Banos Arabes dan Mezquita

Pics: Tembok Luar Mezquita & Keindahan di dalamnya

Sabtu, 28 Februari 2009
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Destinasi kami berikutnya ialah ke Cordoba. Setelah mendalami buku Rough Guide to Andalucia dan peta, Embak mencadangkan singgah ke Jaen untuk melihat Banos Arabes, atau tempat mandi wap orang Moor kurun ke 13, yang asalnya sebahagian dari sebuah istana. Berpandukan GPS, Acu dengan cekapnya memandu melalui lorong-lorong sempit yang selayaknya untuk pejalan kaki sahaja. Mencari tempat letak kereta punyalah susah, nak buat illegal parking pun tak ada tempat. Akhirnya, kami terjumpa tempat kereta awam bawah tanah, dan menapak mencari Banos Arabes.

Orang-orang Jaen peramah betul. (Ada seorang mamat bertanya khabar pada Acu, "Ni hao?" -- lucu!) Beberapa orang melayan pertanyaan kami dalam bahasa isyarat dan ayam-itek, sehingga akhirnya seorang anak muda memimpin kami sehingga sampai ke tempat yang diidami. Rupa-rupanya Banos Arabes ini terletak di dalam sebuah bangunan yang kini dijadikan muzium lukisan “naïf” dan beberapa artifak pertanian tradisional; 3 dalam 1 gitu. Kami dilarang mengambil gambar di dalamnya, jadi tiadalah gambar yang Embak dapat tempel di sini.

Memandangkan kesuntukan waktu, Embak batalkan hasrat ke Baena, bandar yang terkemuka dengan penghasilan minyak zaitun. Sebenarnya, kat Espana ni banyak tempat-tempat menarik untuk diziarahi, tapi apokan dayo, kena pilih-memilih, kalau tak, hujung tahunpun tak balik Malaysia…

Kami akhirnya tiba di Cordoba dalam jam 3 petang. Dalam mencari-cari hotel kami, jalanraya pulak macet. Rupa-rupanya ada perarakan berkuda yang ditunggani oleh penduduk tempatan dengan pakaian tradisi mereka. Menarik, kami rasa bertuah, tapi pada masa yang sama mencemaskan kerana kami mengejar masa agar tidak terlepas waktu melawat “Mezquita”, masjid agam Moors indah yang berusia 1200 tahun, satu lagi ikon Andalucia. Tiket masuk berharga 8 euro, dan kami sempat di dalamnya hanya 30 minit sahaja sebelum ditutup.

Seperti di Alhambra, semua yang masuk buat pertama kali ke dalam bangunan ini mengeluarkan bunyi-bunyi kekaguman. Suasana di dalam bekas masjid ini semacam, mungkin kerana lampu didalamnya disuramkan. Embak disulami perasaan kagum, tetapi sedih dan geram kerana sebahagian besar masjid ini telah ditambah dengan patung-patung dan relik-relik Kristian, setelah kuasa Islam ditumbangkan. Embak kurang pasti samada bangunan ini masih digunakan sebagai gereja atau tidak, tapi Embak melihat di satu sudut semacam ada persiapan sebuah “Concert” pada sebelah malamnya.

Merujuk pada buku Rough Guide, ada restoran halal berselahan Mezquita. Malangnya restoran tu dah “bungkus”. Akhirnya, kami makan Paella Mariscos, masakan nasi Sepanyol dimasak dengan minyak zaitun dan makanan laut. Harganya 10 euro tak termasuk caj kualinya 1.90 euro, cukup untuk 2 orang makan. Taklah sesedap mana. Kalau orang Sepanyol makan nasi goreng Cina ke, nasi goreng kampong ke, mesti mereka takda nak aksyen dengan paella mereka.

Keesokan harinya, kami bercadang singgah ke Medina Az- Zahara, 7 km ke barat Cordoba sebelum ke Toledo.

A twist of fate & Grrranada!

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Our party of four planned to enter Spain via Malaga, then proceed to Granada-Cordoba-Toledo and Madrid. But what we didn’t plan was to miss the flight! We reached the Frankfurt-Hahn airport 3 minutes shy of the last check-in call. The boys put to use their best German to reason with the airport officials that we came all the way from Weingarten, but to no avail. So what were we to do?

