View of Bukit Mertajam Hill from a paddy field in Permatang Pauh
I had always been living in Bukit Mertajam until my family
moved to Simpang Ampat when I was at the age of thirteen. Located in Seberang
Perai in the state of Penang, Bukit Mertajam has always been a quaint little
town that has its old world charm. It is a hidden gem that keeps drawing me
back. The town has always been a part and parcel of my childhood days and it
exudes my sense of home and belonging. Even though I no longer live there, I sensed
that I have a personal connection with it.
What you may have not known is that this town produces many
national personalities such as national badminton player Lee Chong Wei and
former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was
also born here.
Front courtyard of the Tua Pek Kong Temple in Jalan Pasar, Bukit Mertajam
The main feature of the town is a monstrous hill that gave
the town its name, looming over the town below. Bukit Mertajam is a thriving
town with bustling of business and trade. Lining the streets are quaint shops and
small stalls selling groceries and local items. A Tua Pek Kong Temple lies in
the heart of the town in which its temple courtyard becomes a public open space
and cultural centre of the town. This temple is built to serve as a local
guardian deity to the local community. Surrounding the temple there are
roadside stalls selling popular hawker fare and tasty snacks. This temple is
also a venue for many Chinese opera and musical shows where residents from all
walks of life converge to enjoy the performance. Sundry shops, coffee shops, markets,
bazaars, supermarkets and other enterprises surround the temple. Shops along the
market street and the nearby railway station is the place where most of the
business activities comes in full swing, especially in the morning.
A few miles away out in the country side there are
farmhouses where vegetables are cultivated. Nearby there are fruit orchards and
paddy fields which is the town’s main agricultural produce.
This town is also never too far away from nature sites. A
stone’s throw away from the hustle and bustle of the town is the Bukit Mertajam
Recrational Forest, which transports me to greenery and serenity. The nature
reserve’s lush vegetation is one of the hidden gem. Here, I visit the teahouses
where I can enjoy various types of Chinese tea as well as herbal eggs, strolling
under the rainforest canopy, hike up the hill via a forest track, or take a dip
at the cascading streams. At the summit
of the hill, a scenic view of the town below and Penang Island in which I find
it to be rewarding.
Perched on a hill slope there is a Buddhist monastery. Its
pavilions, meditation huts and monks dwellings offer a scenic view of the hills
and the town below, not to mention being surrounded by durian orchards. Its
built environment augurs well with the local tropical climate, the work of
nature high above in the hills provide cooling. It is an ideal place for those
who want to seek compassion and wisdom.
In the valley below lies St. Anne’s Church which is home to
the largest Catholic pilgrimage in the country. Another highlight of this
church is the life-sized figures at Stations of the Cross. I would hike up to
the nearby hillock next to the church where the grottoes are located.
Bukit Mertajam is a home to a melting pot of cultures, it is
the centre of cultural exchange, not to mention the wide array of food and
festivals you get to indulge in. Roadside stalls selling Hokkien Mee, Char Koay
Teow, Yam Rice, Jawa Mee, Laksa, Koay Teow Soup, Mee Goreng Loh Shee Fun and
Wanton Mee which are the popular hawker fare here. This town is also home to
old school style Teochew cuisine. Different types of festivals are celebrate
here, namely Chinese New Year, Wesak Day, St. Anne’s Feast and Hungry Ghost
Festival.
I vividly remembered playing football with my friends from
my neighbourhood by the river during my childhood days. Whenever there was a
heavy downpour, the river burst its banks, causing the area to be flooded. My
house was often inundated by foot-deep flood waters during the monsoon season,
which compelled my family to move out of the town. Each time during the monsoon
season my sisters and I would tuck up in the sitting room upstairs watching
movies while eating instant noodles.
I also vividly remembered two secondary schools in Bukit
Mertajam where I used to study, namely SMK Berapit and Bukit Mertajam High
School. SMK Berapit is the alma mater of Datuk Lee Chong Wei while Bukit Mertajam
High School is the alma mater of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Bukit Mertajam High
School sits on a hillock and there is a large school field which is known as
Jacobs Green. Behind the school is a bungalow owned by a man who was once the richest
man in the town by the name of Teh Cheok Sah. Behind the bungalow there is
another hillock filled with lush vegetation where residents of the town go
there for fitness and recreation. There used to be a community library atop the
hill.
These fun experiences and rich tapestry of lifestyle in this
town has been deeply etched in my memories.
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