Hidden Treasures

According to a local historian, Hassan bin Muhammad, the area used to be known as Rantau Panjang. Circa 1511, a Bendahara (Prime Minister) of Melaka (Malacca), Bendahara Tepok and his troops were retreating to Johor after the fall of Melaka to the invading Portuguese forces led by Alfonso de Albuquerque. The Bendahara and his troops stopped and rested by a river in the area and drank water from the river. After the drink, the Bendahara exclaimed, "Segar amat!", or "Very refreshing!" in Malay, and named the river Segar Amat, which over time evolved into Segamat. However, initially the name Segamat only applied to the river. The settlement which later became Segamat was originally called Rantau Panjang. The town assumed the river's name only at the turn of the 20th century. ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/

I was born in Johor but raised in KL. Therefore, ‘home’ is not really a definite concept for me. I can’t really call myself a KL-girl since Johor is my birthplace. Similarly, I can’t really call Johor my home since I’ve never lived there. Having lived in KL for more than 25 years, my parents decided to reside in Johor upon retiring. In 2002, they moved to Johor whereas I moved to my current place in Bangi. So, except for the monthly balik-kampong trip, I’ve never actually lived in Johor. And considering I now live in Bangi, I’d rather leave this home concept open. Sometimes I find myself assigning different meanings to home. Officially (as stated in my IC), I now live in Bangi, Johor is my hometown and KL is the place I grew up. Hmm. It can’t get more complicated than that.
A friend of mine recently remarked that I’m lucky to have a kampong to balik kampong to. That remark really made me ponder whether my kampong is a kampong, in every sense of the word. My mom’s place is located right in the heart of Segamat town, with modern facilities attached to it, surrounded thinly by bushes and secondary forests and swamps. A few schools are nearby. In fact, my mom’s place is located right at the back of Sekolah Dato Wan Idris – a primary school that has been around for ages. Occassionally, if it’s really quiet, we could hear the faint whoosh sound of the train speeding through the swampy land located at the back of the neighbourhood.
My balik kampong itinerary isn’t hard to plan or figure out. A typical, default-setting itinerary would include me staying in my room, catching up on my reading, packing on the calories (mom’s cooking always whets the appetite) and making trips to: my grandma's and aunt’s places, the soto place in Kg. Jawa, the kopitiam near the wet market, Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Giant and Jakel. Except for these places, I really didn’t know where else I could go to – Segamat, after all, is just a small town. It doesn’t even have a cinema.
During the long CNY break, I had another balik-kampong trip. I was excited of course, with the thought of meeting my mom and sis but not really enthusiastic with the itinerary, which is so predictable and routine. However, I was wrong. On the second day of my stay, my sis asked me to jog with her. I was skeptical cuz I thought she would bring me to the rock garden; one of the town’s few attractions. It is nice and what-not but I just dread the idea of jogging up the slopes. Instead, my sis brought me to this wonderful garden equipped with a jogging track which runs parallel to Segamat River. I forgot the name of the place but I was blown away. Majestic trees lined the track, leading to an almost complete playground at the end. I’m not sure how long the track is but I guess it must be more than 2 kms long. I was impressed by the garden’s sense of orderliness and its regular rows of shady trees. Segamat should be really proud of this civilized greenery. I enjoyed jogging here tremendously (actually I was walking more than jogging, hehe).

The two-lane jogging track

The next evening my sis brought me to a new kopitiam in town. My favourite kopitiam, Nanyang, was closed. I was devastasted since I’ve been craving for its out-of-this-world steamed bun. It’s so cheap – 80 cent per piece and it makes you ask for more every time you bite a piece. Anyway, this new kopitiam is called Anjung D’Pengkalan. It is located at the center of town, in one of the colonial buildings that lined the main road stretches, and it is run by Malays. I was impressed with this kopitiam. The owner has gone to great lengths to evoke nostalgia through its retro décor and songs and the fact that it is located in a colonial bulding adds to a true kopitiam experience. The food served was true to Johorean form (mee rebus johor, mee bandung muar and all that jazz) , and it wasn’t that pricy. A gem in the heart of town. Plus, it’s good to know that there are some Malays (in Segamat, for that matter) who have the extra sense to capitalize on the kopitiam business which, in Segamat, is clearly dominated by the Chinese. Bravo!

The (closed) Nan Yang Kopitiam

My niece @ Anjung d'Pengkalan

A couple of shops next to the kopitiam is an electrical shop, which my late grandma had been frequenting for ages. I didn’t know this until my mom mentioned it in passing. The shop has been around for many generations. In fact, my mom said, the people in the shop practically knew every one of my grandma’s progeny and they never fail to recall each and everyone’s name. I thought that was amazing!

My late grandma's favourite electrical shop

Another hidden treasure in my hometown is this spa that my sis brought me to. I forgot the name, maybe Putri something-something Spa. It belongs to a friend of my mom’s. I haven’t had a facial for weeks so I thought yeah, why not, I’d give it a try. I couldn’t believe my ears when the facial lady told me it cost RM30! My jaw slacked, and I swear that you could drive a truck through it! It was cheap with capital C!!! I normally pay about RM 120 for a facial in KL! With the same amount, I could get 4 facials in Segamat! Unbelievable! The products the lady used were local but the routine and length were similar to any other facial I’ve had. In fact, I think the facial lady did a great job with the face massage. I guess it’s not really the products that matter when you do a facial. It’s the massage. I was over the moon and so treated my mom to a facial. She was apprehensive at first but enjoyed it tremendously. I could tell.
So, my recent balik kampong trip was tremendous fun, and I am looking forward to the next trip. I never thought Segamat would have so many hidden treasures. They are not hidden physically, of course, just hidden from my faculties. Well, these treasures are now discovered and I wonder wether there are any other hidden treasures left waiting to be explored. Time will tell :-)