"EEEE, the water's so cold!" "Do we jump in now?" "Nooooo!" The cacophony of shrieks and exclamations slices through the tranquil calm of the night as the clouds part to reveal a full moon peeking through the blanket of darkness above.
"You're not supposed to jump in lerrr! Use your gayung (water scooper)!" I admonish with mock exasperation, before breaking into uproarious laughter as I realise just how comical my companions look, huddled in one corner of the outdoor "bathroom", confusion written all over their faces.
Each one clad in a rather fetching kain batik (batik sarong) wrapped up to their bosom, it's their first time going through the mandi kolah experience. "Hampa jangan lompat masukkkk (Don't jump in)!" my late grandmother's northern-tinged holler suddenly rings in my ears, transporting me back to my childhood, when I too had, upon seeing the big outdoor "tub", contemplated jumping in, thinking it to be an unusual-looking swimming pool!
Taking my own plastic scooper and plunging it into the water to demonstrate, I brace myself for the impact of the cold water hitting my skin. "Sejukkkkk (cold)," I wail, literally skipping on the spot in my surprise, causing the rest of the group to now howl in amusement at my distress. "Our water here comes straight from the river. It can be ice cold," I suddenly recall Taha, the caretaker of the property, telling me earlier in the day. Right!
"C'mon everyone! 1-2-3 mandiiiiiii (bathe)!" we all chorus in unison as the full moon — and whatever night creatures there may have been out there in the darkness — became witness to a motley crew of urbanites partaking joyously in their first experience of kampung-style bathing!
SIMPLE JOYS
"So did you all get to mandi kolah last night?" asks the bespectacled gentleman seated opposite me, his eyes dancing with mischief. My sheepish nod as I dip my roti canai into the delicious home-made curry specially prepared by some kampung makcik for breakfast elicits a hearty chuckle from Megat Mohd Shahrin.
The affable owner of Rymba Retreat, a traditional Malay kampung house of Perak, Rumah Kutai, restored and converted into a holiday home, located in Gopeng laughs as I recount all the drama of the previous night, including our horror at discovering a veritable "army" of tiny frogs in the same shade as the toilet door handle. "Barulah thrill (That's thrilling)!" he exclaims playfully, before breaking into a hearty chuckle again.
"Well, at least we slept well last night. Maybe it was the trip and trek to Bukit Batu Putih that finally did us in," I offer excitedly, referring to the previous evening's activity when we were whisked away on the back of a small lorry, thrillingly hurtled every which way as it manoeuvred the winding road, before commencing on our leisurely hike up Bukit Batu Putih, located 310 metres above sea level.
The view at the top — of the sprawling valley and meandering Sungai Kampar shrouded in partial mist — was simply breathtaking, I enthuse to the smiling Perakian. He nods knowingly before sharing that there's a lot of great outdoor activities that guests to Rymba can book if they so wish, for example, waterfall abseiling, white water rafting, caving and so on. Maybe next time, I tell him, before making a beeline for a second helping of the delicious roti canai.
Smiling contentedly, I couldn't help recalling the fun we had sleeping in a row like little children on the comfortable mattress laid out in the main hall of this near-100-year-old kampung house. Sheepishly, I confide to the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) "Old Boy" that we'd initially balked at the thought of no air-conditioning here.
But, I hastily add, imagine our surprise when we discovered just how cool it got once the sun disappeared into the horizon. Thank God for the blankets! Meanwhile, the absence of a television wasn't even felt in the slightest as we whiled away the night chatting to each other, some with a book in hand, but never read.
Beyond our shuttered windows, accompanying our gay chatter, crickets chirped and frogs croaked, a soothing orchestra in the darkness. It reminded me of the simple joys of childhood; of days in my grandmother's wooden house in Penang with my little cousins lying on simple mattresses on the floor, whispering in the darkness late into the night, as all around us not a single creature stirred.
Nodding, the father-of-five smiles before saying: "And that's exactly why I've done this. I want to preserve these magical moments for my kids so that they can get to appreciate our heritage by experience — not just by hearing about it or watching it on TV."
And the reason why Rymba Retreat is open to all and not just his family? "Well, this is my place of 'escape'," replies Megat, before adding: "But I thought, why not allow others to experience the charm too? I want our heritage to be known not only by the Malays but also the other races. That's why I decided to turn this into a heritage homestay."
