Desa Merbau 29/12/17

Desa Merbau 1

Older and wiser

Akid is almost six years old now. A big brother now with two younger sisters.

Smile

Farm in the city

Farm in the city 1

The road to Desa Merbau

Latar Highway - straight and mostly free of cars

 

The end of the highway. Ahead is the Sg Buloh - K. Selangor main road. Left turn is to K Selangor while right turn is to Ijok. Take the right turn.

Upon turning right, this signboard will greet you within a minute. It says turn right to Kg Bukit Hijau, Kg Bukit Cerakah, Kg Bukit Kucing and Kg Parit Mahang. Take the turn.

This is the road after turning right. Palm oil trees on either side of the road for a few minutes before seeing the occasional houses.  See below.

Into the village

After a few minutes of driving, you will reach this junction. A few shop houses, kampong style, can be found here. Take the left turn here.

This is Masjid Nurul Huda, Kg Parit Mahang. (side view). We have stopped here a few times for prayers before moving on to our land a few minutes away.

Masjid Nurul Huda (front view) This will be one of the many Masjid that will be my regular once I live around here (in sha Allah)

scenic views

After the mosque, a few more minutes of pleasant driving through one lane kampong road with scenic views on either side of the road that will capture your heart. Houses, a school, stalls by the roadside, workshop etc.

Desa Merbau

Finally its Desa Merbau at Jalan Merbau, Kg Bukit Cerakah, Jeram, Selangor.

Jalan Merbau

Its one of the main road of the area. From here Puncak Alam is five minutes away using the back lanes that only the kampong folk will know. Similarly Jeram, Ijok and K. Selangor are also a few minutes away. Its a nice place to be living, in sha Allah.

View of Desa Merbau from jalan Merbau

Very tired

Just as expected, the event at KL Tower was great but getting there was something else. Parking was definitely a problem. So many cars which include weekend visitors to the site but so few parking spaces. Taking the lift to the venue was another thing. Alhamdulillah, in the end we managed to get through all the hassle and make it to the wedding. It was all well that ends well. 

Earlier we were at Dewan Felda for another wedding event. After that we decided to head back home instead of going to Ijok. We were all feeling very tired.

Saturday

Taking shape

If there is enough time and everybody is still in good mood after attending two weddings, we will go to Ijok to view our house. I was there a few days ago but the urge to go again is irresistible. Work is going on nicely. Progress has been better than expected given my previous experienced. Looking at the house finally coming into being is like a dream come true. It is still far from the finished product but I can already see it in my eyes. It will be a beautiful house in sha Allah. Small it may be but beautiful. Enough for the five of us.

Wedding season

I have two weddings to attend today. One will require me to take a lift to get to the venue. With hundreds of other people wanting to do the same, I hope its not going to be a hassle. From past  experienced, whenever a wedding is held at a venue that needed a lift in order to access to it, getting yourself in can be a nightmare. Everybody will be scrambling to get in first. There's no queue. That's what really put me off. This is the wedding season. I have two this week. One next week. I have declined a few others.

For now

The way I see it, the village where I am building my house now is still quiet and peaceful. There are not many houses and not many people. The roads are mostly empty except for the occasional vehicles that passes by. There's no urban area but small shops dot the area every few kilometres. Its the same with the restaurants. There are a few mosques within a few kilometres of each other. Similarly, schools are well placed within the villages. In other words, it is just the way I like it. For now. 

I don't know how it will be in twenty years time but with the many houses being built at this very moment  and in the future, I dread to think what it will be like. Maybe by then I will look for another area!

Small house

From my last visit to kg Bukit Cerakah and the surrounding villages such as Parit Mahang, Bukit  Hijau and Bukit Kucing, I think there are easily more than twenty houses that are at various stages of being built at the moment. Maybe even more. Big, medium, small, beautiful, ordinary, modern, traditional. They come in all shapes and sizes.  Mine belong to the small category. Just a bit more than a 1000sf. The land I bought is about 8000sf so you can see the size of the land as compared to the house. The extra land will be for future development. Who knows, Allah may provide me with the means later on. Meantime, I will be content with doing the landscape on it.

Cabin?

After the house has been completed, there are many things to do just yet. Putting up the grill, kitchen cabinet, wardrobe, the lighting, the lawn, curtains, landscape etc. The list is endless. At the moment it looks like there's no budget for my cabin. Whatever money I have will be taken up by other things that are necessary before I can move in. In that case, the cabin will have to wait.

Planning ahead

Was in Ijok yesterday for an appointment with the electrical man. I need him to do the connection to TNB line for the electrical supply. As he is also able to do the piping for the water supply from Syabas, I asked him to do that as well. Hopefully everything will out fine in sha Allah. Don't want to have to wait for months before I get the supply. The sooner the better. Then I can move to the new house as early as March. The house will most probably be completed by end of January next year in sha Allah. One or two months wait for the supply, both electricity and water, then I 'm ready to move!

Coming to fruition - Desa Merbau

Very happy with the progress of the house. Just over a  month since construction begun, the house is beginning to take shape. What was originally on paper is now shaping up into the Desa Merbau that I had envisaged.  In sha Allah, if progress continues at the current pace, the house will be completed in a month or two at the most. Then it will be the process of applying for electricity and water. By mid next year or even earlier, I will be moving house, in sha Allah. Have been going to the places in and around the area, getting acquainted with what is available.  Not bad. There's Puncak Alam five minutes away. Pantai Remis beach in Jeram a short drive away. Historical Kuala Selangor to the south.    

Desa Merbau

Cabin house

Next to the house I am building in Ijok, I am thinking of putting up a cabin house fitted with the basic amenities like toilet and kitchen. It's something I have been seriously thinking about. Been looking at prices, looking for one that will suit my budget. Buying a basic cabin and then do a makeover by myself would be the cheapest option but do I have the necessary skill? From past experienced, I know I can do it but the workmanship will be so bad it will not be a great sight for the eyes. So its better to get the professionals to do it for me but the price will be beyond my budget. That's what has been playing in my mind. I can't make up my mind but I will surely make the decision when I come to the bridge. In sha Allah.

My motorbike

Was in Shah Alam yesterday for some personal thing to do. As usual, I rode my bike. Its my preferred mode of transport now when I'm traveling alone. It is so convenient riding the bike. The only problem now is how to solve the mystery of my bike is losing petrol even without using it. 

I parked my bike at the house with the tank full but the next day a quarter will be gone. At the place where I parked, traces of petrol can be seen. When I am riding it. petrol consumption has also gone up. RM 4 can get me to Shah Alam from Gombak but on the way back, I have to fill up again. When I first bought my bike, RM 4 will get me to Shah Alam and back with some petrol to spare even. Maybe its time to get me a new bike but that will have to wait. I am now in a 'save money' mode. Every little cent I can save I will. Every month I have my budget. The target is to spend less than the budget. The money saved is then placed in a place where I will not touch it even with a ten metre pole. It is something I need to do as my money situation gets tighter and tighter.

Monkeys again

Pondok Merbau