Rumah Melayu lama di Kampung Baru (An old Malay house in Kampung Baru)

Ini ialah gambar sebuah rumah lama di Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. Rumah yang terletak sebaris dengan masjid Kampung Baru ini (terlupa pula nama jalannya, kalau tak salah ingatan Jalan Raja Muda) memiliki rekabentuk yang agak menarik sehingga saya terasa wajib untuk mengambil gambar agar dapat dikongsi bersama di blogspot ini. Lagipun bukankah blogspot ini asalnya diterbitkan untuk berkongsi gambar-gambar serta cerita yang melibatkan seni Melayu lama termasuk senibina? Lama juga tidak bercerita tentang senibina Melayu di sini... Terlalu banyak perkembangan lain turut ingin dikongsi bersama.
This is a picture of an old house in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. The house situated along the same block as the Kampung Baru mosque (forgot the name of the street, methinks Jalan Raja Muda) has a rather interesting design such that I felt obliged to snap pictures so it can be shared in this blogspot. Furthermore, wasn't this blogspot made for sharing pictures and stories which involve Malay olden arts including architecture? It's been quite a while since we talk about Malay architecture here... Too much other developments demand to be shared too.
Adapun umur rumah ini tidak dapat saya pastikan kerana tidak ada sumber rujukan yang boleh dipercayai seratus peratus ketika itu. Saya terserempak dengan rumah ini ketika hendak makan tengahari di Kampung Baru. Masalah mencari tempat meletak kereta membawa saya untuk pergi ke gerai yang tertera di gambar bawah... Rumah ini terletak bersebelahan sehingga terasa wajib bertandang sebentar. Sayangnya, tuan rumah ini sudah lama meninggal dunia, yang ada cuma penyewa rumah yang kurang arif akan sejarah sebenar rumah ini.
I can't verify the age of the house as there was no source of reference which can be relied on a hundred per cent then. I came across this house while going for lunch at Kampung Baru. The problem of finding a place to park the car brought me to go to the stall in the picture below. The house is situated beside and I feel I must make a short visit. Too bad, the owner has long died, what remained are people who rented the house and not well-versed in the actual history of the house.

Oleh kerana saya masih belum selesai makan, saya telah meminta teman wanita yang turut bersama supaya bertanya tentang sejarah rumah itu kepada orang yang kelihatan duduk di sana. Semasa itu, saya tidak tahu mereka sekadar menyewa sahaja. Tidak lama kemudian, teman wanita itu kembali ke tempat saya duduk lalu menyatakan rumah itu sudah berumur beratus-ratus tahun.
Since I haven't completed lunch, I asked a girlfriend which came along to find out the history of the house from some people who looked like they are staying there. At the time, I didn't know they were just renting the place. Not long after, the girlfriend returned to where I was sitting and said the house is hundreds of years old.
Bagi saya, jawaban ini kurang tepat kerana setahu saya, kawasan Kampung Baru itu sendiri cuma didirikan dalam abad ke 19 Masihi. Mungkin rumah itu berumur lebih 100 tahun tetapi 200 tahun atau beratus-ratus tahun? Rasanya mustahil!
To me the answer is not good enough since as far as I know, the area of Kampung Baru itself was only developed in the 19th century. Maybe the house is more than 100 years old but 200 years or hundreds of years? Methinks it's impossible!


Apapun, saya dapat tahu, perempuan tua yang duduk di rumah ini bersama keluarganya telah menyewanya lebih 20 tahun, selepas tuan rumah yang asal meninggal dunia. Perempuan yang berasal daripada Taiping, Perak ini telah menjadikan sebahagian rumah ini sebagai kedai makan. Whatever, I found out, the elderly lady staying at the house with her family have rented the place for more than 20 years, after the original owner of the house died. The lady who hails from Taiping, Perak turned parts of the house into a food stall.

