Sungai Rengit: What and where to Eat. Yummy!

Today is Halloween. In my own culture, it is never part of our 'habit' to celebrate this event. But in my adopted country, this is big! The children are looking forward for "trick or treat" in their disguises. Houses are well decorated with pumpkins, scared crows and some other scary things such as wicked face of a witch, ghost, skull... It becomes part of my activities with my children, to curve the pumpkins into the Jack O lanterns. Right now, it is raining heavily here. Ironically, this is the warmest weather for this whole week, at around 17 deg C. It had been a cold week at 4-7 deg C and temperature dropped to under 0 at night. Not a best day to go out for candies, but hopefully the rain will subside in the later evening.
These few days, i had been missing home (my homeland) terribly. Can't wait to go back and tuck in to those food which i ate growing up. So, i would share about food here today! Yum yum... I am a vegetarian now, so i don't really eat those things back home anymore. I feel hesitate to kind of "promote" eating seafood at my blog, but unfortunately, this is a big part of what my hometown is about. 

Pictures are taken from either facebook or this blog:
http://johorkaki.blogspot.ca/2012/07/lobsters-jade-garden-in-sungai-rengit.html?spref=fb

This is a simple map from Johor Kaki blog about the location of the major seafood restaurant in Sungai Rengit. My family personally prefer Sungai Rengit (Si Wan as above) Seafood Restaurant, but the restaurant was caught on fire one month ago. Probably had been rebuilt by now. If you come from the direction of Kota Tinggi and choose to drive through the town instead of choosing the fork road goes by the sea, then Si Wan is the first seafood restaurant you would see at the left.

This is kind of the more popular tourist restaurant as it had won the Singaporean TV program as one of the best restaurant in Johor. It is kind of popular to the local too, as they don't serve pork here. So if you have an Indonesian muslim maid, you probably will choose to eat here. I personally think their service is the worst during the weekend, when the restaurant is jam packed with all the tourists. I would go next door.

The restaurant at the right of the picture, Sin Kong, is just right in front of Jade Garden. The last time i heard someone talked about here was from my sister. She went for a take away of some kind of seafood noodle and my mom said, she had been charged with a 'tourist rate'. I am not sure what does it means. 

I knew nothing much about the restaurant at the left of the picture, Hyann. It had been changing name a lot since my childhood. But the small shop beside of this restaurant is selling ais kacang 红豆冰 by the same owner since i was in primary school. Go for the ais kacang!

At the left, Super Lobster, i would say this is the newest restaurant of all. Again, i don't know a clue about this restaurant. 

At the right, You Kee, just right beside of Jade Garden, have been there since my primary school year. I still remember went there to eat with my teachers and classmates after some kind of school activities. It was a rewards from the school to us.

If you are not the fan of seafood like me, there are something even vegan can eat as well! They are way cheaper, authentically local and they taste great!

This picture was took by Joane Yeo, i took it from her facebook. According to her, these ota 乌打 were good. You can buy it just right at the walk path of the photo shop, opposite to the taxi station of Sungai Rengit. (顺顺乌打,四湾美美相馆店外面在卖)

So, this is what i mean by saying that, even vegan can eat: soy milk 豆奶 and bean curbs 豆花. The black thing, i think is black glutinous rice 黑糯米, which you eat with coconut milk 椰奶. The other picture is the deep fried prawn cake 炸虾饼. The owner of the stall was selling it for as long as i can remember. After he passed away, his son-in-law took over the cart to continue the business. Try to find the cart just some where by the road. In my memory, it moves around! (Picture from Sons of the Sea facebook page.)

 The two dishes above, i ate them as breakfast throughout my childhood. The below is wanton noodle 云吞面 and the above is "pig intestine roll" 猪肠粉. The "pig intestine roll" is basically make with flour, with pork and prawn inside the roll, steamed. You could order just the roll, without the meat inside as well, which make it vegan! Serve with diluted soy sauce and chili. The shop used to be beside of Tai Hoe hotel or Am Bank, right across the Sungai Rengit taxi station. But i sister told me that, it had moved to the same row of shop houses with the ais kacang shop. (Picture from Sons of the Sea facebook page.)

This is extracted from China Press after Pengerang became a national attention due to protest over the petrochemical project. Many medias made visit to Pengerang since then, including some from Taiwan.

Pengerang, Quiet no more

A simple small town, famous with seafood, Pengerang is changing its face.

Located at the north east of Johor state, currently undergoing massive land reclamation to make place for the petrochemical project RAPID, it is losing its peace as just a tranquil fishing town.

Generations of villagers saw the sea right in front of their houses been replaced with land, many houses, schools, temples and grave yards of the ancesters are all going to be destroyed. Thousands of fishermen are affected, traditional fishing households are facing the difficulties in lives, losing their income. This so called development bring nothing to the local people but sadness and damnation.

邊佳蘭靜中帶枉

純樸的小鎮，擁有廣闊海水及豐富漁產的邊佳蘭（Pengerang），逐漸山河變色。

位于柔佛州東南部的邊佳蘭，目前大興土木進行填海工程，將發展提煉及石油化學綜合發展計劃（RAPID），但卻破壞當地的純樸漁鄉面貌。

生活好幾代的居民，看到前方海水被一堆堆泥土填塞，部分家園、學校、神廟及祖墳即將夷為平地，還有近千名捕魚人家遭受前所未有的打擊，傳統漁家面臨斷炊命運，因此對邊佳蘭的大型發展乍喜還憂……

http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/304156

Peaceful and quiet, but won't be anymore.

The traditional chinese pastry. This shop has been there since i have memory.

What else other than to mend their net if the fisherman couldn't go to the sea? Or worst more, there is no more sea with fishes.

