Enstek: A trip to a perfect hideaway
By C S Wan
I first heard it in Melaka _ at a
food court in Limbongan to be precise.
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| Limbongan, Melaka: Where it began |
Over our breakfast of lempeng, Hanafi recounted the incident while Rashid chimed in at appropriate points, to provide some hilarious details.
It was a tale about Hanafi’s attempt
to capture some monkeys which had been making frequent forays into his farm.
Instead of using traditional traps fashioned from hollowed-out coconuts, he
thought it would be more humane to trap them within an enclosure constructed
from zincs and plywood.
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| The zinc enclosure |
One morning, Hanafi and his friends were relaxing at the balcony when the silence of the place was broken by a loud thud and rumble from within the enclosure.
“Dah kena,” Hanafi shouted as they
rushed towards the railing of the balcony. The enclosure began to shake and rattle violently and moments later a monkey emerged from the enclosure. With a facade of calm composure, it sat on the
edge of the enclosure with a ripe banana in its hand. It began to peel the banana with deliberate slowness, pausing to cast taunting glances at the onlookers.Then it proceeded to eat the banana, slowly, unhurried; relishing every single bite. Fully satiated, it glanced at the onlookers and in a final
act of derision tossed the banana peel back into the enclosure before scurrying and
disappearing into the woods.
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| A monkey snapped to attention as the Major approached Caption and photo courtesy of Merli |
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“Doesn’t look familiar,” Peter said, as he slowed down the car and brought it to a halt at a road shoulder.
We
decided to proceed and a few metres ahead a signboard boldly announced the exit
road to Sepang and KLIA. We realised we had missed the correct turning but we
were not unduly worried as the detour and the little adventure, provided a
welcome break from the monotony of our mundane existence. A short distance
ahead we turned into the road leading to Bandar Bukit Makhota and not wanting
to make further exploration we made a U-turn at the toll plaza and were soon on
the road to Nilai. As we drove through Nilai Town, excited voices were calling
attention to once familiar landmarks and this was followed by moments of marked
quietude as we passed through less familiar territory.
“Enstek!” A voice from the rear seat,
called out.
Peter guided the car towards the
indicated direction and we found ourselves on a narrow and virtually deserted
road.
A muffled ringtone sounded from the car's rear seat and all ears strained to listen to the conversation.
“Where are you now?”
The concerned voice told us we were already late
for our rendezvous.
“We’re on a narrow road with a mosque
to our left.”
“ Can you see the name of the
mosque?”
Blurry eyes began to peer and strain
at the writings on a notice board, but all the efforts were in vain. An awkward
silence that ensued was an unspoken acknowledgement of our predicament. A comforting voice at the other end of the
line said,
“ I think I know where you are. Just wait for us there.”
A black sedan soon appeared and being
grandly escorted to our destination by two prominent figures, I began to relax and soak up the view of the countryside.
The twists and turns in the road soon
gave way to hilly terrain with narrow road flanked by towering trees and
undergrowth. Then as the car crawled up a gentle gradient, a grand house
loomed before us.
As we stepped into the compound, our
host, Hanafi, greeted us warmly and guided us to our table. A sumptuous buffet
was already laid out on a long table and among the wide variety of local
delights were home-grown vegetables and venison from his farm.
While we were savouring the delectable fare and sipping fruit cordial specially concocted by Ben, Hanafi appeared at our table bearing two casseroles filled with rendang. Out of earshot of the other guests, he whispered,
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| Gan, SL, Wan, Peter, Koot Photo courtesy of KC |
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| Jee, May, KGH Photo courtesy of Ben |
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| 'Are they from the same batch ?' Caption and photo courtesy of Rashid |
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| Tn. Fadzil and wife Photo courtesy of Ben |
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| A token of appreciation Photo courtesy of KC |
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| Audrey, Harry Photo courtesen |
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| Mrs Koot, Audrey, Ben Photo courtesy of KC |
While we were savouring the delectable fare and sipping fruit cordial specially concocted by Ben, Hanafi appeared at our table bearing two casseroles filled with rendang. Out of earshot of the other guests, he whispered,
“This is rendang ayam kampong, specially for the cikgus,”
Shortly, afterwards, he approached our table with a bowl of tapai. I was intrigue at the sight of the tapai as it was the first time I was seeing tapai wrapped in rubber tree leaves.The tapai appeared, magically disappeared, and then reappeared from the table and within minutes only the empty leaves were left to bear testimony to its popularity.
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| Tapai daun getah |
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| ...satu tangkai ada tiga tapai Captions and photos courtesy of Rashid |
Just when I thought, we had eaten our fill, Hanafi had another surprise for us.
" Sambal telur itik," he announced.
