Memory lane

My dear wife was away during Raya last week. It was a double bonus trip when she went to Sibu, visiting her parents as well as meeting up with her siblings from Sydney, Brunei and Kota Kinabalu.

The festive holidays provided an additional window for the Lees to strengthen their already closely-knitted family ties as they drove to Bintangor and Sarikei for a day trip. Along the journey - Elizabeth, Roseline's sister from Sydney took the following pictures using a Nikon D60 camera.
From 1971 to 1973 my parents-in-law resided in Bakong (a zone outskirts of Bintangor) where they had a small pepper farm. They also reared fish. This is the house that the Lees owned. According to Roseline, the original structure stood on stilts without any enclosures on the ground level. Roseline has such happy memories on Bakong that her eyes will sparkle whenever she recites her years there. Strangely I don't get bored hearing her story a thousand times for the past 24 years - maybe it's because I too have experienced a wonderful childhood with many outdoor activities. I can smell fresh air by just looking at the picture - what a wonderful place to enjoy longevity! I can live anywhere in the world as long as there is broadband and kampua. Roseline and her sister-in-law Mary at a relative's house. Roseline with her younger brother and mom. Hang Kwong Methodist Church, Bintangor - where Roseline received her baptism.
Like many typical trunk roads connecting towns, one can find roadside stalls at various points. The dry shrimps (hay bee) from Sarikei are the best in the world. Pineapples too.

Mother, daughter and daughter-in-law together - what bliss! Lastly this photo was taken at the hawker stalls at a wet and dry market near the Sibu Civic centre. Roseline's sister Elizabeth is the lady in white blouse. I don't recognize the other lady; Roseline tells me she is Letty, a former classmate her of brother's at SMK Tung Hua in 1978.