Reflections

This book has been written by a veteran Malaysian journalist Wam Hulaimi who initially wrote it as a blog under the name Awang Goneng. I had seen a review of this book in one of the newsletters here, but it was only when I got my hands to the book that I realized what a gem it is. The blog is here: http://kecek-kecek.blogspot.com/ The writer was born and brought up in Terengganu, a state in the eastern Coast of Malaysia. Even today it is known for its laid back atmosphere, the lovely beaches and the Islamic fervor of the population. Incidentally their football term recently won the Federal Cup just across the road from where I live at the Bukit Jalil stadium. I have visited Kuala Terengganu, the capital sometime back. I wrote about it as well, you can check it out here. http://akdcts.blogspot.com/2010/02/kuala-terengannu.html This book is something else. Written as series of small essays, it covers all aspects of the Terengganu of the author’s childhood, reminding us of the people...

It was already dark as the plane took off from Kuala Lumpur on the way to Kuala Terengannu. KT is on the East coast of Malaysia, lying abreast the South China Sea. The name carries many romantic connotations. To me it conjures up an image of Chinese junks carrying the produce of the Middle Kingdom traversing the South China Sea to the Spice Islands in the South for thousands of years and acting as the highway from China to their trysts with Indian merchants travelling across the Bay of Bengal to meet them in the Indonesian Archipelago or the Malaysian peninsula.. Kuala Terengganu is the capital of a small state of Terengganu. It was founded by Chinese merchants coming to the Malay Peninsula to trade. Originally a Hindu state, it was the first area in the peninsula to accept Islam. The Malacca empire was its overlord in medieval times, but in the eighteenth century Terengganu became a separate Sultanate. This Sultanate was ruled by Siam for some time before the British made it part of...