“Where is the monkey enclosure?” I
asked Rashid as he came to our table.
“We can see it from the balcony.
We’ll go there after our meal," he replied.
A while later we were following
closely behind Rashid as he led us to the balcony. From the wide, open balcony
I found myself looking, admiring and appreciating the panoramic view that
stretched below us.
Half-obscured by a tree with bare branches, I could see the zinc enclosure used for trapping the monkey. In front of the enclosure a solitary, stationary 'tiger' lay stretched on the ground, keeping an eternal watch for intruders and predators.
Just beyond the zinc enclosure, under the grid shadows of towering trees, the murky shapes of deer could be seen grazing in a fenced-in area.
"Behind the deer pen there is a river," Rashid told us.
Obscured by grassy embankment and trees with dense canopy, the unseen river and what lay beyond it lent a touch of mystery to the place.
While we were content to view the farm from the balcony, unknown to us, the more adventurous and physically fit 'youngsters' had trekked across the uneven ground to get a closer look at the animals.
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As I caught sight of a brick barbecue pit, immediately below us, my mind began to conjure up images of tantalizing meat sizzling over coal fire and mouth-watering pizza being baked to a crisp golden brown.
As I paused to take another look at the view, I began to picture the occupants of the house waking up to the crow of roosters and being greeted by a cacophony of animal sounds radiating from creatures in the wood and those in the cages: the shrill shriek of monkeys, the chirp of the early birds, the cluck of chickens foraging for food, and the honk of geese keeping away intruders.
I could also visualize the residents waking up early to catch the first glimmer of golden light peeking above the line of tall tree tops.
The sun was already high up in the sky when we finally finished viewing and inspecting the farm. As some of us had other prior engagements, thanking the hosts for the fine food and hospitality, we took our leave.
As I picked my way gingerly to the car, in my heart, I knew Hanafi had chosen the right place to build his dream home. Within a few minutes drive from the nearest town and concealed from the road by stately trees with thick foliage, it was the perfect hideaway for escaping from the hustle and bustle of city life.
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| The panoramic view from the balcony |
Half-obscured by a tree with bare branches, I could see the zinc enclosure used for trapping the monkey. In front of the enclosure a solitary, stationary 'tiger' lay stretched on the ground, keeping an eternal watch for intruders and predators.
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| A 'tiger' keeping a vigilant look |
Just beyond the zinc enclosure, under the grid shadows of towering trees, the murky shapes of deer could be seen grazing in a fenced-in area.
Obscured by grassy embankment and trees with dense canopy, the unseen river and what lay beyond it lent a touch of mystery to the place.
While we were content to view the farm from the balcony, unknown to us, the more adventurous and physically fit 'youngsters' had trekked across the uneven ground to get a closer look at the animals.
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| 'What are they up to?' Caption and photo courtesy of Rashid |
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| Deer grazing in fenced-in area Photo courtesy of Jee |
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| Another view of the deer enclosure Photo courtesy of Rashid |
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| A close-up view of the deer Photo courtesy of Teo |
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| Pond teeming with red tilapia. Get ready your fishing rods. Photos courtesy of Rashid |
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| A gaggle of geese to keep away intruders Photo courtesy of Rashid |
As I caught sight of a brick barbecue pit, immediately below us, my mind began to conjure up images of tantalizing meat sizzling over coal fire and mouth-watering pizza being baked to a crisp golden brown.
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| 'Next trip, we will use this place to bake our own pizza' Caption and photo courtesy of Rashid |
As I paused to take another look at the view, I began to picture the occupants of the house waking up to the crow of roosters and being greeted by a cacophony of animal sounds radiating from creatures in the wood and those in the cages: the shrill shriek of monkeys, the chirp of the early birds, the cluck of chickens foraging for food, and the honk of geese keeping away intruders.
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| 'A drill sergeant' stands guard over the property Photo courtesy of Hanafi |
I could also visualize the residents waking up early to catch the first glimmer of golden light peeking above the line of tall tree tops.
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| Glimmer of lights over the tree tops Photo courtesy of Hanafi |
The sun was already high up in the sky when we finally finished viewing and inspecting the farm. As some of us had other prior engagements, thanking the hosts for the fine food and hospitality, we took our leave.
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| One for the album before we head for home Photo courtesy of Ben |
As I picked my way gingerly to the car, in my heart, I knew Hanafi had chosen the right place to build his dream home. Within a few minutes drive from the nearest town and concealed from the road by stately trees with thick foliage, it was the perfect hideaway for escaping from the hustle and bustle of city life.
While the article captures the imagination with its description of the beautiful natural surroundings of Enstek, admittedly, the servings of Rendang Ayam Kampung and Sambal Telur Itik were what captured my attention!
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