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A day I spent in strange surroundings
I have a cousin, Brian, who is a writer for a newspaper in Kuala Lumpur. Last year when I visited him, he told me that he had an assignment to write about life in a remote village in the national forest reserve in Pahang. He challenged me, a city boy, to accompany him and experience a day in totally unfamiliar surroundings.
We drove to a small town where we boarded a boat for the ride down the river. The boat was a long one with just a few seats. Most of the passengers sat on the floor.
The journey was a thrilling adventure. The boat had to pass through a number of rapids, and at a certain points the boatman used a long pole to steer it. Brian and I were obviously excited but the other passengers took it in a casual, even bored way. To them, it was a usual occurrence. ?They have to take this journey every time they need to go to town. Look at you, you have the MRT and you complain if the journey is longer than 40 minutes!,? Brian teased me.
After three hours in the boat, we reached our destination. After getting off at the pier, the first building that we saw was the village shop. Actually, it was a small shop crammed with canned and dry food. Brian chatted with the owner and we found out that the shop was also the only place in the village where people buy their stamps and newspapers. However, the postal service and the newspaper delivery came only once a week.
He then showed us the direction to the headman?s house. The headman?s name was Tok Kassim. When we found his house, he invited us in and told us stories about himself and his village. Then he took us for a tour around the village. Since bicycle was the only form of transport, people walked from place to place.
The village was very peaceful and green. The river was the focal place of the villagers. We saw people fishing in the river and women washing their clothes there. But what struck me most was the way the children enjoyed it. They swam in it, and they rode in rafts which they put together from bamboo poles.
Tok Kassim recounted the time when his father and the other villagers rebelled against British rule. The river was often the battlefront between the two opponents. He talked about the river as though it was an old friend. He explained how it had seen them through the worst of times like the starvation they experienced during the Japanese occupation of Malaya, and how the river has helped them throughout their lives.
That night we had a wonderful dinner at Tok Kassim?s house. Many of the villagers came and brought some food. A neighbor even brought fresh money still attached to pieces of honeycomb. It was one of the most natural food I have ever tasted.
The next morning, we left on the boat. During the journey, I thought about how strange the life of this village and the surroundings seemed to me and my friends in Singapore. Despite the simplicity of their lives, they are strong people who could weather bad times.
But most of all, while we talk about ?green? living, these people are quietly practicing it.
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Learn English
A day I spent in strange surroundings
A day I spent in strange surroundings
I have a cousin, Brian, who is a writer for a newspaper in Kuala Lumpur. Last year when I visited him, he told me that he had an assignment to write about life in a remote village in the national forest reserve in Pahang. He challenged me, a city boy, to accompany him and experience a day in totally unfamiliar surroundings.
We drove to a small town where we boarded a boat for the ride down the river. The boat was a long one with just a few seats. Most of the passengers sat on the floor.
The journey was a thrilling adventure. The boat had to pass through a number of rapids, and at a certain points the boatman used a long pole to steer it. Brian and I were obviously excited but the other passengers took it in a casual, even bored way. To them, it was a usual occurrence. ?They have to take this journey every time they need to go to town. Look at you, you have the MRT and you complain if the journey is longer than 40 minutes!,? Brian teased me.
After three hours in the boat, we reached our destination. After getting off at the pier, the first building that we saw was the village shop. Actually, it was a small shop crammed with canned and dry food. Brian chatted with the owner and we found out that the shop was also the only place in the village where people buy their stamps and newspapers. However, the postal service and the newspaper delivery came only once a week.
He then showed us the direction to the headman?s house. The headman?s name was Tok Kassim. When we found his house, he invited us in and told us stories about himself and his village. Then he took us for a tour around the village. Since bicycle was the only form of transport, people walked from place to place.
The village was very peaceful and green. The river was the focal place of the villagers. We saw people fishing in the river and women washing their clothes there. But what struck me most was the way the children enjoyed it. They swam in it, and they rode in rafts which they put together from bamboo poles.
Tok Kassim recounted the time when his father and the other villagers rebelled against British rule. The river was often the battlefront between the two opponents. He talked about the river as though it was an old friend. He explained how it had seen them through the worst of times like the starvation they experienced during the Japanese occupation of Malaya, and how the river has helped them throughout their lives.
That night we had a wonderful dinner at Tok Kassim?s house. Many of the villagers came and brought some food. A neighbor even brought fresh money still attached to pieces of honeycomb. It was one of the most natural food I have ever tasted.
The next morning, we left on the boat. During the journey, I thought about how strange the life of this village and the surroundings seemed to me and my friends in Singapore. Despite the simplicity of their lives, they are strong people who could weather bad times.
But most of all, while we talk about ?green? living, these people are quietly practicing it.
language123.blogspot.com
Difference Between Father And Son
Importance Of Agriculture
Importance Of Rivers
Newspaper Importance
The Importance Of Reading Newspaper
Qualities Of A Judge
Importance Of Newspaper
Essay A Frightening Experience
Talk About A Cable-Car Ride.
Cac Bai Luan Hay Bang Tieng Anh
- An Evening In A Luxurious Boat
An evening in a luxurious boat A journey by boat is a pleasant experience, but think of a journey in the most luxurious boat. I had a chance to enjoy such an experience. My father and his friends decided to go on a cruise with the family. They collected...
- A Burglary I Witnessed
Talk about a burglary you witnessed It was a peaceful afternoon. I was doing my homework in my room when I heard a strange grinding noise coming from next door. Out of curiosity, I looked out of my window. I was shocked to see my neighbor?s metal gate...
- Describe An Unpleasant Dream
Describe an unpleasant dream that you have had. Everyone dreams. Some dreams are pleasant and some are not. One of the most unpleasant dreams that I have had concerns a wild creature which used to visit a village every night in search of blood and flesh....
- Importance Of Rivers
Talk about the importance of rivers Rivers have been very useful to men in all parts of the earth since very early times. They provide water to slake the thirst of men, to fertilize their lands and to provide a means of communication for the goods that...
- Life In The Village
Talk about life in the village (1) Loan information for students: ?Types of student loans ?Federal student loan consolidation ?Student Loan Consolidation ?Student loan interest rates and fees The village has always been known to be...