Chapter 6 Gunong Inas

Gunong Inas Estate,Selama is at the northern most of Perak.Those days it was a tiny town where you can find someone fishing by its side where  there was a huge swamp.

Imagine when I first stepped into that town I noticed a man fishing a big huruan or snake head from that swamp.I was fascinated on how he tackled that big fish which he finally landed with ease.That really inspired me  for wanting to take up fishing although I had never taken up of it seriously.

That was a tiny town where everyone knew each other.I also took notice of a group of middle aged men drinking liqueur in board day light in public.They were talking and yearning a loud ignoring all passerby 

Just who were they???, I thought.Accordingly these were a group of people  who had surrendered to the Police.They were ex-bandits who had taken advantage of the Government's reprieve to surrender with their weapons.They were staying in that town as restricted residences.

They, it seem were paid a monthly allowance of ringgit one hundred and fifty but looked at them drinking daily .Can the allowances they received be substantial to  all those  heavy drinking? .Nay,never then how can they drink like a fish,everyone of them?.

I am of the opinion that although they had surrendered they were still forces to reckon with.My wild guess were that those town folks especially the well to do were financially supporting them.Pay them to silence their activities.It could have been their own savings which were impossible,having spent so much time in the jungle feeding mosquitoes and leeches.

It was in this small town that I discovered an unearthly thing about "Char Siew Poa". This happened during my return trip from Taiping one early morning before the sun rises.I was back early by taxi and had to wait for my transport from the plantation to take me home.

It was  just after 6.00 a.m.and every where were so quiet.It was then that I saw a young man walking into a coffee shop.Before he went into the shop which he had just opened , he approached baskets of "dim sum" in baskets  which were being heated over a stove.He opened the cover of  top basket which were full of 'Char Siew Poa"or Roasted Pork Dumplings.

 With mouth full of water he spewed that mouthful of water over the top of those "Char Siew Poa". That was to induce those dumplings to rise up more and evenly..That to me was very unhealthy way besides nauseating.It was.awfully dirty.A spray of water with a sprayer would be more appropriate or rinsed  water over those dumplings with the hand.With that ended my taking of "Char Siew Poa" for ever.

Gunong Inas Estate was actually situated at the extreme end of Perak.We had to travel miles of laterite road to reach it.We had to pass through many other rubber plantations.I think there were at least ten miles of winding road into the interior.

It was bumpy on ordinary days but hell on rainy days.The treacherous road could be extremely slippery on rainy days.Going in and out of estate was by private  "sapu" taxi.All bone- shakers or old junk whose tyres were seemingly bald.Thinking of these and the slippery road really frightened us.

No choice need to go out have to endure all those risks.Once going into the plantation on early morning I saw something like an old man squatting by the side of the road.That took the light out of me and I looked straight ahead.Later I found out that that stretch of road was really haunted.

The estate had an old jeep which was used by the Manager.Just an old junk nothing to shout about, because going with the Manager could disastrous.For half way might have to get  down to push it to re-start that damn thing.Well,I prefer not to be joined him.,it was safer to be in those private 'sapu"..

Here I stayed with the Senior Conductor in that semi-detached bungalow with each occupying a room on top of a small hill.Next door was the Manager. Another funny thing was the supplying of rice and sugar to the workers.Cost of which to be deducted from their payments.

We had for company a host of pigeons residing in our roof.According to reliable sources they were bred by some staffs who had left the Company.The birds left behind simply multiplied on their own as time went by with no one interfering them.

This was a so because all these areas were Communists invested areas.Although these were over when I went there but the ration of food were still running and would be phased out soon.The Union insisted that should be over but it remained because the estate is so far from town so shopping for them would be quite impossible.

There was a sundry shop within that estate but its goods were limited.Beside the shop its owner operated the private transport.It cost us $ 5/=per trip out or returning..The so called taxi also collected our mails from the post office in town.

My initial job there was to supervise the replanting of budded stumps in a nearby field.Fortunately I already had some experiences doing replanting under the hot and blazing sun.The replanting was walking distance from our bungalow so no big deal.

Here I was taken aback astonished at how tappers could got into the fields to tap in the wee, wee hours of the morning.Just imagine going into the fields at 3.00 a.m.Tappers consisted of very young girls,women and men.All of them Chinese Contract tappers.