INDELIBLE IMPRESSION
The 52-year-old reveals that he'd always been into conservation and preservation of our dwindling heritage as well as the environment. Softly, the Ipoh-born Megat muses: "A lot of things in our heritage, either Malay or Malaysian heritage, are disappearing. I feel bad for my children and the future generation who will not be able to experience all this."
He confides that one of the things on his bucket list is to restore and preserve a traditional Malay kampung house of Perak origin — the Rumah Kutai. One of the oldest surviving traditional Malay houses, the Rumah Kutai, an architectural heritage that can only be found in Perak, is gradually disappearing from the Malaysian landscape.
The word Kutai means old or ancient. As stated in Vicinity Perak (2006), these houses can be found mainly along the Perak River, namely in three districts — Kuala Kangsar, Perak Tengah, and Pasir Salak.
There are basically three different types of Rumah Kutai — Kutai Asli, Kutai Anjung, and Kutai Anjung Beranda. The Rymba Retreat house, shares Megat, is a Kutai Anjung Beranda, a more evolved version of the Rumah Kutai, which had a more open-plan layout and was squarer in shape.
It's believed that the Kutai Anjung Beranda was in construction around the years 1920 to 1935 (Ariffin & Talib, 2004) and is a gradual evolution from the Kutai Anjung House. A beranda space (a transition space of sorts) was added to the entrance area (rumah tangga) at the front of the house.
"My fascination with rumah kampung (kampung house) started a long time ago. And being a proud Perakian, of course, the Rumah Kutai is special," shares Megat, before adding that it probably had something to do with his grandmother who lived in Kuala Kangsar, and the fact that his father, a former District Officer would travel around Tapah, Taiping etc.
Expression thoughtful, he says softly: "But it was more likely the experience that I had as a little boy when I was sent by my parents to this one old lady's kampung house in Kuala Kangsar. She was blind."
Taking a slow sip of his coffee, Megat, who has a background in advertising, confides that he hadn't a clue who she was or why he was even sent there. "Maybe my parents just left me there because I was naughty," he muses, with a chuckle. "I was only 6. I remember I was there for three days. My stay there made me realise just how 'privileged' I'd been. I mean my parents would do everything for me."
A pause and he eventually continues: "When I was with this lady, I was given a taste of the simple life. I slept on the floor. I had to help her in the kitchen. I ate stuff like bread, sardine, rice and fried egg. But somehow, I really enjoyed it. I grew to love the kampung environment, all that nature. That's why later in my adult life I got into hiking, mountain climbing and the great outdoors."
The three days left such an indelible impression on the young Megat that he found himself yearning for that simple innocence of kampung life again as the years went by. "I vowed to myself that if ever I had the means, I'd recreate what I had then."
REALISING A DREAM
So how did this all start, I ask, my eyes appreciatively sweeping the beautiful house — Megat's dream. The silence, which descends as he reflects on the question, is broken by the sound of a merry birdsong from somewhere near us.
Megat, a former media and communications director for Perak's Chief Minister, smiles before recalling: "I've seen so many of these wonderful but neglected houses during my travels around the country. It makes me so sad. I wanted to do something about it but never had the opportunity."
Then, about six or seven years ago, he chanced upon an article in a local newspaper about people buying up old houses and restoring them. He remembers thinking that perhaps he too could do the same.
"This land, all four acres of it, was acquired by my family more than 25 years ago. It's a durian orchard," continues Megat, adding: "When we all left for KL, it became quite neglected. There was nothing much for us except when it was durian season. We'd return for that. Eventually, it hit me that we needed to do something."
Over the years, Gopeng evolved into one of Perak's top tourist destinations for outdoor activities such as white water rafting, hiking etc. Come weekends, the place would swarm with visitors. "I discovered that there wasn't enough accommodation up here," shares the outdoor enthusiast.
It was this realisation that led Megat, who has three siblings, to persuade his family that they should do something with their land. "I've been trying to convince my family for the past six years. Finally, my father agreed to try out my idea of bringing a whole kampung house up here and turning it into a retreat for visitors."
