frankly I was more excited at what's to come next, a visit to a certain tomb in a Perlak rural area just about 10 km or more from the mosque. Oh, posing in the picture is our friend Haji Muzaffar (left) and the young Imam (congregational prayer leader) of Banda Aceh's Baiturrahman mosque who followed us to Perlak. Funnily, they looked like they have been superimposed... must be due to combination of colours I guess...


The tomb belongs to Sultan Sayyid Maulana Abdul Aziz Shah whom I have mentioned earlier. Here's my wife and our baby posing in front of the tomb...

As for me, I just can't resist putting my red sash around the tombstone. No prize for guessing what the red sash is meant for. Those who know would just smile in understanding. That's all regarding Perlak... :]