My Kluang at Night

This entry is once again for all my Kluang readers, Kluangnite who settled elsewhere as well as for readers who wish to see and know more about this little beautiful 'Bat Town'. No, we dont have bat-mobile nor does batman lives here. You see, the name of my hometown is originally spelt as 'Keluang', which is after this nocturnal animal known as 'Keluang' (flying fox bats) and later changed to Kluang. That's why it is known as the 'Bat Town' or maybe 'The Town of the Bats'. Whatever la...

(image googled from internet)

Don't ask me why or whether are there a lot of 'Keluang' that's why the name, I don't know and I don't wish to know. They always give me that creepy feelings that associated with images of skeletons & cobwebs & witches. It is not one of my favourite animal though I've eaten a few of them and they tasted like chicken and you'll wake up next day unable to open your eyes... erm... that's beside the point. Gross hor...? But it is good if you are weak & asthmatic. So are snakes, monkeys, wild boar, tigers....:p I don't la.. they fed me all kind of creepy stuff when I was young.

First and foremost, the 'Diamond Jubli Hall' which is smacked right in the middle of the town. This building has already been there since the first day I stepped off the train and sinked my tiny feets into Kluang's soil in 1979. This is the hall where the government held all their official functions. Inside this hall, there is a stage. On days when there are no official events, it will be rented out for Indian weddings, bookfairs, exhibitions and etc. I remembered how I used to frequent there whenever there is a bookfair eventhough most books were in Chinese, a language I don't read. Once, I found an English book there on stars and its galaxy and that is when I was fascinated with the placement of stars in the sky, the milkyway & etc..Don't know what happened to that book of mine...

Right opposite the 'Diamond Jubli Hall' there is this park known as 'Tuk Lap Fa Yuen' in Cantonese (Independence Garden?). In this park, it used to have a little pond and a fountains, playgrounds and ice kacang stalls. The little pond is still there minus the water, the fountains is gone, playgrounds still stood strong - upgraded, as for ice kacang stalls, I think replaced with mamaks already. It is also in this park that I was enticed to stay behind in Kluang with PP. This is the park where PP will take me to every evening.

This road here is adjacent to the park. Also one of the oldest road in Kluang. My memory of this road would be ankle high of exploded red fire crackers pieces on Chap Goh Mei a long time ago when burning of fire crackers is still allowed. The whole road was blanketed with a shredded red papers like that. There was so much fun. Or when I was peering down from one of the building upstairs, to watch the many procession that took place down below in conjuction with some festivals. All that was so long ago. I was just a tiny bit then.

On the roof top of this building was where music band would practise. Those days, whenever they are practising for upcoming procession, we can always hear the blowing of trumpets, hitting of drums down the street whenever we passed by. I wonder do they still practise now.

It is on this vacant land that where the old Kluang bus station used to stand, where the best satay stall used to be, where my grandparents' noodle stall used to be, where I used to lay cardboard boxes on the chairs to sleep, where Aunty Tua Pui Poh's (fat aunty) yummy prawn noodles used to be. Or where I was bathed by one of our helper while she was being scolded by PP for not looking after me cause I fell into one of the yucky drain while in her care. Those days, I always fell into the drain, don't know why also. They must have some kind of magnetic forces over me. Poor me. Anyway, the bus station has long been shifted. It is now only a vacant land filled with memories.

Opposite the vacant land is where our A&W used to be. The first and only fastfood in Kluang 25 years ago. Now, we no longer have any A&W. However, we do have KFC, McD & Pizza Hut. And above where our A&W used to be stood the "White House Hotel". It is still there after all these years. Wonder how they survived. It is strange that all these old hotels seems to be able to defy time.

This building here, used to house our first & only departmental store known as the Emporium. I remembered the ground floor would be sundries, 1st floor would be women clothings, 2nd floor would be men clothings, 3rd floor would be children clothings + stationaries and the toppest floor, would be a mini amusement park with choo choo train. Those days, if you are going to the Emporium, you can be very lansi already.... it is the coolest place to be. After Emporium, it became Parkson. I can't remember what happened to it after Parkson. Maybe after Parkson, it became this 2 Ringgit store or something... since then, few others store sprouted- Nilai, Champion, The Store....

Right next to the Emporium stood our oldest hotel - The Regal Hotel. It has also been there for a very long time and it is still running. Not sure what kind of guests though... also don't know got extra services one or not...hehehehe...

Opposite the Emporium is where PP & I used to hangout - Poh Lee Hair Salon. :p Once a week, never failed. I practically grow up here. Everybody knows everybody here. The sighboard is classic!..

This used to be one of the main street in Kluang. It still is, just that the crowds has long moved to other later developed township. Those days, if you wanna get your hair done, this is where you go. Other than Poh Lee, there are many others. Or if you wanna buy a watch, shoes (Bata), cakes (Milky & Golden), spectacles, tailor-made suits (Creative), herbs, pork noodles, sweet meat, bank (Mayban) or anything at all, this is where you find them all. Together with time, everything has changed too.

This building on the left used to be one of the bigger cinema in Kluang - The Coronation. They used to have a colourfully lighted up weighing machine right outside the cinema which will churned out a little card with your weight punched on it when you insert 20cents. They used to also have a sugarcane stall in front where I would buy a drink whenever I passes by, cassette stall by the side where PP would buy all her music cassettes. I've watched some movies in here and the one that stood strong in my memory till today would be the movie called "Batteries Not Included".

This is also the oldest main road in Kluang connecting to Mersing. If you are heading for Pulau Tioman/Aur, you will surely not missed this. When my grandparents stall was later shifted to the hawker center behind The Coronation, I used to cycle/walk across this road every evening to get to the wet market situated at the opposite side to buy raw noodles when we ran out of it at the stall. Oh, once I cycled myself into another drain here too... told you about the magnetic force. Hehehehe...



And that, bring us to the end of my entry for "My Kluang At Night". To end it off, here is a photo taken of me & my mom, sitting on one of those classic granite bench sponsored by the general public at the "Independence Park" in Kluang. You know those bench right? They would have the names of the sponsors inscribed at the back of the bench... those kind lor... I am not sure if the names are still there though. They used to have it long ago. :)