I came from Nibong Tebal, a small village in the state of Penang. People not familiar with Malaysia will inevitably conjure up the image of the small town in the world renowned island of Penang. I often have to explain that it is not on the island, but at Province Wellesley South (now called Seberang Perai) within Malaysia peninsula.
Before the construction of North-South Highway that links Ayer Hitam at northern tip of Malaysia to Singapore at the southern end, all vehicles from the south have to travel pass Nibong Tebal before reaching Penang Bridge or Penang Ferry Terminal. Now, travelers have to exit at Sungai Bakap (Jawi) if they want to visit Nibong Tebal.
It is a small town which still retains some of its rustic charm to date. The shop houses lining up along both sides of the main road remain almost unchanged since my early childhood days (>40 years ago). The two primary schools still remain at the same place, albeit having gone through some renovations. The obvious changes are that rubber plantations have gradually given way to new housing estates, and there are more eating places sprouting out in various corners of housing estates. The one and only cinema in town had been closed down during the heyday of video-cassettes recording, with many people hooked to the small TV screen watching Hong Kong Cantonese TV series.
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| Old residential houses that have been built since 50s |
In the 70s and early 80s, if you were to ask around for good places to eat, three choices would probably come out consistently - Chiang Kee Restaurant (offering meals during lunch./ dinner), food stalls at public square (offering only lunch and afternoon meals) and at basketball court next to the only cinema in town. My late father used to run one of the food stalls at the public square, dishing out fried noodles/kwayteow/ rice, wanton noodles, Hokkien noodles etc. The stall was a local favourite, with throng of customers queuing for their orders for up to 1 hours at time. I used to help out in the stall, serving food to the customers during school breaks. The rewards - a large plate of fried horfun, with sauce laced with eggs, specially prepared by my father, at the end of my work schedule.
I was pleasantly surprised when I found out Nibong Tebal has a new tourist attraction: Firefly Sightseeing at night. This was introduced over 5 years ago. You have to take a boat ride to a not so far away place, where the sparkling lights of fireflies can be seen scattered around the tree branches/leaves. The boat crew may even pull down the tree branches for you to have a close encounter of the fireflies; you may even catch them with your hands if you fancy. It is a trip worth taking, if you have not seen thousands of fireflies clustering together, lighting up the dark night before.
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| Ferry terminal for fireflies sightseeing excursion ...of course, you have to go there at night only |
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| Fishing village |
The One and Only Chinese Primary School in Town
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The School Hall .. it was build when I was in Primary 4, in the late 70s
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