Visiting relatives in Perak .

Since my retirement I have always wanted to visit my relatives in Perak whom I have not met for many years . I realized that we are getting old and that we should renew our relationships at least before we part from this world . So last Saturday on 27th October 2007 early morning I and my wife left our home to go to Southern Perak . We stopped over in Sungai Besar town to have my favourite ' pecal ' and ' soto ' . After the meal I phoned my mother and asked her whether she would like to follow us to Teluk Intan and Bagan Datok . Surprisingly she answered in the affirmative . So , after picking her up in her house we proceeded to Teluk Intan .

We had some difficluties finding the house but after 2 or 3 inquiries finally we managed to locate it . It was a very decent house located in Kampong Padang Tembak , a few kilometers from Teluk Intan town . I was so happy to meet my cousin brother whom I have not seen for almost 40 years. We hugged each other and later we talked over our childhood days . He is about a year older than me . He had suffered from a stroke and was bedridden for almost a year . He went for therapy at the Teluk Intan Hospital 3 times a week since then and today he is able to walk again although his feet and left hand were not that strong any more . We remained in the house till about 12.20 pm. We then went to Teluk Intan town to have the so called famous the Teluk Intan ' mee rebus ' . After that we stopped by the town mosque to perform zohor prayers .

At about 2.30 pm. we came to Selekoh town ,a small town near Bagan Datok to visit another cousin by the name Baadin Ahmad , a retired Felda estate Manager . He was working in the Felda estates in Negeri Sembilan for many years before retiring in the kampong . He is now looking after his own oil palm plantation . There we also met an uncle who was about 80 years old . Later we came to a cousin sister's house nearby . She was already very old and almost senile . I did not know whether she recognised us . Selekoh town brought back memories to my childhood days .It was there that I had my primary school education before my family moved to Sabak Bernam .

On our way back to my kampong in Sg. Air Tawar , we stopped over a relative's house in Sabak Bernam . Here we met Hj.Abd.Latif a distant relative . He told me that he was already 74 years old and was getting weak . He was sad and cried infront of us . I told him not to worry so much because that could worsen his health .

As it was getting dark , we decided to put up a night in my mother's house .

The next morning we went to the grave of my late grand mother at Sungai Air Tawar. (That was the main reason of my coming back to the kampong ) . I recited the verse ' Alfatihah ' from the ' Alquran ' and the doa for her . I prayed to God that she be accepted among the faithfulls and be in Heaven . I was so touched and almost cried .

On our way home we stopped over in Sg.Lias ,Sunga Besar to visit an auntie who was also old and bedridden . She is the last of my late father's surviving sister . Unfortunately no one opened the door when we called . We had to leave the place although we suspected there was some one inside .

I was satisfied with the trip . We were able to meet the old relatives and God willing we hope we could visit them again next year's Hari Raya .