The fisherman jetty at Sungai Rengit.

The coconut trees used to be abundance in my childhood, now we see this only at the more inner areas of the villages. But soon, wont even see this anymore.

This tailor shop is there since i have memory as well.

Part of the Sungai Rengit town from the bird view. Sungai Rengit town center will be spared from destruction, to keep it as a supply town to the petrochemical plant, around 5km from here, if no nearer.

Leisure Pengerang (4): A Zen Temple, Teluk Ramunia

The departure to go back home for this time was an unexpected and sad one. We were there to attend to the funeral of my grandma. Little did i expect that, she would be gone so fast. Eventhough her health was deterioting, but i thought she would be like my late grandfather. He hang on and was bed ladden for the later years, all together for 7 years at least. My mother said, grandma used to say, she would not want to be the burden of anyone and in fact, she did not become such. The last time i saw her, she said, i wont be able to see her for the last time, since i am so far away. i told her, then, at least i will come back to send you for your last journey. i cant control of been married far, but at least i made it to see her for the one last time, eventhough that was just her body.

Funeral is perhaps the only time that one could really see all the relatives, both close and distant one. I was happpy to see all my cousins, now all of them grown up and a man. I caught up with my family and we talked about also the future of our hometown. This piece of land where my uncles and aunties, some of my cousins and all my siblings grown up is now under the threat of been developed into a petrochemical industrial park.

One of the disappearing kampung, Langkah Baik or tou2 wan1. There is only one main street in the village and the whole village is just right beside of the shore. One oil rig is so near to the village that, you think you should be able to swim there.

The billions worth of project affected several kampung (villages) and whether like it or not, the project or land clearing are already started. I am sure this means 'development' and money to the decision makers (ordinary citizen like us won't know who are they though), who dont even know this place or come here before. Unfortunately, for those really get affected, those who are really staying here, it means the lost of HOME. Place where our ancestors came and made it into a home, place where a few generations of people tight our hearts. If you asked me, i personally would prefer my kampung to stay the way it is, many of the people think as me too. There are many groups of villagers fighting this big wave of change with their small voices, you can find them at facebook. Here are a few:

停止工程，保留我们的家园-边加兰 Selamatkan Bumi Pengerang --- http://www.facebook.com/pages/%E5%81%9C%E6%AD%A2%E5%B7%A5%E7%A8%8B%E4%BF%9D%E7%95%99%E6%88%91%E4%BB%AC%E7%9A%84%E5%AE%B6%E5%9B%AD-%E8%BE%B9%E5%8A%A0%E5%85%B0-Selamatkan-Bumi-Pengerang/348816058473855

KampungKu SuaraKu 我的甘榜 由我做主 ----- http://www.facebook.com/KampungKuSuaraKu

If you want news about Pengerang, including events going on and all kind of other information, you could look for it here: 边佳兰前线 Pengerang Frontline ---- http://www.facebook.com/groups/158422210931553/
You probably can ask the creater of the group too. He is still staying in Sungai Rengit.



Except for seafood, Pengerang produced talents too! This is proudly done by the son of my neighbour.

You can read about the trip of Mediacorp artist, Zheng Bin Hui here: http://zhengbinhui.wordpress.com/2009/04/26/边加兰之旅

Now, let`s talk about the temple. To access, you can take the massive red soil road at the left, after the `T`junction of Kota Tinggi highway, then turn into the small road at the right. It is easier to take the small one vehicle-pass-only road before the left turn to the lastest housing estate in Teluk Ramunia (i don`t remember the name of the Taman). You will be able to see the Guan Yin statues if you keep looking at the left, when you drive from Sungai Rengit. 

I do not remember when was the last time i came here. i remember washing the pool with my friends though. This pond and the statues are there since i was in primary school. But now, it is more colorful.

i heard that, the whole temple got rebuilt due to termites infestation. It looked even bigger and nicer than 20 years ago. The temple used to be surrounded by the bushes, but now a housing estate is built near by.

The Buddha statue under the bodhi tree is something new to me. i like it. Somehow, it reminded me of the one i saw at Sarna, near the Deer Park in India.

Leisure Pengerang (1): Teluk Ramunia Beach

I thank Alyce (a Check Jawa volunteer guide) for her kind words and feedback to this blog. She visited Pengerang with her friends and they stayed in the chalet at Teluk Ramunia for their last day of Year 2005.
Robin (a Check Jawa volunteer guide also) and Grace (Alyce's friend who i have never met before) are also kind enough to allow me to upload the photos they took.
They rented bicycles in Pengerang and cycled all the way from Tanjung Pengelih to Teluk Ramunia. i believe that, it took around them around 2 to 3 hours.This is something not very common to do for a local people like me. :)

The chalet beside of the beach. The beach at this area is rather flat and shallow. You enjoy quite a peace ambient too, as it is not very near to the main town.

Horseshoe Crab

Scientists believed that, they exist since dinosaur time. Their tail is often mistaken as weapon but in fact it is used to right themselves if they were overturned.

The sunset for the last day of Year 2005.

The very fresh and relatively cheaper seafood is the greatest attraction in Pengerang.

In fact, due to its location which is so near to Singapore, the cost of living in Pengerang is high for a small town like this. The price of seafood is also not any cheap to the local people.

Local fruits. Probably freshly picked from tree!

A honey dew farm near to the chalet.

If you cycle or drive along the road beside of this honey dew farm, you will pass by a boring resettlement. After that, you reach another beach called Batu Layar, which i prefer more than the Teluk Ramunia beach. Batu Layar is more secluded and the beach has many big and small rocks in different shape. However i heard rumour that, there are crocodiles there. After Batu Layar, you will reach the famous Desaru Beach.