Adding, Megat, who was also a former TV producer, shares that he was excited because he knew that this would be a "first" in the area. "There's already chalets and basic accommodation for those who come. But not a whole kampung house; something that's tidy, clean and people can relax in after their activities."
The idea to bring in the heritage element appealed to Megat too. "I knew that a stay in a kampung house would trigger a lot of nostalgia for the Malays and old people, especially. And for the young ones and non-Malays, it'd be something new."
His fascination for the concept was triggered by something that had been done by the Sultan of Perak's younger brother. Recalls Megat: "He did something like this but the house is nicer la. He took the house from Terengganu and reconstructed it in Janda Baik, Pahang. But he made it into a surau. At the time, I thought 'wow' but I knew it was out of my league."
OF RUMAH ADABI AND A VILLAGE
Rymba Retreat started out as a derelict Rumah Kutai in Bagan Datuk, Perak. Megat had put the word for his team of tukang kayu (craftsmen) to keep an eye out for a nice, abandoned structure yet still salvageable.
"When we finally got the house, it was in a pretty bad state but not completely run down," he remembers, eyes squinting in recollection. "It was abandoned as none of the owner's children wanted to live in the kampung. So I offered to buy the whole structure off the owner but of course, the land on which it stood still belonged to them."
No nails are ever used in the construction of a traditional Malay kampung house as pre-cut holes and grooves are used to fit the timber together. This makes it easy to be dismantled and reconstructed in a new location.
What's particularly interesting about the Rumah Kutai is that the pillars are not planted into the ground. Instead, each pillar is laid onto a base that's made of cut stone, bricks, or concrete. The structure is built in such a way that the house can be lifted easily and moved to another area.
"I got my team to dismantle everything, piece by piece. It was like doing a jigsaw! Of course, we had the tukang kayu who marked everything and had their plan. Without that, we might suddenly find a pillar stuck in the middle of nowhere when it comes to reassembling," shares Megat, chuckling.
After they'd dismantled the parts, everything had to be stored away for five months due to the bad weather. It was too perilous to drive up the meandering hill to reach the site. Pointing to the road in front of us, he says: "See that? That was our problem. You don't generally get these kind of houses on the hill. It's always built by the riverside." Once everything arrived (after many, many trips back and forth), it took the team four months to reconstruct the Rumah Kutai again.
Asked how much it cost him to purchase the structure, which can fit 20 people comfortably, the genial owner willingly divulges: "It was RM24,000. I'd initially thought it'd be expensive to purchase these neglected kampung houses but it's not. In fact, for the whole house — purchase, dismantle, reassemble, restore and renovate a bit — I spent RM100,000."
Proudly, Megat shares that 90 per cent of the house, which he learnt was built in the 1930s, was still in its original state and in fairly good condition. What was not — such as wood which had become rotten — he replaced. A number of additional features like new wooden planks, a brand new coat of paint (black and white, Tudor style, and a dash of vibrant yellow in a nod to his home State), a master bedroom, some modern downstairs bathrooms and toilets and an outdoor bathroom were also added.
The house, fully completed last year, and which the kampung folks nicknamed "Rumah Adabi" (because of its black and white facade), has been opened to visitors since June of this year.
The passionate conservationist proudly shares that he'd also done some landscaping around the house, planting mango trees, mangosteen, belimbing buluh (Averrhoa bilimbi), jackfruit and rambutan. "In true kampung style," he exclaims, delightedly.
Kampung house — tick. So what's next, I ask the ever-smiling Megat. He beams before leaning in to answer: "I want to create a village!" My look of bewilderment is met with an even bigger grin. "I'm trying to get hold of the traditional houses of Perak, Terengganu, Kelantan etc, and put together something like a cultural village."
Elaborating, Megat shares: "From my background as a TV producer, I realise that it'd be so convenient to have everything in one place. For example, say the production teams wants to shoot a particular kampung scene, they need to travel far. So this 'village' that I have in mind will have everything. That's the big plan. When it's not being used as a film location, it can be a homestay. I'm eyeing Bagan Datuk for the site. Here's hoping that I'd be able to get approval from the Istana (Palace)."
RYMBA RETREAT
Mukim Teja, Kampung Geruntum, Sg Itik, Gopeng, Perak.
Check out Rymba Retreat Gopeng FB page for details.