Saya cuba bertanya kepadanya tentang asal-usul tuan rumah yang sudah meninggal itu. Apakah ada kena mengena dengan orang Bugis, memandangkan kawasan Kampung Baru itu sendiri pernah menjadi penempatan kerabat diraja Bugis dan para pengikut mereka... Sebab itu nama-nama jalan di situ banyak memakai nama raja seperti Jalan Raja Alang. Untuk makluman, kerabat diraja Selangor adalah dari keturunan Bugis... Anak cucu Raja Lumu ibni Daeng Chelak yang datang ke Semenanjung Malaysia abad ke 18.
I tried to ask her about the origins of the owner who died. Is there any connection with the Bugis people, considering that Kampung Baru area itself used to be a settlement for Bugis royalty and their followers... That is why the name of the roads there use the term "raja" (literally translated as "king", in this case a hereditary title for royalty) such as Jalan Raja Alang. For information, the royalty of Selangor (the state which in which Kuala Lumpur including Kampung Baru used to belong before it became federal territory) are of Bugis descend... The offsprings of Raja Lumu son of Daeng Chelak who came to Peninsular Malaysia in the 18th century.
Atau mungkin ada kena-mengena dengan Aceh? Kerana ramai orang Aceh berniaga dan bermastautin di sekitar kawasan Kampung Baru terutama di Chow Kit? Lagipun pada mereka yang tahu, memang wujud hubungan rapat antara kerabat diraja Aceh dengan kerabat diraja Bugis!
Or maybe it is related to Aceh? Because many Acehnese do business and settle in and around the area of Kampung Baru especially in Chow Kit? Furthermore for those in the know, there exists a close relationship between the royalty of Aceh and that of Bugis!

Saya bertanyakan soalan tersebut sambil melihat tangga di atas. Cantik! Itu yang saya ambil gambarnya. Perempuan tua itu berkata, mungkin saya patut mencari waris tuan punya rumah ini... Katanya, ada seorang bernama Sharif yang duduk di rumah lain di sekitar Kampung Baru ini!
I asked the question while looking at the staircase above! Beautiful! That's why I took the picture. The old lady said, maybe I should find family members of the deceased house owner. She said there is one by the name Sharif staying at another house around Kampung Baru!
Tersentak saya mendengar nama itu. Ini kerana perkataan Sharif ada digunakan sebagai gelaran untuk anak cucu Nabi Muhammad SAW terutama daripada cabang Saidina Hassan, cucu sulung baginda. Tetapi nama Sharif yang bermakna "Yang Mulia" juga digunakan sebagai nama rakyat biasa, contohnya Muhammad Sharif. Kalau ada darah keturunan Rasulullah, selalunya nama Sharif ini dipakai turun-temurun oleh setiap ahli keluarga lelaki, contohnya Sharif Ali bin Sharif Ajlan.
I was quite surprised to hear that name. This is because the name Sharif is also used as a title for the offsprings of Nabi Muhammad SAW (the last prophet of Islam) especially from the branch of Saidina Hassan, his eldest grandson. But the name Sharif which means "The noble one" is also used as a name for commoners, for example Muhammad Sharif. For people with the blood of the Prophet, often the name Sharif is used all throughout the ages for every male member of the family, for example Sharif Ali son of Sharif Ajlan.

Perempuan tua itu tidak dapat memastikan apakah nama Sharif milik anak cucu tuan rumah yang sudah meninggal itu adalah nama keluarga atau nama persendirian. Saya pula tersenyum lebar mengingatkan bahawa kerabat diraja Bugis juga ada kaitan dengan keluarga Sharif keturunan Rasulullah SAW, satu kaitan yang tidak semua orang tahu kerana sengaja disembunyikan.
The elderly lady can't confirm if the name Sharif of the deceased house owner's family is a family name of just a common name for a person. On the other hand, I found myself smiling wide recalling that the Bugis royalty are also related to the Sharif family who are descendants of (the Prophet) Rasulullah SAW, a relationship which not everyone knows since it was consciously hidden.
Tergerak pula mahu meletakkan gambar masjid Kampung Baru sebagai penutup cerita. Di sinilah tempat orang Melayu berkumpul mengembleng kekuatan suatu masa dahulu apabila kewibawaan mereka dicabar pihak-pihak tertentu. Sekian!
Came the urge to put a picture of Kampung Baru mosque to close this story. Once upon a time, this is where the Malays converged and combined strength when their dignity was challenged by certain parties. That's all!

