Nostalgic turn

DH took a 45 minute copper ride to KT's airport from FSO Puteri Dulang on Friday so he was already at my parent's house by around 5pm. At first we wanted to head back to KL on Saturday but Liya had extracuricullar on Saturday so we pushed it to Sunday instead.

Feeling a bit nostalgic, DH took a turn out of the highway in Tangkak and headed off to Jasin.

Reason for this is because DH used to attend MRSM Jasin.

I was actually more interested in looking at the traditional Malacca houses along the old kampung road.

"Architecturally resplendent and signature to Malacca's 19th century artistic style. Built by a Chieftain, intricate wood carving forms the unique facade as well as the interior section of the house"

My late maternal grandfather was a craftsman so hence the interest is deep in my vains.

Similarity that most of these housese share are the large exterior atic, artistically carved wooden exterior and the tiled stair case.

I personally was looking for the nicely tiled staircases I've seen on the web, like this one below :

photo by anilezfa

But the ones in Jasin do have but not so intricate and some are old houses leaving to rot (how sad)

My mother said the large exterior atic was to keep young virgin maidens of the house secured from praying eyes of men who came to visit the family. I am not at all suprised then when I was young mum always asked me to go to my room whenever there was a visitor in the house especially men :P

Even mosques along the road in Jasin where of Southeast Asian influence instead of the rectangular or hexagonal plan as in the case of most Middle Eastern mosques. An arcaded verandah wraps around the prayer hall, and held up by corinthian columns. It has an appearance similar to a Chinese pagoda or stupa form.

Mohamad Tajuddin Haji Mohamad Rasdi writes this in his book The architectural heritage of the Malay world

"...possesses the distinctive Chinese pagoda-like pyramid-tiered roof form.."

He refers to on of the oldest mosque which is located in Malacca - The Kampung Hulu Mosque. Buiilt by the late Datuk Shamsuddin, he was the son of the late Malay Captain appoited by the Dutch. The Malay Captain or Kapitan Melayu was actually a chinese man born in mainland China.

The story goes, this Kapitan as shipwrecked and taken cared by a Malay muad'dhin. The Kapitan later on married the daughter of the Malay muad'dhin. Not only did this Kapitan established himself as a successful businessman, he was also quite religious. It was his son that built this month which was said to worth half a million ringgit.

Another thing that facinated me along the way was rambutan trees in every household compound. They decorated the journey in bright amber, red and yellow. Suprising no one was in a hurry to pick them of the trees scared that someone else might.