On the way back to the airport we were caught in a bad traffic jam and the car was practically at a standstill inching its way forward amid the dust and the heat. It offered me the chances to take a few more photos.
Once the vehicles slowed anywhere in the highways, they came out from the woodworks. They carried their wares hawking them from vehicle to vehicle. Anything from newspapers, magazines, drinks, snacks, daily wares etc. This is a tough life eking out a living amid the heat, dust, fatigue, monotone, disappointment and hazards. Each day is a struggle and if you don't work that day, there is no income.
If you look at their facial features, there are some similarities. It is their steely eyes, their solemn yet determined expression that enables them to bear the hardship. Their options are few. They and their family need to be fed. They have to do whatever necessary to survive. For such men, you can see a common stoic look that stared at hardship with resignation but not defeat. They suffer but they would not break. It is not a pretty sight. We can choose to look away and pretend we do not see. Can we?
Our car passed by this ramshackle hut that is like many common eateries for the poor. The most common food for them besides instant noodles is “Nasi Padang” which is the Indonesian version of economy rice. They are basically pre-cooked vegetables, meat and seafood cooked with lot of spices and curries. Every shop has a very wide range of varieties and they go well with rice. You pay only what you eat. Thank God for spices and curries that can make even the most basic food palatable. They pamper the rich but they sustain the poor.
The front of the eatery was shared with a basic sundry shop selling mainly edibles. Despite its dilapidated state, it even has a bench for its customers. How many Malaysian shops except those in the village provide such a service?
The reason for the jam is that they are laying pipes on this section of the road – how like Malaysia, isn’t it? This picture is of one worker welding the pipe and the other squatting behind him. He is probably on his break waiting his turn. But where can he to go and what can he do with vehicles trundling by both sides and it is too exorbitant to while away his time in a coffee shop? So he squat behind his mate and looked at vehicles passing by seemingly oblivious to the heat, noise and dust. This is their life. And it is a hard one. Count our blessings.
Once the vehicles slowed anywhere in the highways, they came out from the woodworks. They carried their wares hawking them from vehicle to vehicle. Anything from newspapers, magazines, drinks, snacks, daily wares etc. This is a tough life eking out a living amid the heat, dust, fatigue, monotone, disappointment and hazards. Each day is a struggle and if you don't work that day, there is no income.
If you look at their facial features, there are some similarities. It is their steely eyes, their solemn yet determined expression that enables them to bear the hardship. Their options are few. They and their family need to be fed. They have to do whatever necessary to survive. For such men, you can see a common stoic look that stared at hardship with resignation but not defeat. They suffer but they would not break. It is not a pretty sight. We can choose to look away and pretend we do not see. Can we?
Our car passed by this ramshackle hut that is like many common eateries for the poor. The most common food for them besides instant noodles is “Nasi Padang” which is the Indonesian version of economy rice. They are basically pre-cooked vegetables, meat and seafood cooked with lot of spices and curries. Every shop has a very wide range of varieties and they go well with rice. You pay only what you eat. Thank God for spices and curries that can make even the most basic food palatable. They pamper the rich but they sustain the poor.
The front of the eatery was shared with a basic sundry shop selling mainly edibles. Despite its dilapidated state, it even has a bench for its customers. How many Malaysian shops except those in the village provide such a service?
The reason for the jam is that they are laying pipes on this section of the road – how like Malaysia, isn’t it? This picture is of one worker welding the pipe and the other squatting behind him. He is probably on his break waiting his turn. But where can he to go and what can he do with vehicles trundling by both sides and it is too exorbitant to while away his time in a coffee shop? So he squat behind his mate and looked at vehicles passing by seemingly oblivious to the heat, noise and dust. This is their life. And it is a hard one. Count our blessings.
No comments:
Post a Comment