Postcards from the South
During my first visit to Urbanscapes this year, I looked around for the program they had in store. This one certainly caught my eyes. A talk on the railway in Johor, how it transformed the landscape of the state as it opened up the interior. Johor was populated mainly at the shores and with the railway system connecting Gemas and Singapore at the time, the Sultan did the state good by snaking the rails through Labos, Pagoh, Kluang, Sedenak and the rest as they said was history.
But the telling of the story also needed passion and commitment. And in Mahen Bala, who’s family originally came from Gemas, the tale was given the delivery it deserved.
Mahen and his team spent many months documenting the story of how the railway not only opened up this town, but became the central nervous system of these new settlements. A century later, they still played a role for these towns although with the passing of time, these township were connected by the road system. The railway had since played second fiddle.
In the next year or so, the landscape would be transformed again. The rails roads would be upgraded into the new double track system. With the upgrades, the old stations - which used to be the centre of these initially small settlements - would be left abandoned, and some won’t even be a stop any longer on the train schedule.
Mahen told the stories of the people of these towns who grew up by the tracks, and the railway workers of the past who dedicated their live to Keretapi Tanah Melayu. A fascinating hour of storytelling and I couldn’t wait to read the book telling the stories to be published later this year ...
El Patina
I suspected that the Urbanscapes folks ran out of ideas and organised a jumble sale at the House on a peak weekend. They called it El Patina and it featured an eclectic mix of post-modern hippie items as well as some local homemade creations.
Some of the items were quite interesting however, but it was a shame as I was not in the mood for any shopping. Browsing the stalls reminded me on my Sunday morning trips during my student days at car boot sale lots. Plenty of bargains and mostly second hand - or pre-loved as they called it now.
For the bargain hunters, there was always pasar karat at China Town ... only about five minutes away.
I wasn't sure if the event was a one-off or something that they were developing as a weekend fare. The items and the whole setup looked too organise for this to be an impromptu idea. I might visit hem again should I be in the mood for shopping in the future ....