I was planning to stay put in Langkawi for the five days i was there but Alex's auntie, whom he had not met for more than seven years, was just a convenient two-hour ferry and car ride away!
We met up and she invited us to her house! Even though it was rather near Aman Central Shopping Mall and Alor Setar Tower, where we were originally at, we took a taxi as the weather was simply too warm to walk.
When the taxi pulled up to the house, i couldn't help commenting to the rest that this felt so much like my childhood days in the village! Only difference is that right here; the neighbours are literally next door.
Getting my bearings; the humongous tree nearby that provided a darn good shade and i can still see Alor Setar tower from outside the auntie's house! Thank god i didn't suggest walking under the hot sun....
Let me show you around; of course with permission granted by the auntie! Here's the altar right after we stepped into the house; honoring Guanyin Bodhisattva on top right, the family's ancestor tablet on the left, with the fortune and dragon gods right below.
Living room!
Picture taken from the living room that shows the entrance. Shoes are not to be worn inside which is typically the case in Asian countries. Did you notice something strange?
A skylight from an opening on the roof! Wouldn't it be nice to throw out a mattress and sleep under the skylight at night? Imagine the thousands of stars staring at you! And there's no rain risk since the 'hole' was covered with a transparent plastic sheet.
One of the rooms used to hang dry clothes. There's even a singer sewing machine which was quite the norm among families in the village.
Bedroom with foldable mattresses; before i moved to my own house, i used to sleep on mattresses like the above and hence, i couldn't understand how people can spend a few thousands on mattresses when the ones i slept on don't cost more than a hundred.
Insulation using wood, zinc sheets and styrofoam boxes; quite interesting to see styrofoam but i think it does make total sense as they are great insulators for hot and cold although environmentally-unfriendly.
Dining and kitchen area!
The dining area where the family sits to eat together. My family doesn't quite do that at home and even for my own house, i didn't even factor in a proper dining table; usually, i prefer to eat in front of the television.
Looks like your typical cupboard but i know there's a feature people normally don't notice. I have mentioned about it before in my blog post on Teck Seng's Place at Pulau Ubin.
The cupboard legs were standing on bowls filled with water! And if you can recall my post previously, it's to prevent ants from crawling up the cupboard!
Advancing on to the kitchen.
No in-built kitchen cabinet, which is common in Singapore houses. However, the place was tidy and at one glance, you know where your kitchen items are! I often face problems remembering where i put my pots, pans, baking trays, baking moulds etc.
A shack-like compartment on the left.
It's a bathroom and no, don't think that's a well as there's a running tap just right above. Personally, i thought it would be quite scary to have a well, especially a deep one where you might not even know what has fell in.
The all-important toilet!
There's even a rainfall shower! Like many people, i hate to wash the toilet and bathroom, especially the kind in my apartment which doesn't have the luxury of space for the wet and dry concept. :(
Laundry area with the natural sunlight and wind helping to dry your clothes, at no cost! Furthermore, nothing beats the aroma of sun-baked clothes! Compared this to the new flats in Singapore nowadays where people are buying dryer as there is just no space to hang out your laundry.
Many stray dogs outside the house! You may check out the pictures here; i was especially taken in by a particular puppy that i almost wanted to bring back to Singapore!
A better view of the Alor Setar tower which we visited shortly after.
Final picture of my peers with Alex's auntie who is a nice lady who totally adores Alex! Hopefully we can see her real soon; either in Singapore, Alor Setar, Langkawi or even Penang!
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