Anxious as I was I  surprised everyone by going into those areas  following them in those hours.The "kapala" took me along seeing all task by task in the fields.All of them had a lighted lamp tightly secured to their forehead..Thus allowing them to see their way around and also provided the lighting for their tapping.

Well they too were caught by surprised that at least a staff had finally gone into the fields at those hours  to see them working which never happened before.To me first hand knowledge was indeed very good experience.

Those areas were actually slaughtering fields and due for replanting.To tap so early in the morning were to extract as much latex as possible from the trees.There were no fear of wounding the trees here and those trees were to be fully exploited with a number of tapping cuts.Those areas were due for replanting.

A cook was provided to cook for us.She saw to all our needs.That included washing of our clothes and maintaining the cleanliness of the house.Food was to be paid by us.Should require any things better all we had to do was to request for them.Cost of which would be bore by us.

A RSS smoke sheet store was within our compound.The factory with its sheeting batteries were  house at another building behind our bungalow but not within our compound.Our bungalow overlooked the labor lines and as we rested in the front porch we can watch directly what our workers were doing.

Opened air film show were screened once a month for the workers to enjoy.Mostly Indian action films were listed for screening.The workers favorite hero that time was M.G.R.Ramachadran.Should we go near to watch.Chairs would be arranged for us.But I seldom joined them.

I had just been there for a month I received news that I passed the Examination with a second grade and I jumped with joy.Well it sure, very sweet as that was my third attempt with two other failures.

Within my stay there I also met friends from some plantations.The one I remembered was the Manager whose plantation was just before the town.His name was Mr.Chua Seong Hoe.That was a long time ago ,most probably by now he must have forgotten about 

It was here that I learned that Senior staffs when purchasing goods for the plantations all received kickbacks.For the first time I understand how corrupted plantation staffs could be.Maybe they were not corrupted but the offerings were so opened.By such even  the most honest could be tempted to misbehaved.

I maybe wronged that I kept the Boss informed as I was being transferred out of that estate.I was not proving  anything because I do not condoned to such actions.It was simply not right.The amount involved was definitely not worth the risks.

The extras they paid out would also be levied upon the goods we purchased.That definitely not fair to our Company which had entrusted us.Understanding this, at least I would now know how to prevent this happening to me.That was why I always demanded that amount be deducted from the cost of materials I purchased.

That was one of the reasons how I could survived easily in any Malaysian Chinese owned plantations.For many of them had spies in all those estate supplies outlets.Many occasions the Bosses themselves would personally conduct their own investigations.Well,this was one trick of our trade.Always think like the Bosses themselves.

Every month I constantly took a day or two leaves to return home to Teluk Anson just to visit my family and most of all to take a look at the one I left behind.I would steal a fleeting glance into her eyes as we passed each other especially after her schooling period.For sometime we were not on talking terms.

Some how when I was in Church our friend James made us friends once more.I remember a day when we celebrated the moon cake festival at out Auntie's house along Immigration Road.I invited them to join the party at that house.Well I disappointed she and her friends with just a plain eating party not a dancing party which they expected..

At least we did communicated with each other,that was most That was  a fresh begin.Those moment as I think back should had been awful wonderful opportunities for had I  declared my undying love for her.Perhaps that could had transformed the whole situation for me.I felt however out of pride that would not be right and that it be better if I return later when I am more successful in my career.

So I allowed the matter to take its natural flow in life.Thinking back I think that was rather a stupid move as life was never so rosy as painted in most love stories.Yes,I had forgotten that a beauty such as her would also had many other admirers.So should there be no stake of claim she would never know how much I love her.

I made my follies,God forbids No use crying other split milk.Life have to go on.Not only once had I forgo all my chances .I can sadly relate another incident where the opportunity were so open yet I dashed it similarly away.

It was in June 1962  that I had returned home for my birthday.Our family by then had shifted to a rented house along Changkat Jong Road.Incidentally her family had also shifted into the huge"ghost house" directly behind our rented house.

That evening she came over to my house but we talked only a little then I went along my other business.Had I taken the slightest initiative to take her out that evening and said what I had to tell her ,the whole episode would had been entirely different.

For the same reason I allowed it be.How ridiculous and foolish a man can be.Not only that she was at the birthday dance party at our house,yet I forfeited my chances there again.Having said these who can I blame?