182. O CRAB !

Crab Island ie. Pulau Ketam in the local Malay lingo...off the west coast of Malaysia...

The pleasant boat ride to the Island took an hour passing a good many mangrove forests...

A terminal called South Port - for how long will its name remain in English?

Water village

Arriving at the homestay

The 'love boat' coming in to sweep me off my feet for a sunset cruise

There aren't many jobs on the island but this enterprising resident is a jack of several trades - he's a security personnel at the only bank on the island, by night he becomes this satay man bbq-ing skewered meat, and a tour guide on some days when there's a demand...! 

Ketam makes for a quiet laid back getaway for city slickers, not yet invaded by large hordes of Chinese or Singaporeans. We were the only 'Singaporeans' on that weekend, most members in this small group were Malaysians living in Singapore, who like me, were touching base with the country they were born and grew up in...

It's a step back in time to a period where everybody knew everybody, where windows and doors were kept open and unlocked and everyone could see into their living rooms and smell what's cooking through the kitchen window...

It's a time where folks made time for sit-down meals with the family and while away the evenings chatting on their doorsteps or in their favourite coffeeshops...life was simple with simple pleasures...

It's a time where people were genuine and warm and help one another out when help is needed...

Drying shrimp, squid and salted fish - I'm most surprised to note there are neither flies nor ants - how come?

The land is badly polluted with the humans' plastic wastes, others carried in by the tides, food debris from the humans, chiefly seafood shells and bones are thrown into the surrounding land area, the smell is usually strong, yet there's no ants nor flies...

An area that's less polluted many parts were seriously bad...

The morning catch...small fish, small catch...we are depleting the seas and this is happening all over the world and they are not replacing themselves fast enough - as with some humans...

The sole ATM on the entire island - the log book hanging there is for the police to sign in or record whatever! So old world!

Attempts to make the place more arty farty...it's unspoilt...raw...

Over land and sea! The island is linked by 3 bridges. It has no cars but has too many of those PMDs with some pretty inconsiderate riders who go too fast...

Cross the bridge when you come to it!

So simple yet so effective. A screen to cut the glare put together with old wood planks. Many older homes on Ketam are made with wood planks with few newer concrete homes, but this may change as mainlanders move in...what's preventing the rush is the island been accessible only by boats and it's a car free space...

The numerous lanes are terribly interesting with homestays aplenty...

The island has almost a 100% Chinese population with the main dialect group being Teochew. I suspect their Government will dilute the population by moving in Malays as they have done in Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak

rustic river scenes

I enjoyed most the colours of Ketam - bright, bold, eye catching - cheap way to spruce up old buildings and boats...

Spectacular sunrise and sunset moments add to its rustic charm...

The homestay by day and at dusk - what can I say...except 'Thank you' to my Divine 'Parents' for the beauty morning and evening outside my door...

At dusk the birds (look like ibis from a distance), return to roost

Tide was coming in - feeding time for the eagles and hawks before dark...

Visited this large fish farm where the fish is confined to small areas and fed on pellets which are more often than not, chemical in origin, even more so when bred for sale, in which they are fattened Asap and made heavy enough to fetch the best price. The fish that were been cleaned above did not have a healthy colour. Malaysia has announced a reduction of seafood exports to SG - I say we reduce imports drastically and buy more from elsewhere. They mean us harm and we have no idea what the animals are fed which can be transmitted to the humans through their tissues...granted 'elsewhere' may have similar farming methods but there's no vindictive political agendas. 

Even greens are suspect - water used to water them can be laced with chemicals - not to kill outright but slowly but surely disable consumers through debilitating disease. To make matters worse, many eat out. Business owners would buy from the cheapest sources and food handlers do not wash the raw items before cooking...

SG needs to grow her own greens for a start, making full use of whatever little space that's around the neighbourhood, on rooftops etc and it's people need to watch how they eat (which is a lost cause). I suggest they start by not buying Made in Malaysia as a precaution, for after all, SG imports from all over, they cost a few dollars more, but surely food safety is our personal responsibility, not rely entirely on a Government body to do the testing...toxic chemicals in the tissues of meat and veggies are released at cooking when heat is applied, the testing of uncooked food in the lab may not reveal this. Washing greens well may minimise this but only if there's home cooking - another lost cause...last but not least, to give up or minimise meat intake, hard for many - meat inside the body is more toxic than greens...

...even its dragon comes with a fish tail!...definitely a human's imagination...so quaint!

Their fabulous incense burners...the colours are what caught my eye...!

What I liked most about the island - a riot of colours!

A room with a view - inside looking out, outside looking in!

Homemade yumminess - those traditional cakes are hard to come by in SG - these were super! In small close knit communities, food is good with trouble taken in its prep...

A touch of whimsy - pink shapely 'ladies' 

This would be most people's favourite - it's definitely mine! It's bold, it's courageous...

More pink beauties...and their men are good about it!

White picket fences are sooo dated - these are more like it...!

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This was at the Kuala Lumpur airport with a reminder not to forget one's roots, which for a large majority, would come from humble roots, small town roots...even if their forefathers were from elsewhere...