I had the weirdest memories of KL when I was small. To me, KL was my kampung. A place where I go to during my school holidays. I have lived in Kampar all my life, right up till after I graduated from university. I was born in Kampar Chinese Maternity Clinic, but spent my initial 7 years of my life in Mambang Diawan, my paternal grandparent’s place, barely 20 minutes away by bus. We only moved out to Kampar when my brother and I started schooling in Kampar. We still go back to Mambang Diawan every Chinese New Year, until my grandparents passed away back in year 2000.
Although my mother grew up in Kampar, her family has moved to KL for as long as I can remember. All my uncles, aunties and grandma (mother’s side) has been residing there for more than 20 years. Whenever we get the chance to go to KL, which was most likely during the school holidays, we would be thrilled! We seldom see them, because of the distance.
My grandma’s place is located in a setinggan area in Taman Maluri, near Jusco Maluri. There was no proper water facility, no electricity, no proper sewerage system. Yes, that means that when we need to go, we do it on top of a water pond behind the house! I can still remember the smell of kerosene at night, because they will be lighting it with those pressure burners, the ones that you can see in pasar malam sometimes. There was also a tv, yes, a very small black and white tv that got its electricity from a car battery! And when we sleep, we need to sleep in a mosquito net! After all, the entire place is a swampy area! Tall bushes, unkept grasses and muddy terrain covered the entire house! A far cry from the ‘city’ of Kampar that I lived in!
My relatives still stay in that place. The DBKL threathened to tear down their house a few times, but every time, they managed to stop them with duit-kopi. A lot of other houses has gone since then, to make way for the Star LRT track that spans between the Maluri and the Pandan Jaya station. Electricity and water has finally been connected, although I do not know if it was legal! They have sold off one of the houses, because my grandma died. My auntie still stays there with her 4 sons. Although they have bought a house in Pusat Bandar Putra Permai, just behind my house, they still chose to live there, because it’s so near to KL city, where they sell their famous Chee Cheong Fun everyday. There is also a food court nearby, and some new townhouses, but development can’t eat into their land. That’s because they are directly underneath a huge electric tower, so they are quite safe from eviction, for now.
Have a look at this magical place! You can see from the picture below, the road is now much better. It used to be muddy, uneven and full of pot holes.
Electric lines just above their house! This turns out to be a blessing in disguise, otherwise their house would have been torn down years ago! You can see the new developments just beyond the walls.
That’s my old car with my mom talking with my auntie.
