FORTY years on, the neighbourhood that I used to live in Kepong Baru has experienced very little change.

This is a vast comparison to the development that has emerged around it, including rapid development in Segambut and Jalan Kepong.

Although the street name has changed from Jalan 53 to Lorong Bidara 1, the environment surrounding the street seems to have been preserved in time and this evokes nostalgia for me as I walk down memory lane of my childhood days.

The morning market in Jalan Bangau is almost unchanged.
The morning market in Jalan Bangau is almost unchanged.
Most of the houses on the street are the same except for a few that have been renovated.

Otherwise, Jalan 53 where I grew up playing street football remains unchanged and probably is much quieter now.

I went looking for the rambutan tree which grew on the open space in front of my late grandmother’s single-storey terrace house and the murungakai (drumstick) tree which stood prominently across the street, but they were both long gone.

Talking about trees, I remember the numerous occasions that I got bitten by red ants while climbing the rambutan tree to pluck the juicy fruits.

The sundry shop where I used to shop with my granmother and aunties when I was growing up.
The sundry shop where I used to shop with my granmother and aunties when I was growing up.
I used to climb the murungakai tree as well to pick the drumsticks for my grandmother to cook.

The sticks and leaves are delicious when cooked with dhall.

The side of the street that used to house various fruit and shady trees are now bare and the space is used by the residents to park their cars.

The thought of how my friends and I used to play street football every afternoon and badminton in Jalan 53 is still fresh in my mind.

As there were not many cars then, we had the privilege to tie the badminton net across the street to play the game.

The third field at Jalan Berlian is well maintained but has been fenced up.
The third field at Jalan Berlian is well maintained but has been fenced up.
The “mini jungle” that housed a stream by the edge of the street, which used to be my hideout, had been cleared to make way for the expansion of Sungai Keroh.

The spot, which was about 50m from my grandmother’s house, used to be filled with tapioca trees and vegetables planted by the residents.

Sometimes, my friends and I fish at the stream and set up camp there.

As I stood outside the house during my recent visit, there was hardly anyone on the street.

Perhaps the next generation has moved away in search of jobs and settled down elsewhere.

There used to be three fields in Jalan 51, now called Jalan Belian, where my friends and I played football.

One of it was filled with more sand than grass but it didn’t matter to us.

That field has been developed into a housing estate more than 10 years ago.

The field where I played football has been turned into a pumphouse and sub-station while double-storey houses has been built on the bigger field next to it.
The field where I played football has been turned into a pumphouse and sub-station while double-storey houses has been built on the bigger field next to it.
However, the other football field has been retained and it is heartening to see the pitch is well maintained and has proper fencing.

A pump house and Tenaga Nasional sub-station occupy the third field, which is a small one.

A makeshift workshop that made rattan baskets used to be a landmark in the area.

The workshop had been demolished and replaced with a concrete house while the shrine that was built at the side of the workshop had been transformed into a big temple.

I also visited the morning market in Jalan Bangau and was surprised to find that it remained almost unchanged over the decades.

The B.S.R. Balakrishna Maligai sundry shop in Lorong Bangau, which used to my favourite destination, is still operating under the same name and proprietor.

I noticed one the oldest landmarks in the town – the roundabout – was missing.

It has been replaced by a traffic light junction in front of the Jesus Caritas Church, which is another landmark that has been there for the longest time.

In contrast to the old are a new connecting road to Segambut that diverts traffic from Kepong Baru towards the city, and the flyover in Jalan Kepong Baru that connects Taman Kepong and Kepong Baru.

http://www.thestar.com.my/Metro/Community/...ng-development/


I too stayed there for 20 years plus when i was growing up with parents and my late grandmother... this got me all feeling nostalgic..

This post has been edited by goodiefish: Nov 15 2015, 12:14 PM