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| Aunties in a photo memento at Sultan Ismail Building |
While the Legoland theme park is the main destination for the children and grandchildren, she wondered what the older folks should do that day as they were not keen to join the youngsters. When she approached me for advice on what to do with her senior family members, I was warned that the oldest is aged 82 and some of them are not able to walk too much.
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| A section of the Heritage Gallery at Dataran Mahkota |
I’m all for tailor-made tours that meet with the tastes and requirements of the
specific group and by understanding the guests’ needs, I considered a few
destinations to plan their route for a day trip.
Bearing in mind the monsoon
weather, travel distances and the attractions I had in mind to introduce to
them, I decided on a leisurely itinerary to show them the best of the old and
new in JB. The planning was considerably easy as our guests – uncles and
aunties – are within an age group who are able to relate to the beauty and rich
heritage of a bygone era.
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| Entrance is free-of-charge to the Siar Jauhar Gallery |
On the day of our tour, the weather cooperated with cloudy skies and occasional
bright sunshine as we set off at about 10am from the resort where they were
staying. Eleven of us travelled in two
cars and headed to Kota Iskandar through new expressways in Nusajaya with a
drive for a peek at Puteri Harbour and Legoland Malaysia
Now they can say
that they have seen Legoland and those who came from Kuala Lumpur
 |
| Cheng Chee Tong, secretary of JB Kwong Siew Wai Kuan, giving us a guided tour of the JB Kwong Siew Heritage Gallery at Jalan Siu Nam |
Our first stop was
the Heritage Gallery that borders Dataran
Mahkota where they could also admire the facade of the impressive Bangunan Dato Jaafar Muhammad on one
side and the Bangunan Sultan Ismail
located directly opposite.
This outdoor gallery has a series
of wall plaques inscribed with information shared in three languages – Jawi, Malay,
and English – that charts the history of Johor to our modern age. I
reminded our guests to start reading in chronological order from the left to
right to better appreciate the comprehensive info arranged on the wall.
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| Freshly baked coconut bun from Hiap Joo's traditional charcoal bakery |
It was good to cool down in the shelter of Bangunan Sultan Ismail where the
seniors took their time to walk up the gentle path into
Siar Jauhar Gallery.
One of Florence
Meanwhile everyone
enjoyed viewing the interesting and informative displays in the gallery that
included details on Johor's political and social progress, historical relics
and Johor’s unique heritage that influenced the architectural design of the
buildings in Kota Iskandar.
Before
heading to the old town in the heart of the city, we had lunch at a modern kopitiam in Bukit Indah. At our next stop our guests, who are
Cantonese, were delighted to discover their ancestral origins from a map of the
various counties in Kwangtung
Province
 |
| Refreshment stop at Kim Wah kopitiam |
Cheng
Chee Tong, secretary of the Johor Baru Kwong Siew Wai Kuan, was on hand to give
us a guided tour of this museum and when I saw several interesting artifacts in
their priceless collection of memorabilia, I made a mental note to visit the
gallery again for more in-depth insights into the cultural heritage of the
Cantonese clan in Johor Baru.
A visit to Johor Baru is not complete without a trip to the
Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk and our guests were thrilled to observe the
traditional art of baking in a charcoal oven at Kedai Kek & Roti Hiap Joo,
a family business that still produces piping hot products from their ancient
oven.
 |
| The seniors climbed three flights of stairs in the JB Chinese Heritage Museum to view a special exhibit |
The tiny space in the bakery was
crowded with shoppers and curious tourists like us but no one left empty-handed
because Hiap Joo’s freshly-baked banana cake and stuffed buns are simply
irresistible. It was then timely to sit
down on the shady pavement of Kim Wah, a traditional kopitiam situated opposite the bakery, to savour these traditional
pastries with a hot cup of coffee or teh-see,
a favourite beverage brewed with evaporated milk.
Rested and rejuvenated by the tea break, we strolled along
the heritage walk to the JB Chinese Heritage Museum where our senior guests
took their time to climb three flights of stairs to explore the museum, all the
way to the top level, for a special exhibit on the Ngee Heng clan.
I explained how Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim
encouraged the Chinese in Singapore
to move into Johor to open fresh land for new plantations and the introduction
of the kangchu or River Lord system
to establish pepper and gambier plantations in areas along the rivers. These economic crops gained a place of honour
in Johor history and today, this motif with intertwined sprigs of pepper and
gambier plants is widely used in various structures like lampposts and
signboards throughout the state.
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| Our satisfied visitors to JB, at the JB Chinese Heritage Museum, at the end of the day tour |
It was my privilege to enhance their visit with historical
references and interesting anecdotes as I showed our guests the new development
in Kota Iskandar and linked it back to the heritage in the heart of the old
town. On their part, the seniors did
well by walking the heritage trails, re-discovering old and vanishing trades as
well as reminiscing on the early immigrant’s way of life. One thing for sure, exploring the best of old
and new in JB was an enriching experience not just for our guests but also for
Florence and I.
A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Johor Streets on 10 January 2013
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