Melihat burung di Bukit Fraser? (Bird-watching at Fraser's Hill?)

Sungguh berwarna-warni... Suasana yang menggamit para pengunjung di Bukit Fraser untuk perlumbaan antarabangsa melihat burung 23-24 Jun.

So colourful... The scenery greeting visitors at Fraser's Hill for the international bird-watch race 23-24 June.

Dua minggu lepas seorang sepupu yang sudah lama tidak berhubung tiba-tiba menalifon. Rupa-rupanya, dia terbaca ulasan tentang siri buku "Berpetualang ke Aceh" yang baru keluar dalam akhbar Berita Harian hari itu. Sepupu ini agak teruja dengan ulasan tersebut lalu mencadangkan agar saya membuat promosi di Bukit Fraser, sempena acara perlumbaan antarabangsa melihat burung tahun ini. Kebetulan saya telah menghadari acara yang sama tahun lepas dan ternyata ramai peserta serta pengunjung memeriahkan suasana, maka timbul rasa untuk menyahut cadangan sepupu itu.

Two weeks ago a cousin who have long not been in contact suddenly called. It turns out, he just read a review on the "Berpetualang ke Aceh" book series which just came out in the Malay daily Berita Harian that day. The cousin was excited with the review and suggested that I do promotion at Fraser's Hill, in conjunction with the international bird-watch race this year. It happened that I attended the same event last year and it was apparent lots of participants and visitors made it festive, so came the urge to follow the cousin's suggestion.
Khamis, 21 Jun. Saya pun bergegas ke rumah almarhum nenek di Raub di mana Mak Uda, ibu kepada sepupu ini tinggal. Baru saya tahu, tidak seperti tahun lepas di mana sepupu ini telah datang ke Bukit Fraser bersama keluarga iparnya, tahun ini mereka tidak dapat pergi kerana kesibukan hal masing-masing. Nyaris-nyaris saya membatalkan rancangan untuk ke sana, jika tidak kerana disebabkan beberapa 'kebetulan' yang saya anggap sebagai tanda perlu juga naik ke Bukit Fraser. Maka saya pun mengambil kesempatan atas kehadiran ramai manusia sempena acara perlumbaan burung untuk mempromosikan buku saya.

Thursday, 21 June. And so I rushed to the late grandma's house in Raub where Mak Uda, mother to the cousin lives. Then I found out, unlike last year where the cousin went to Fraser's Hill with his in-laws, this year they couldn't make it as everyone was busy with their own affairs. I almost cancelled the plan to go there, if not for some 'coincidences' which I considered as signs that I must go up to Fraser's Hill. Therefore I took the opportunity of the presence of many people there for the bird race to promote my book.
Pada awalnya, saya ingat saya perlu berada di Raub sehingga hari Isnin demi menolong ahli keluarga. Seorang bapa saudara telah mengalami kemalangan yang menyebabkannya tidak dapat memandu kereta maka Mak Uda meminta saya agar bersedia untuk bertindak sebagai pemandu untuk menghantar isteri kepada bapa saudara itu, Mak Ngah untuk pergi balik kerja.
Earlier, I thought I had to be in Raub until Monday in order to help family members. An uncle had an accident which prevented him from driving the car so Mak Uda asked me to be ready to act as the driver to sent the uncle's wife, Mak Ngah to and from work.
Demi keluarga, saya pun menyatakan kesediaan untuk mula 'berkhidmat' pada esoknya. Ternyata Mak Ngah bercuti hari Jumaat dan kemudian muncul saudara-mara lain mengambil-alih kerja, maka saya mempunyai masa yang terluang untuk berbuat apa-apa perkara yang disukai. Tetapi susah rasanya untuk pergi ke Bukit Fraser kerana saya tidak memiliki kenderaan... Tahun lepas, saya pergi menaiki kereta sepupu...