After mulling over a few options, we settled on buying another ticket to Madrid the next day. Pick our hired car in Madrid, scrap Malaga off our itinerary, and stick to the rest of our plan from Granada onwards. We accepted it as taqdir. Allahualam.

So, on 26th February, we flew into Madrid on Ryanair. The flight took over three hours. Spain's time is the same as Germany’s, so we needn't adjust our watches. After collecting our rented VW Jetta at the airport, my brother, being the designated driver consulted the excellent Garmin GPS and drove us to the Islamic Cultural Centre. What a relief to know that Islam is alive in Madrid, judging from the facilities at the centre and the respectable size of jemaah at Isya’ prayer that night. After dinner at Sinbad Restaurant, we hit the highway to Granada that is some 500km away. Alhamdulillah for my brother’s driving skill and his able co-pilot, we arrived in Granada at 3 am, and thanks to the GPS, finding the hotel was a breeze.

Friday, 27th February 2009, Alhambra
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Our first day in Andalucia was dedicated to the famous Alhambra, that sits on a hill the Moors called Sabika, and the surrounding Albaicin. My brother has pre-booked the entry tickets for 2pm admission and it cost us 10 euros each. The Alhambra is basically divided into three parts; first Los Palacious Nazaries or the Nasrid Palaces, the Alcazabar or the fortress, and the Generalife, a luscious garden and summer palace.

Many praises have been given to this place that I was scared it would not live up to its honours. But my jaw dropped to the floor when I entered Los Palacious Nazaries. I overheard another visitor said that she had “goosebumps on her skull” – (is that possible?) – in describing her reaction to this place. You have to be there in person to experience the beauty and splendour of this place; the pictures, well at least my pictures don’t do justice. It’s a blessing that this delicate and beautiful masterpiece survived the time for us to appreciate and reflect. It tore me inside to see Arabic inscriptions and intricate carvings and floral motifs throughout the complex evidencing the height of Islam at one time in Spain.

We spent a good four hours at this complex – we would spend much longer if we were not chased out of the grounds as they close at 6 pm. (Apr-Oct hours 8.30am-8 pm.) We adjourned to the nearby souvenir shops. My regret was that I didn’t buy enough as the prices there is the cheapest compared to other parts of Spain. We returned to our hotel “Villa Blanca”, but the boys later ventured out for a mosque or Islamic Centre that eluded us during the first half of the day.

Granada is gorgeous to me for the Alhambra plus the ubiquitous orange trees that add colour to that place. I puzzled why people don’t eat the fruits off the trees; I just learnt that they are sour. The trees are so laden with this bright-coloured things that the oranges that fell under the trees looked like a chap-goh-meh aftermath.

Winter in Weingarten

Pic: Embak and Acu on his Campus grounds. Macam emak ngan anak kan?

Kami tiba di Frankfurt jam 6 pagi, 22 Februari 2009. Selepas memusing mencari surau di lapangan terbang, Allah jumpakan kami dengan seorang cleaner berwajah Arab. Dia tunjukkan satu ceruk untuk kami solat, siap dibentangkan untuk kami plastik.

Selesai solat, barulah berjaya hubungi Acu yang kami sudah sampai. Dia yang datang bermalam di Frankfurt menjemput kami ke rumah seorang staf JPA untuk sarapan. Alangkah bahagianya dihidangkan nasi lemak!

Selesai makan, kami mengikut Acu ke tempat persekolahannya di Weingarten, di selatan Jerman, 5 jam perjalanan dari Frankfurt. Dalam perjalanan, kami sempat singgah di kilang Porche dan Daimler dan solat di Masjid Stuttgart. Di Weingarten, Allah murahkan rezeki kami dapat tumpang tinggal di bilik seorang pelajar yang kebetulan tiada kerana buat praktikal di bandar lain. Kalau tidak, berhimpitlah di bilik Acu yang, walaupun sewanya sebulan 220 Euro, tak sampai 200 kaki persegipun saiznya.

