Most of the shops in Kluang have the year they were built painted on the top, as seen in these shops along Jalan Ismail |
It all started with our Big Birthday Bash
class reunion two years ago. After having
left Convent Johor Baru for many years, we reconnected again and because of our
common interest to explore local sites, we made plans for day trips in and
around Johor Baru. My friends may be
well travelled but I’m glad they have a keen interest to see some sites in our
own backyard.
Kluang's coffeeshop culture is aptly depicted in this wall mural |
Maybe all the reminiscing about bygone
days at our class reunion has sparked off a nostalgic quest to explore and have
some fun together. So with our feet shod in good walking
shoes, we set off in a car pool for weekend walkabouts on two separate
weekends, first to Kluang and then to Kukup.
Generations of Kluang folks grew up playing on this slide in the Merdeka Park playground |
After we exit the toll to turn to
Kluang, we see new shops nearby that stock a wide range of ceramic pottery
along with cane, fabric products and other souvenirs. This may be the spillover of traders from the
original market centre in Ayer Hitam. It
also reminds us that Kluang is irrevocably linked to Macap and Ayer Hitam for
the quality ceramic pottery and tiles produced under renowned brands like
Malaysian Mosaics, Guocera and Claytan.
Check out this multi-lingual sign! |
From the railway
station, we walk along Jalan Dato Syed Abdul Kadir to Taman Merdeka, the park
where generations of Kluang folks must have enjoyed the playground. Old fashioned concrete benches line the edge
of the park at intervals and we can see how the back rests are inscribed with
the town council logo and the name of each bench’s sponsor or the UMNO logo and
words that commemorate the organization’s Silver Jubilee in 1985. In the adjacent Dewan Jubli Intan Sultan
Ibrahim, we see a tall structure with a square space, believed to be designed for
a clock but to this day, no clock was ever installed!
A section of Jalan Station, Kluang |
Living Heritage
Shops along Jalan Station were built
around the 1920s when the railway station started to transport goods to and
from Kluang. But since the 1970s, businesses
here turned predominantly Indian and that’s probably why our presence in their
shops gives the merchants some amusement.
This is Kluang’s Little India with garment, jewellery, provision shops,
stalls for fruits, flower garlands, fresh meat and goat’s milk, restaurants and
even a toddy shop!
From this signboard, we can see that this business is well established because its original telephone number only has three digits! |
Goh Tian Hock, Executive Director of Cap Televisyen Kluang Coffee Powder |
Before we leave Kluang, there is just
one more stop to look at street art in the lane behind one of the town’s main
roads, Jalan Dato Teoh Siew Khor. As we
admire the wall murals, two obvious themes that emerge are Kluang’s coffeeshop
culture and the creative ways the bat is illustrated in various drawings. It is very encouraging to see how local
youths have expressed their creativity in the wall murals and captured the
essence of Kluang and what is dear to them, in their art.
It’s the weekend and we are prepared
for the crowds because on weekends and during the holidays, there are usually
more visitors in Kukup. Most come to
shop for fresh or dried seafood and dine in the many waterfront seafood
restaurants that are built into the sea.
I remember the town is uniquely situated at the edge of the coast and
the road simply ends at the jetty which is now renovated into a ferry
terminal.
From far we can see the traffic and
pedestrian congestion that marks the heart of Kukup so we wisely park near the
rows of new shops before going for our walkabout to Kukup Laut village. The
area around the terminal is always the most congested as Kukup is also the
hop-off point for visitors to nearby Kukup Island and the floating fish farms that
form part of local tours. The ferry
terminal is also another reason why the town is full of travellers who are
either heading to or from Singapore and nearby islands.
Most of the wooden walkways have been replaced by concrete paths [Left] |
The locals, of course, have the right
of way but it is quite shocking to suddenly hear the nonstop ring of a bicycle bell
and before we can dodge into any doorways, the impatient biker is screeching to
a halt right next to us. This is an early warning for us to be aware of riders,
so while we are walking or browsing, we should stay out of the way of any oncoming
bikes. By now the locals are familiar
with visitors in the village and many enterprising ones have set up stalls in
front of their homes to sell souvenirs, snacks and drinks.
With a modern toilet built within the concrete house [Right], the wooden outhouse [Left] is no longer in use! |
Among the old wooden houses, we spot big
double-storey buildings that are also on stilts but from the compressors
installed outside, we can tell that they have air-conditioning facilities. My friends are certain that these are holiday
homes for hire and to satisfy our curiosity, we went to inspect the
premises. The proprietor happily shows
us around the property and gives us relevant information for full board
homestay packages. Before we leave, he
made sure that we each get a copy of his name card with contact details so that
we can make our reservations!
Stop for local delicacy, Pin Fen crystal jelly |
After discussing food choices for homestay
catering, we are feeling rather hungry but before going for our seafood lunch,
we pass a house with a sign for Kukup Pin Fen Crystal Jelly and see a
refrigerator outside but nobody is around.
We keep calling out, “Hello! Hello!” while helping ourselves to boxes of
pretty oval pieces of jelly in a variety of pastel colours, until someone comes
out from the house. We are totally charmed
by the laidback attitude of the villagers and are determined to return for a
homestay experience where life still goes on at a leisurely pace.
Fast Facts
The 107km drive to Kluang via the Plus
Highway takes just under an hour from Skudai to the toll exit at Ayer Hitam
(RM9.10). Then follow the sign to Kluang
where most of the roads are dual carriageways.
The 66km route from Johor Baru to Kukup takes you past Skudai to Pekan
Nanas before you bypass Pontian and follow the signs for another 20km to
Kukup. Tip: Do not park illegally in
Kukup or you may end up with a hefty fine.
A version of this was published in The New Straits Times, Life & Times on 11 December 2014
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