For the sake of the family, I announced my willingness to start 'service' the next day. As it turns out, Mak Ngah is on holiday Friday and then came other relatives who took over some task, and so I have free time to do whatever is liked. But it felt hard to go to Fraser's Hill as I don't have transport... Last year I went with my cousin by car...

Hari Jumaat itu, saya telah pergi ke bandar Raub seorang diri menaiki bas kemudian berjalan kaki hampir sebatu ke Simpang Kallang untuk makan tengahari masakan ikan keli gulai asam rong di sebuah warung . Oleh kerana masjid jamek baru terletak agak jauh sedangkan saya tidak memiliki apa-apa kenderaan, saya sudah terfikir akan membuat solat Zohor sahaja di masjid jamek lama yang terletak lebih dekat. Lagipun saya sedang bermusafir, tidak wajib menunaikan solat Jumaat.

That Friday, I went to the town of Raub alone by bus then walked almost a mile to Simpang Kallang to have ikan keli gulai asam rong (I can't make out the translation except it was a local dish using catfish) for lunch. As the new main mosque is rather far away while I don't have any transport, I was thinking of just doing the Zohor (afternoon prayer) at the old main mosque which is nearer. Anyhow, I was on travel, thus it was not compulsory to do the Jumaat congregational prayer.
Dalam perjalanan kembali ke pusat bandar selepas makan, saya bercadang untuk singgah di sekitar restoran Kentucky Fried Chicken kerana sepupu saya ada memberitahu di situ terdapat signal wi-fi Internet yang mungkin saya boleh tumpang. Seorang buah hati pula telah menalifon sehingga saya terleka lalu berjalan kaki 3 blok kedai melepasi restoran Kentucky!

On the way back to the town centre after lunch, I was thinking of dropping by the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant since my cousin did mention there is Internet wi-fi signal there which I might be able to hop on. A sweetheart then called making me so occupied such that I walked 3 blocks of shops past the Kentucky restaurant!
Rupa-rupanya ada hikmah kenapa ini berlaku. Perjalanan yang terlajak ini menyebabkan saya terserempak dengan sepupu yang ketika itu berada di sebuah kedai foto. Maka dapatlah saya menumpangnya menaiki skuter untuk menunaikan solat Jumaat di masjid jamek. Kemudian kami singgah di rumah keluarga iparnya dan di situlah si mak ipar memberitahu, terdapat perkhidmatan bas 2 kali sehari daripada Raub ke Bukit Fraser.

As it turns out, there is a good reason why this happened. The walk which saw me overshoot caused me to come across the cousin which happens to be at a photo shop. Therefore I could hop on his scooter to do the Friday prayers at the main mosque. Later we stopped by his in-laws' place and that's where the mother-in-law said, their is a twice a day bus service from Raub to Fraser's Hill.
Dipendekkan cerita, saya pun dapat naik ke sana untuk membuat promosi buku "Berpetualang ke Aceh"... Tetapi biarlah cerita tentang promosi ini dibuat dalam artikel lain ya, rasanya untuk blogspot "Catatan Si Merah Silu" sahaja... Di sini, saya sekadar ingin bercerita tentang apa yang berlaku serta suasana di sekitar Bukit Fraser 23-24 Jun lalu. Silakan... :]

Cutting short the story, and so I managed to get up there and do the book promotion for "Berpetualang ke Aceh"... But let the promotion story be featured in a different article ya, methinks for the "Catatan Si Merah Silu" blogspot only. Here, I just want to tell a story about what happened and the feel at and around Fraser's Hill 23-24 June. Come... :]

Jam besar Bukit Fraser... Ketika sedang duduk berehat di satu kawasan, saya dapat melihat sekumpulan pelajar perempuan yang masih muda, rasanya pelajar sekolah menengah berjalan menghala ke jam besar, masing-masing membawa kamera.
The big clock of Fraser's Hill. While sitting and resting at a spot, I could see a group of young female students, looked like secondary school student walking heading for the big clock with a camera each.
Tidak lama kemudian, kelihatan seorang dewasa dengan peralatan kamera yang lebih canggih, rasanya guru mereka. Orang ini menyuruh mereka mengambil gambar jam besar itu. "Inilah identiti Bukit Fraser!" katanya.
Not long later, there appeared an adult with much advanced camera equipment, looks like the teacher. This man asked them to take pictures of the big clock. "This is the identity of Fraser's Hill!" he said.

