Rimbun Dahan 🍃

This week's trip to Rimbun Dahan made me realise how much I do not know about our culture and traditions and not growing up in Malaysia has definitely played an impact on that. The area reminded me of my kampungs back in Penang and Kedah though they are not much kampung looking anymore. Despite the mosquitoes, the area was so serene and I loved how connected we were with nature. As a person who isn't used to being around dogs often, I was shocked when I saw Betty the dog and was quite scared because she wasn't on a leash - though I ended up warming up to her.

I found the veggie/herb garden really cool as I've never seen a garden as big as what I've seen before. They all looked so healthy and in good condition too. Every time I go back to Kedah to visit my grand parents, I always see giant insects like spiders, moths and centipedes so I'm used to it but I still shriek whenever I come across them 😖. The main houses were really interesting since it was inspired by traditional houses and I really liked how the architecture of the house incorporated as much open air areas as much as possible. I think I was more interested in learning about the different plants, trees and the architecture - you don't get to learn about that very often.

Seeing artists in action made me feel lucky that we were given this opportunity. I was interested in Lada Dedić's current knitting project where she explained that she was making a giant hoodie made up of old t-shirts turned into yarn. She even took a photo of all of us to show her mum! The mini gallery showcased a variety of pieces all made with different techniques and mediums. I think my favourites were the three glass paintings of the sea the giant mesh/lace tapestry as well as the fruits wearing a tiger costume (forgot the names of these pieces).

me, mum and uncle at my grandfather's old house

I was really excited to go into the Perak kampung house as I have never been inside a traditional kampung house besides my grandfather's but that was ages ago before it was renovated. I never knew there was so much detail into building one such as using the measurements of a mother to determine the size of a house and the coin placement that holds the 'soul of the house' (I've always found these houses a little spooky). The way that the kitchen was modernised was really cool to see - they even kept the original switches, which I have never seen before! My parents have always dreamed of building a modern kampung house to live in when my dad retires. I am quite a nature person and have grown up near beaches and tons of nature; I too, have always wanted to live somewhere close to nature when I'm older but perhaps not near a tropical rain forest - I'm thinking more of rocky mountains and beaches 😅.