Semasa di Jerman, kami sempat ke Lake Konstanz dan ke Zurich, Switzerland (melalui laluan indah negara-negara Alpine Austria dan Liechtenstein). Seronok dapat melihat salji, tapi sejuknya, brrr... boleh tahan. Selepas 3 hari di Jerman, kami berangkat ke Sepanyol yang hangat, seperti yang kami rancang.

Kelab Andalusia visits Andalucia

InsyaAllah, Embak and another member are flying tonight to Germany to pick up Acu and Co, and then onwards to South of Spain. If I am lucky, I might be stepping on some snow in Weingarten after not seeing it for twenty some years. Acu says there is a lot of snow this winter; but now not as much as last December. Spain should be warmer, which is good news to my not so young body. If everything goes according to plan, Embak will be celebrating her birthday in Madrid.

Hasta luego!

Yang ngetop di AF

Sekarang, bagai air bah, tiba-tiba banyak pulak program realiti pertandingan menyanyi di TV; American Idol udah masuk musim ke 8. TV di Malaysia dengan "Akademi Fantasia" dan "One in a Million"nya. Embak setia menonton American Idol, dan bapa Embak memilih Akademi Fantasia. Sekali-sekali Embak akan tertengok satu dua persembahan AF, tapi dah lama tak tengok sampai habis.

Antara persembahan yang paling Embak ingati ialah oleh Aizat di AF5. Mengenang kembali cepatnya Aizat diundikeluar gara-gara kegendutannya, walaupun suara mantap.

Tetapi, lihatlah sekarang dunia! Aizat telah berjaya dengan album sulungnya, yang Embak beli tulen. Nyaris menang Juara Lagu 2008 lagi. Tak payahlah cerita tentang kejayaannya menguruskan badan, lantas terserlah kecomelannya, persis wajah anak menakan Embak, Ayid. Cuma Ayid lebih handsome.

Tea Break, with Jam

Pic: Traffic jam in the highlands


Last Saturday night, my pal, Sal suggested that we go out of town; all expenses on her. I liked the free part, and since I didn’t have other plans, I agreed. We knew it was a crazy undertaking, without bus tickets nor hotel reservations, but we are adventurous enough to brave the challenges! So we promised to meet at Puduraya at 10 am the next day.

Needless to say we were both late because apparently on Sunday, the LRT is not as available and town cabs are not as plentiful as other times. Little surprise the tickets to Cameron were sold out. Sal, still determined to negotiate the higlands, decided to take her Citroen and test her driving skills.

Four hours later, we reached a wet Brinchang, and immediately set forth our quest for a room. We started with the decent-looking lodges, but soon reconsidered the sleazy- looking ones as everywhere was full house. But the prices were ridiculous. One "hotel" situated in a two-storey shop owner asked for RM170 for a windowless box the size of a double bed.

We then moved to the next town, Tanah Rata. The situation there is none better. The night was setting in, it was wet and we were tired. Sal was already resigned to paying RM408++ for a room at the Equatorial. On the way, we spotted a sign “Cameronian Inn, Tea and Homemade Scones”. We hastened to the place and were able to procure a comfortable and clean room for RM150. There were people scrambling around us for the last available room. What a relief! We proceeded to dinner soon afterwards, and then, bed.

The next morning, I rose refreshed by eight hours of peaceful sleep. In daylight, we discovered the guest house was quite lovely and homely. I love the rare orchids in the garden that I have to touch to see they are not made of rubber. We checked out of the place as a big family was sitting down for their English Chinese New Year breakfast.

We traced our way out of Cameron, stopping by for souvenirs and pictures along the way. I almost forgot about the signature of Cameron that is their tea plantations. It was a pleasant surprise the Bharat Tea House, where we had our brunch sits next to one. We sat down to some scones, a curry puff, tuna sandwich and masala chai (spiced tea). The scones were scrumptious just as what my friend Cuta told me. Apparently, I really enjoyed my scones, as Sal later related that she saw a boy observing my handling the scones and as I was swallowing them, he too swallowed his saliva. Despite the slight misadventure, it was a fun outing. I will definitely visit Cameron again.

Lessons learned:

1. Plan your travel.
2. If not, prepare to pay.
3. Pray. He is Ever-listening.

Mak Long's Big Adventure

Pic: Baby Ziyad looking at family photos.