Sebahagian daripada gerai-gerai pamiran yang didirikan sempena acara perlumbaan melihat burung Bukit Fraser. Untuk makluman, acara yang diadakan sejak tahun 1988 (kalau tak salah ingatan) ini dihadiri juga oleh ramai peserta dan pengunjung daripada luar negara.
Some of the exhibition stalls set up for the Bukit Fraser bird-watch race. For information, the event held since 1988 (if not mistaken) is also attended by participants and visitors outside the country.
Ini memberi kesempatan kepada mana-mana pihak untuk mempromosi barangan jualan atau keluaran mereka ke khalayak yang lebih luas. Maka itu ada gerai mempromosi batik dan barang-barang optikal seperti teropong dan lensa kamera. Ada juga gerai mempromosi tumbuh-tumbuhan hutan terutama di negeri Pahang.
This gives the chance for any party to promote their goods or produce to a bigger crowd. Therefore there were stalls promoting batik and optical goods such as binoculars and camera lenses. In fact there were stalls promoting jungle growths especially in the state of Pahang.
Di latar-belakang gambar adalah hotel Puncak Inn yang juga merupakan salah sebuah bangunan identiti Bukit Fraser. Harga penginapan di sini, kalau tak salah ingatan sekitar RM50 hingga RM90 untuk satu bilik sehari, dikatakan paling murah di bukit peranginan ini.
In the picture's background is Puncak Inn which is also one of the identity buildings of Fraser's Hill. The rate here, if not mistaken is around RM50 to RM90 for a room per day, is said to be the cheapest at the hill resort station.

Pemandangan gerai-gerai pamiran daripada sudut lain. Kawasan ini juga dikenali sebagai 'pusat bandar' Fraser Hill. Jam besar (tidak kelihatan dalam gambar) terletak di sebelah kiri latar-belakang gambar.

View of the exhibition stalls from a different angle. This area is also known as Fraser's Hill 'town centre'. The big clock (not seen in the picture) is situated left of the picture's background.

Bangunan Kelab Golf yang juga bertindak sebagai pusat jawatankuasa dan sekretariat perlumbaan antarabangsa melihat burung Bukit Fraser.
The Golf Club building which also served as the comittee and secretariat centre for Fraser's Hill international bird-watch race.
Oh... Perlumbaan ini adalah perlumbaan berpasukan di mana setiap pasukan perlu bergerak ke kawasan-kawasan yang ditetapkan lalu mencari dan melihat seberapa banyak jenis burung yang terdapat di sesuatu kawasan dan membuat catatan. Pasukan yang dapat mencari paling banyak jenis burung dikira sebagai pemenang.
Oh... The race is a team event where each team must go to the designated areas and look for as many species of birds at the area and take notes. The team which finds the most type of birds is considered the winner.

Jam besar Bukit Fraser dilihat daripada sudut lain. Kelihatan bunting promosi buku "Berpetualang ke Aceh" hasil reka-cipta sendiri diletakkan bersebelahan pokok, lokasi pertama bunting ini diletak di sini dalam eksperimen untuk melihat reaksi orang yang lalu-lalang.
Fraser's Hill big clock seen from a different angle. Seen here the self-designed bunting for promoting the book "Berpetualang ke Aceh" erected beside a tree, the first location for the bunting here in an experiment to see passers-by' reaction.

Kemeriahan waktu malam ramai pengunjung di Bukit Fraser.
The festive atmosphere due to the number of visitors at Fraser's Hill.

