Paloh Trip #2 - Rain, Temple, Church, Well, Dogs, TV & Poison.

Our drive took us to the most popular Chinese temple in Paloh. We did not stop to go in for a look for we only has that short evening to see the whole town and already the gray sky was getting grayer by the minutes. We peeped through the moon gate into a clean and well kept interior. This temple is especially popular during the Chinese New Year when residents from afar will make a pilgrimage and thronged into here for New Year blessings.

This is the front of the temple and the main gate way into the compound. Note the church next to the temple. This is the beauty of Malaysian culture. Go into any reasonable size town in Malaysia and you will find Chinese and Indian temples, churches and mosques reflecting the multi-cultural and multi-religious mix of the population. With a bit more tolerance, this could be the showcase to the world.

A stone lion guarding the gate. For those who have read my post on Sultan Abdul Aziz Gallery, you will know by now whether this is a male or female lion.

A sunken stone cross cast into the cement in the front of the church next door

Love this spiky plant at the front of the church that is reaching for the sky.

There are a lot of dogs in Paloh but they were quite tame and did not simply barked when we drove slowly by. I have a strong dislike for noisy barking dog but love the gentle ones. This white dog (later I also came across a completely black one) got up from its lying position and stretched itself. It then walked over to our car and peered longingly through the window. I was sure it would have sniffed me in embarrassing places if I was out in the open.

Don’t underestimate this unassuming looking well for it was the only source of water and savior of the town in severe drought when the pipes run dry. The villagers will come here to draw water. Saw the excavator in the background. There were at least five dogs seeking shelter from the rain under it.

I took a look into the well and it was not crystal clear for sure; with mosses, lichens and ferns growing on the side. But I guess when there is no water at all, this too will look appealing.

The evening deepened further as we drove into town. This was the older section of the town with wooden buildings and zinc roofs. Noticed that the TV antennae are even taller than the houses. This is to enable them to catch receptions from Singapore. Did not know that they can catch the TV shows this far north. See the totally black dog in the picture looking like a panther in the failing light.

We passed by this shop advertising Anchor and Tiger beer on the top and poison with the skull and the word “RACUN” (poison) prominently displaced on the door. How inappropriate or appropriate according to your point of view. In the next post, you'll see the rest of the town and the famous Paloh Police Station.

To be continued...

Trip To Yong Peng #2 - Then Eng Hin Chinese Biscuits.

We decided to drop into this shop (Eng Hin) selling traditional Chinese biscuits and cakes for my colleague to take home. It is mooncake season. I had bought a box of mooncake to take with me so I’m okay. Anyway I stepped in to have a look.

There were many varieties of oriental biscuits available for sales.

Freshly baked aromatic biscuits are arranged in a circular pattern in a large round rattan basket. The white pieces in the picture had not yet been baked. The little boy is playing with the Teo Chew mooncake stamping machine. Teo Chew mooncake is actually a biscuit which is quite different from the usual types of mooncake sold during this period. Watch out for your hand, kid.

These workers who are family members are transferring the filled dough onto the baking pans for baking in the gas fired oven. Baking only takes a few minutes.

These are how the looked like baked. They may not be very pretty looking but quite tasty. The fillings are groundnut paste that is sweet and slightly savory. They have a short shelf life and are generally eaten fresh not longer than a day.

This is a different variety topped with sesame seeds giving it an additional flavor.

The workers were a little suspicious of me clicking away with my camera. The owner came out and asked me why I was taking the photos. I gave him my sweetest smile and engaged in conversation of the production of his oh so delicious biscuits. He then invited me to the back of the shop which is his production area. He also made wet noodles for sales. We discussed on the qualities of flour for producing the various products. He told me a familiar story of first generation Malaysian Chinese who migrated from China with nothing but the shirt on his back and successfully build up a thriving business.

We bought the biscuits we wanted when her pregnant daughter-in-law stopped us just as we were about to depart. She insisted on presenting a box of Teo Chew mooncake for our journey. What nice people you find in small towns.