Old House - but not in the Prairie

Sometimes he wondered how an object can be a gateway to the subconscious mind to wonder to the things of the past, or imagine things of the future. There is no particular time that would take place. There is no particular weather pattern either. But he became aware that he sees things differently when the sun is bright and the sky is blue. The same thing seems to invoke different images and memories, depending on the time of the day.
That was what happened one morning many years ago when he drove to work. That old house, seemingly under continuous construction, tucked in the midst of tall trees and well kept bushes, on the swampy side of the winding road was erected only a few months back. There seemed to be a lot of activities around it, but changes or progress were not noticeable.
That old house brings back memories of the one in which he spent his childhood years - that must have been many decades ago. That isolated, lone house at his village or kampung. It's no longer there. Being abandoned uninhabited for many years termites feasted on it. Once upon a time, it stood strong in the remoteness of the area, in the serene silence of the surrounding of rows of oil palm and rubber trees. Occasionally, rubber tree seeds pop up in mid-air to hit the zinc roof before recoiling to the ground.
A single track of about 500-meter dirt road connects it to the main thoroughfare. That track is much more improved now many times over compared to the times when he had to leave his car by the main road and walk that 500 meter to the house. It even has a name now. But the place is still as desolate as it once was and the real reason for visiting it has long gone.

Discovery...

Being away in the jungle gives an opportunity to discover yourselves. Going alone, however, can invite danger. When accompanied by others, preferably those familiar with the area, one can sort of put aside the thinking about general safety - the place to venture into and the place to avoid - and concentrate on personal safety.
Nakamora has been in the jungle fairly often. he felt the difference. It is a different world altogether. Peaceful. Only the birds are making noises - beautiful, soothing noise. Occasionally the monkeys chip in too. This is the place where money is valued less, or not much at all. The currency in the jungle is trust, and respect. Respect the animal, and they won't be mad at you. Interact with trust with the aborigines, and they will trust you. Betray their trust and forever you will not be trusted anymore.

Traveling Back In Time...

Ramadhan officially ended in Malaysia, and most countries in this region on Tuesday, which is the end of September. Wednesday, October first is also 1 Syawal 1429, the first day of Eid Mubarak for Malaysia, and most countries in the region. Nakamora was told by a friend that Austria celebrated Eid a day earlier.
As usual there are many of people doing the same thing at the same time. Thus major shopping districts in Kuala Lumpur were flooded with crowds of shoppers at the weekend before and a few days before the end of September in preparation for the Eid. Monday and Tuesday saw traffic build-up in major highways leading to kampungs (villages). "Balik kampung" or returning to the village to meet folks and elders still residing there,the familiar annually recurring event, is here again. It is an opportunity to renew contacts, to touch-base, to meet relatives and friends, to revisit the roots, to keep up with the latest there, as it were.
Idyllic villages transformed overnight to bustling, instant towns.
Nakamora too spent the holiday in villages. Some do not have much differences from what he saw daily in Kuala Lumpur. Kids glued to TV screens, computer monitors, or little screen of the handsets - trading short text messages, multimedia files, or exchanging MP3 tunes. In a particular village in Jerteh, Terengganu, however, he saw a different sight. A sight that he has not seen for a very long time - a sight that reminds him of his childhood days. Those kids really have a good time looking for fish in the mud.
They don't seem to bother about baju raya' - new clothes to be worn on that special day, or about collecting 'duit raya.' It was only the third Syawal. Most kids would still be making the rounds collecting 'duit raya'. Probably they have already done so. After all, in a kampung like this there may not be that many 'duit raya' that can be expected - not as many as their catch, may be.
If it was not for the lack of proper clothing to replace the ones he had on Nakamora would have joined them too. The mud looks smooth. A tourist from Europe or somewhere staying at a homestay may jump right in. Mud is good for the skin, and most of them are crazy about it..