Sebuah konsert turut diadakan untuk memeriahkan suasana. Kelihatan anggota kumpulan Kopratasa di atas pentas.
A concert was also held to perk up the atmosphere. Seen here are members of the group Kopratasa on stage.

Inilah masjid tempat saya bermalam untuk menjimatkan belanja... Letaknya sekitar 500 meter naik bukit daripada 'pusat bandar'.
Bukannya saya dapat tidur nyenyak pun, maklumlah saya sebenarnya sedang demam sambil mengharapkan jacket serta dua helai kain pelikat untuk melindungi diri daripada kesejukan malam udara pergunungan.
This is the mosque where I spent the night to spare expenses... It is situated some 500 metres uphill from the 'town centre'.
Not that I had a good sleep, after all I was actually having cold while counting on a jacket and two pairs of clothes to protect myself from the chilly night mountain air.
Untuk makluman, Bukit Fraser terletak sekitar 4,000 kaki daripada paras laut. Suhu harian selalu berada di sekitar 22 Celsius pada waktu siang dan 20 Celsius atau kurang waktu malam sedangkan saya sudah terbiasa suhu Kuala Lumpur dengan minimum 27 Celsius dan sering mencapai 31 Celsius ke atas.
For information, Fraser's Hill is situated some 4,000 feet above sea level. The daily temperature is often around 22 Celsius during the day and 20 Celsius or below at night while I'm used to the temperature in Kuala Lumpur at a minimum of 27 Celsium and often reaches 31 Celsius and above.
Hasilnya, saya tidak dapat tidur nyenyak kerana sering menggigil kesejukan malah sering sakit perut dan pundi-pundi kencing. Jam 5.15 pagi, saya terbangun lagi untuk ke tandas lalu bangkit terus untuk solat Subuh berjemaah kemudian turun ke 'pusat bandar' untuk mendirikan bunting "Berpetualang ke Aceh". Penat woo tak cukup tidur!
The result, I couldn't sleep properly and often shaking in cold in fact often got stomach-ache and uncomfortable kidney. At 5.15 in the morning, I woke up again to go to the toilet and thus went straight for congregational Subuh (early morning prayers) before going down to the 'town centre' to set up the "Berpetualang ke Aceh" bunting. So tired woo not having enough sleep!

Suasana kedai-kedai makan di kaki Puncak Inn. Cantik bukan warna-warninya?
The atmosphere at the food outlet at the foot of Puncak Inn. Colourful isn't it?

Hmm... Cukuplah saya bercerita di sini ya. Ketika menulis perenggan ini, waktu sudah melepasi jam 2 pagi sedangkan saya sebenarnya belum makan malam sejak kembali daripada pusat bandaraya Kuala Lumpur 9 malam tadi... Sibuk sangat nak buat update untuk blogspot. Selamat malam ya... :]
Hmm... Enough of me story-telling ya. While writing this paragraph, the time is already past 2 in the morning (actually 4am when I made the English translation up to this point) when I actually haven't had dinner after returning for Kuala Lumpur city centre at 9... So busy to update the blogspots. Good night ya... :]

p/s: Mungkin ada yang bertanya, apakah saya juga turut melihat burung di Bukit Fraser? Lagipun, bukankah tajuk artikel ini ialah "Melihat burung di Bukit Fraser?"
p/s: Perhaps some would ask, did I also watch some bird at Fraser's Hill? What more, isn't the title of this article "Bird-watching at Fraser's Hill"?

Hmm... Memang terdapat beberapa jenis burung yang kelihatan berterbangan di sana-sini. Mungkin saya boleh melihat lebih banyak lagi jika tidak sekadar berlegar-legar berhampiran 'pusat bandar'... Mungkin juga saya boleh turut mencari burung-burung yang tersembunyi jika ada membawa teropong sendiri.
Hmm... Yes there's some species of birds seen flying everywhere. Maybe I can see more if I don't just stick around the 'town centre'... Maybe too I could find some birds in hiding if I brought my own binoculars.