It has been two weeks since I completed my tenure as temporary nanny and guardian to eight nephews and nieces. Now looking back, I am grateful that it went quite smoothly. Except the two times when the abang and the adik broke into a shouting match and the ensuing wrestling spectacle that made dear Mak Long's heart skip a beat. After a short period of distance, the concerned brothers resumed their lives as if they never had a disagreement, while Mak Long watched in disbelief and prayed silently for no more fights, puhleez!

A few of my sister's friends and relatives came to visit, which was nice. My own friend drove from Ipoh with her family bearing pineapple tarts. The former were concerned about the kids' well-being, while the latter for mine!

I am very proud of my discovery of the perpustakaan desa which became our favourite place. The novels gave me some entertainment and the recipe books provided much inspiration for the daily menu.

When the school reopened, Mak Long was left with three kids as the eldest boy had reported to National Service in Baling in late December and four of the older kids returned to their boarding schools on Penand Island. It was a different routine as Mak Long started to take over caring for Baby Ziyad from older sister Aufa and had a new task of ferrying the sixth grader, Amad to school at the break of dawn and back. Luckily Umi had instructed to hold the kindergartener Ajwa from attending school until she came back. By the end of one week, the new Haji and Hajjah returned, and a day later, I bid adieu to the small town of Tasek Gelugor.

I never felt so rindu for KL before!

All in all, it was a great adventure with up, down and flat moments. I got to know my nephews and nieces better and they, me. I also have a renewed respect for my sister, my own mum and all mothers. As I type this, Mak Long feels so rindu for Baby Ziyad. I hope he rindu me too.

Respite

When my sister and her husband received the special invitation to perform haj this year, I volunteered to look after their kids. This is my chance to experience out-of-town living. I am thankful my job allows me to take a long break, so for 10 days already and 40 days more, I am the temporary resident of a tranquil taman up north. And I get to play house albeit without a husband :). My daily routine is more or less set, eg. I have to do my marketing at Kepala Batas every three days; in case you do not know, the price of sotong is comparatively cheap, prawns on the other hand is expensive. The picture is the road outside my sister's abode - a picture of serenity, a far cry from noisy Kay El. At night, whenever it rains, I hear frogs croaking; at dawn I hear rooster crowing; in mid-morning, I hear birds chirping. Wah! Life is so good.

Kellie's Castle Revisited

En route from Universiti Teknologi Petronas today, my friend and I stopped by Kellie's Castle. The last time I visited this place was some five years ago when it stood in ruins. Now it is undergoing restoration process, which aims to create what might have been as this monument of love a'la Taj Mahal was never fully completed.

There is a rumor that the ghost of Mr Kelllie wanders around the castle. Can someone explain how this can happen when Mr Kellie actually never lived in the castle and he died in Scotland? There is a Hindu temple nearby, so that could explain the alleged sightings, so recite ayatul Kursi while you are there for protection.

To cover the contractor's cost, you now have to pay RM4 per person to explore the castle.

Barack Obama Wins!

Subhanallah! Who would have thought there would come a day when America elects a "person of colour" to lead their country. I am hopeful that things will get better for the world, InsyaAllah. Why? Because, it is a major paradigm shift. I have goosebumps!

Masak Lemak Ikan Darat

Our wonderful neighbour Ela, gave us 2 very big ikan haruan (measuring more than 1 foot) recently which became our lauk today. Ikan haruan is our choice fish for this dish, which can be substituted with ikan kerisi if ikan haruan became scarce or too expensive for our wallet. The following recipe is a rough one; please adjust to your taste.

A. Main Ingredients:

2 medium size ikan haruan, cut into 8 pieces
1 stalk bunga kantan
2 sprigs daun kesum
2 pcs asam keping

B.Mix and grind in a blender:

2 cm galanggal
2 cm tumeric
3 pcs onions
2 tsp chili paste
5 sticks cilipadi

C. Liquid

Thick santan from 1/2 coconut
2 cups of water
Juice from 5 limau kasturi

D. Seasoning

Salt
Kerisik (optional)

Steps:

Combine bunga kantan, asam keping and B in a pot. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Then, put in fish, santan, and daun kesum. Lastly, pour in limau kasturi juice, salt and kerisik. Using low heat, let the gulai simmer until the santan turns slightly oily.

