Ramadan from 23.3.23

It's Thursday 23.3.2023, a nice date to remember.  That's First of Ramadan, 1444 Hijriah. It's my 79th. fasting month. And I'd returned from Mecca and Madinah  11 days ago. And that was 40 years after my first trip to the Holy Sites. Time moves on.

There was some free time yesterday, and Idah wanted some "gula anau" (palm sugar) for the fasting month. This is the genuine one, not the adulterated one mixed with cane sugar. The taste is different. The "ori" (one more English-origin word for the Malay vocabulary) has an aromatic smell and a pleasant sweetness. Kuala Pilah, in particular Padang Lebar and Juasseh, are the localities where people are still harvesting the palm "anau" fruits to make the delicacy. So for this I braved the feared Seremban-KP traffic.

This last day before fasting we call "bantai day". It's when you get fresh beef from cattle or buffalo slaughtered for exactly this pre-puasa day. Usually we make beef soup, so the bones are much sought. I managed to get the 2 last rib-bones at the Stadium Paroi "pasar tani".  They were slightly more than 2 kilos, and cost me RM93.  I contained my shock. 93 for some bones with bits of tattered meat ? That was in the morning.

After a quick lunch we all bundled into my 17-year-old Honda Accord, Idah and the 4 grandchildren. As I said, I was braving myself for the notorious trip to KP. Nowadays I wouldn't do it without a life-or-death reason.

Up to Bukit Putus the road was surprisingly clear. Last Sunday it was jammed up because of an accident between a tanker and a car. I said this is a pleasant surprise, and sped happily until I reached Kg. Ibol, about 8 km from KP. We caught up with an almost standstill line.

Fortunately we only suffered until just past Tanjung Ipoh town, 6 km from KP. A large crane huddled half of the road, clearing some large tree-debris, turning that portion into a one-way tarck. No wonder ! But we'd meet the same thing coming back, I said. Happily, no. It was clear.

We managed to get the "ori" gula anau from the regular supplier at "pasar lambak" KP. Again I got a price-shock here. One "turus" (about 4 round pieces of the dried sugar) cost me RM 18. Idah needed 4 turus, so the girl vendor took RM 70. "I give uncle discount-lah" Of RM 2. They used to cost RM 7, I remember.

Idah wanted to drop of some gifts from Mecca for my 3 sisters in the family house in Tebat Kering. I got another shock that was totally unexpected. The 100-m village road from the main road to the house was blocked by 2 rows of cars coming out of the Chinese school in front of the house. By right they should only take up their side of the road, on the left. Being Malaysian drivers, they happily ignored the need of others and took up the route for the opposite direction. Being Malaysian myself, I just forged ahead and the offending line was forced to veer to its left to make way for me coming in.

I didn't want to stop and rest a bit, upon reaching the house finally. Idah got out and passed the stuff to my 3 sisters. They hugged her, but just waved at me behind the steering wheel, still fuming at the just-fought traffic. As I said the return trip was without mishap, and we reached home about 4.30 p.m.

And today is the first of Ramadan.

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