Yang pasti saya telah terjumpa 'seekor burung' yang cantik, siap memakai tudung dengan senyuman yang manis menawan. Kami sempat berkenalan, bercerita panjang sambil berjalan-jalan dan saya merasa senang dan suka dengannya.
What was sure, I met a beautiful 'bird', wearing head-scarf with a sweet and endearing smile. We got to know each other, share plenty of stories while walking about and I feel comfortable and like her.

Cuma saya rasa cukuplah kami sekadar berkawan... Saya ada memberitahu 'burung' ini bahawa saya masih ada perasaan sayang terhadap bekas isteri terutama apabila mengenangkan anak perempuan kami. Dan saya juga memiliki dua orang teman wanita yang sangat saya sayangi. Cukuplah setakat itu...
It's just that I feel enough we become friends... I told this 'bird' that I still have feelings for the ex-wife especially when I think about our daughter. And I also have two girlfriends whom I love dearly. Enough that way...

Kemalangan yang pelik! (A strange accident!)

Lihat gambar di atas... Sebuah kereta mewah BMW 3 series terperesok di dalam sebuah longkang yang agak sempit siang tadi... Perhatikan dengan teliti. Lebar longkang ini sebenarnya tidak cukup untuk menampung ketinggian kereta, lalu bagaimana kereta ini boleh terperesok sebegitu rupa? Kenapa tidak tersangkut di tepi tebing longkang?

Look at the picture above. A BMW 3 series luxury car stuck inside a rather narrow drain sometime during the day... Look carefully. Actually, the width of the drain is not enough to accomodate the height of the car, so how did the car got stuck in such a way? Why not stuck beside the drain?
Lebih pelik lagi, longkang ini terletak bersebelahan jalan kecil di sebuah kawasan perumahan di Ampang... Jalan besar iaitu Jalan Ampang terletak di sebalik penghadang dan para pemerhati serta hadirin di dalam gambar.

More curious, the drain is situated beside a small road at a housing estate in Ampang... The main road which is Jalan Ampang is actually behind the barriers and the witnesses along with those present as seen in the picture.
Daripada segi logik akal, mungkin kita senang menerima kemalangan ini jika longkang itu terletak terus bersebelahan jalan besar tanpa penghadang... Atau penghadang itu telah dilanggar sehingga pecah menyebabkan kereta masuk ke dalam longkang kerana kereta telah dipandu laju lalu hilang kawalan.

From a logical point of view, maybe it is easy to accept this accident if the drain is situated immediately next to the main road with no barrier in-between... Or the barrier has been hit until broken causing the car to plunge into the drain because the car was driven fast and then went out of control.

Ini boleh dikira perkara biasa di jalan-jalan besar di mana ramai orang sering memandu laju. Bagaimanakah perkara ini boleh terjadi di sebuah jalan kecil yang saya tahu ada banyak bump? Jalan di mana orang selalunya memandu di bawah kelajuan 30km/h?
This can be considered common at the main roads where many often drive fast. How can such a thing happen at a small road which I know have many bumps? A road where people often drive below the speed of 30 km/h?

