We were hosted by the owner of Impiana,
a new residential community. This is the
clubhouse, and the members are here waiting
to receive us, with Kelantanese delicacies
all laid out for tea.
I forgot if the enclosed is tapai or kueh,
Judging from the leaf, most likely
tapai, fermented glutinous rice.
Tapai!
This is a nice savoury kueh.
We were shown to our chalets where we rested
awhile. After refreshing ourselves, we got ready
for a ride out to dinner in town at Piz Waf Cafe
Freshly julienned greens to go with the laksa
Mix your own.
We mixed up our Kao Jam with Laksam
sauces, noodles, vegetables, spices . . .
which goes where?
my Laksam, mismatched to wrong sauce.
Creamy fish broth Laksam sauce with
a confusion of herbal rice and kerabu.
Wrong match again.
But EVERYTHING is delicious anyway!
Here is the clever Madame chef!
Her husband is smiling from behind too.
Eh, I want to rasa this juice la.
We were honoured to be invited to the Peranakan
house that's newly turned into a gallery. Here is
a book documenting the Peranakan Kelante.
The original house
Model of a Peranakan Kelante home
Feels like my chor chor house in Larut Road, Ipoh.
Old photographs were laid on the table.
Some showed the ladies in Kebaya kot (coat).
The wooden partition separates rooms
Signing the visitor book
It was pretty late, and we had to leave
for the next programme they have set
out for us - a wayang kulit performed
by a famous Peranakan Tok Dalang
After some misadventures on the bus,
I hopped off the stranded bus and onto
a motorcycle to continue my journey into
a kampong in pitch darkness . . . the rest
of the less adventurous walked. . .
The road was too narrow for the bus to
go any further. Besides, a coconut tree
in the way. The narrow kampong road in
the pitch darkness does not allow the bus
room to manouver, or even turn around.
Note this young child having a hand
at manipulating the shadow puppets
The tok dalang is the one seated behind.
This wayang Julia is about . . . us!
It was an impromptu dialog. The prince
is purportedly questioning his minions as
to the qualification of the bus driver who
got the bus stuck in a kampong.
the villages enjoy an evening performance
the Baba nyonyas enjoy the on-the-spot
dialog and story about our misadventures.
Actually, we can hardly understand the
dialog, as kelantanese Malay is hard to
decipher.
"How come such a boo boo happened!"
"The nyonyas in their pretty sarong kebayas
had to hike in the dark though the kampong!
Bring me the bus driver!"
"Look at the condition of this poor nyonya!"
"Her hair is awry, and the heel of her
kasut Manik is lost in the banana plantation!"
They fed us some more sweets
and cakes, and home made 'Coke'.
OK, it was some fizzy orange drink
that's absolutely cool, refreshing and
delicious.
The Dikir Barat boys
Very rousing, energetic show
With Tok Dalang
President of Peranakan Kelantan,
and his right hand man.
After the wayang kulit shadow puppets,
they kindly prepared a convoy of cars
and trucks to send us back to the stranded bus.
They took so much trouble to plan a lovely
evening for us; dinner, museum visit, wayang
kulit shadow puppets, Dikir Barat. So any people
participated to make our visit special. How kind!
Whizzing along the kampong road.
And finally, boarding our bus that has
managed to turn around. What a night!
20 July 2017