Farshi Turab

We heard this haunting on an al Azhar student's handphone during our trip.


Here are the words and translation. (Courtesy of my diligent friend, Sal).

farshi atturabu yadhommouni wa hwa ghita'i
hawli arrimalu taloffuni bal men wara'i
wallahdu yahki dholmata fiha ebtila'i
wannuru khatta kitabahu unsa lika'i

farshi atturabu yadhommouni wa hwa ghita'i
hawli arrimalu taloffuni bal men wara'i
wallahdu yahki dholmatan fiha ebtila'i
wannuru khatta kitabahu unsa lika'i unsa lika'i

wal ahlu ayna hananuhum be'ou wafa'i be'ou wafa'i
wassahbu ayna jumu'ouhom taraku ikha'i taraku ikha'i
wal malu ayna hana'uhu sara wara'i
wal esmu ayna bariquhu bayna athana'i
hadhihi nihayatu hali farshi atturabu

farshi atturabu yadhommouni wa hwa ghita'i
hawli arrimalu taloffuni bal men wara'i
wallahdu yahki dholmata fiha ebtila'i
wannuru khatta kitabahu unsa lika'i unsa lika'i

wal hubbu wadda a shawqahu wa baka raietha'i wa baka rietha'i
wddamngu jaffa masiruhu bagda buka'i
walkawnu dhaqa bi wessihi dhaqat fadha'i
fallahdu sara bi jothati ardhi sama'i
hadhihi nihayatu hali farshi turabi

wal khawfu yamla'u ghorbati wa hozna da'i
arju athabata wa ennama 'asaman dawa'i

warrabu adhu mokhlisa anta raja'i
abghi ilahi jannatan fiha hana'i

warrabu adhu mokhlisa anta raja'i
abghi ilahi jannatan fiha hana'i

(Translation)
Dust is my bed, embraces me and it's my cover now
The sand surrounds me even behind my back
And the grave tells a dankness of my affliction
And the brightness draws a line

Dust is my bed, embraces me and it's my cover now
The sand surrounds me even behind my back
And the grave tells a dankness of my affliction
And the brightness draws a line

Where is my family's love? They sold my loyalty!
And where is my group of friends? They left my brotherhood!
Where is the bliss of money? It's behind my back now
And my name (reputation) where is it shine between praises
This is my end and this is my bed

Dust is my bed, embraces me and it's my cover now
The sand surrounds me even behind my back
And the grave tells a dankness of my affliction
And the brightness draws a line

And love farewells its longing and my elegizing cried
And the tears went dry after crying
And the universe became narrow and so is my space
And the grave became my ground and sky
This is my end and this is my bed

Fear fills my estrangement and sadness is my illness
I expect firmness and I swear it's my cure

And for Allah I pray faithfully, you are my hope
Allah! I desire heaven, to find bliss in it

And for Allah I pray faithfully, you are my hope
Allah! I desire heaven, to find bliss in it.

Verses of Love

When Egypt was still fresh in my mind, Acu urged me to read Habiburrahman El Shirazy’s novel Ayat-Ayat Cinta. I remember him mentioning a year ago that the novel is a hit with his friends. I didn’t think much of the novel; I felt (cough) what my brother reads will not suit me. This time, when he said that the novel is about Egypt, I didn’t hesitate. Needless to say, I read it as fast as I could, with intermittent smiles, tears and other interjections of recognition.

Co-incidentally, TV3 was to show the movie adaptation on 10th Syawal. Before the film was aired, I bought the CD (alongside Aizat’s excellent debut album) at Tesco. While the movie is good, the book is better. The writing is simple yet stylish. I think I may have lost the beauty of the language as I opted for the Bahasa Melayu version, but the messages are hard to miss. There is so much Islamic values and ideals to be learned from this book. And there is enough drama to keep one glued to the book.

This novel is one of few books that I reluctantly finish and will reread. If you have time to read only one book this month, read this one.

Now the novel is further entrenched in my life as the novel’s protagonist has inspired the name of my new nephew, Muhammad Arif Fahry.