Kemalangan yang agak pelik ini menyebabkan ramai orang berhenti untuk memerhati dalam keadaan terpinga-pinga. Memang ramai yang hairan bagaimana kereta sebesar ini boleh masuk betul-betul muat ke dalam sebuah longkang yang tidak sebesar mana pun...
This rather strange accident made many people stop to have a look while being dumb-founded. Many where perplexed how can such a big car plunge and then fit nicely inside a drain which is not that big...
Keadaan ini menyebabkan saya terasa patut mengambil beberapa gambar sebagai rekod. Malah saya terasa wajib menceritakannya di dalam ketiga-tiga blogspot saya sebelum dapat menyambung apa- apa penulisan lain!
The incident made me feel obliged to take pictures for record. In fact I feel I must tell the story in all my three blogspots before I can continue with any sort of other writing!
Itupun belum cukup rupanya... Saya ingat apa yang diceritakan di atas sudah cukup pelik. Rupanya, ada lagi satu fakta kejadian yang jauh lebih pelik!
It turns out, that is not enough... I thought what is told above is already strange enough. Actually, there is one more fact of incident which is far more curious!
Saya diberitahu, kereta ini datang daripada arah bertentangan sebelum mengalami kemalangan lalu terperesok di dalam longkang. Kalau dari arah bertentangan, bukankah bahagian belakang kereta yang patut kelihatan daripada tempat saya sedang berdiri lalu mengambil gambar ini? Kenapa pula kelihatan bahagian hadapan kereta?
I was told, the car came from the opposite direction before having the accident and got stuck inside the drain. If it was from the opposite direction, shouldn't it be the back part of the car which should be visible from where I was standing to take the picture? Why am I looking at the front part of the car instead?
Menurut seorang hadirin, kereta itu telah berpusing sekurang-kurangnya sekali pusing sebelum terperesok dalam kedudukan yang dilihat ini. Ait? Berpusing lepas itu dapat pula masuk cukup-cukup ke dalam parit yang agak sempit ini? Aduh... Pening memikirkan bagaimana kejadian ini berlaku!
According to one of those present, the car made at least one spin before getting stuck in the position seen here. Ait? Making a spin and then falling just enough to fit inside the rather narrow drain? Ouch... It gives headache thinking about how this incident happened!

Lihat lagi, daripada sudut yang lain pula. Pelik bukan kedudukan kereta ini?
Apapun, saya diberitahu pemandunya selamat, mungkin luka-luka sedikit walaupun dia dikatakan memandu agak laju ketika mengambil selekoh di taman perumahan sehingga terjadinya kemalangan ini.
Look again, from a different angle. Strange isn't it the position of the car?
Whatever, I was told the driver is safe, maybe suffering some minor cuts and bruises although he (or she?) was said to have driven rather fast when taking a corner at the housing estate until the accident happened.
Yang pasti, tidak terdapat apa-apa kesan darah kelihatan seperti yang sering berlaku dalam pengalaman ngeri yang menyebabkan maut atau mereka yang terlibat cedera parah. Cermin tingkap di sisi bahagian pemandu yang terbuka tanpa ada kesan cermin pecah menunjukkan, sekurang-kurang pemandu dapat keluar menyelamatkan diri dalam keadaan yang agak selesa.
What is sure, there was no hint of blood seen as often the case in fatal accidents which caused death or those involved to suffer badly. The side-mirror at the driver's side which was opened without any thrace of the mirror being smashed shows that at least the driver managed to escape rather comfortably.
Bayangkan jika cermin itu tertutup dan pemandu terperangkap di dalamnya. Bagaimanakah agaknya keadaan?
Bayangkan pula kalau cermin tidak dapat dibuka dan kemalangan ini berlaku ketika hujan lebat yang sering menyebabkan banjir kilat. Silap-silap ada yang nahas!
Imagine if the side-mirror was closed and the the driver trapped inside? What would it be like?
Imagine now if the mirror can't be opened and the accident happened during heavy rain which often cause flash flood. For all we know, there would be fatality!

Kereta ditarik keluar menggunakan lori pick-up... Seperti biasa, rakyat Malaysia agak 'prihatin' apabila berlaku apa-apa kemalangan jalanraya. Ramai yang sedia menyumbangkan 'kepakaran' dengan duduk atau diri memerhati sambil ternganga... Atau sibuk mengemukakan 'teori' bagaimanakah sesuatu kemalangan itu boleh berlaku, hehe!
The car being pulled out using a pick-up lorry... As usual, Malaysians are rather 'conscious' whenever there's a road accident. Many are ready to contribute 'expertise' by sitting or standing looking on wide-mouthed... Or busy forwarding 'theories' on how an accident can happen, haha!

Apapun, Alhamdulillah, kereta BMW 3 series ini berjaya dibawa keluar. Sekarang bolehlah saya menyambung penulisan lain ya... Teruskan membaca!

Whatever, thank God, the BMW 3 series was succesfully brought out. Now, I can continue with other writings ya... Keep on reading!