An dLife Goes On at Tok Wan's Pondok

The spit you see jutting out to the sea in the back ground is the city's dump site;  someday into the future there  will be condominiums build on it no doubt. 

Gathering left overs and discarded materials from here and there the houses were built out into the sea  creating its own character along this coastal landscape along the Lim Chong Eu Highway (Jelutong Highway as it was known). As the land reclaimation  activity progresses pushing the coastal line further out into the sea these temporary dwellings also reappear to replace the old.

These pictures were taken on the Malaysian Independence Day and on looking across the whole fishing community there were barely any flags as a matter of fact allot less than normal. I felt like there was a lack of merriment among these people despite the fact that on ordinary days almost all the houses would be flying the National colors. Is this a silent protest of the collective mind?

Inside the newly constructed home on the water the focus is on getting things ready for the fishing as the living room takes upon its own character of a place to kick back and watch the world goes by or the tide rolls in and out. My mural is still in progress as it is always at hand if and when i felt like painting.

Jimmy the wannabe fisherman cum inventor getting his hand on hooks and lines preparing the 'Rawai" for bottom  line fishing. He has a very creative mind when it comes to new inventions like the solar energy project he is working on.

Looking across the water from within, the scene is always tranquil and  the sense of openness never fails to grab you when you cast your eyes across the water to the horizon. Some day this too will be gone to be replaced by more condominiums to house more foreign buyers for their second or third homes.

They say it is hard to value wealth unless one has a good understanding of what wealth really is in one's life. To be  in the company of men, gaining their trust and friendship, to be accepted among them as one of them to me is a form of wealth not even money can buy. Here I find peace and a resting place whenever i feel displaced or trapped living in the ever buzzing city life. Here the sea breeze is constant and the birds sang from their cages while the wave gently laps at the bottom of your feet. It is a place to shoot the breeze among friends who I hardly knew a few months ago while the structure was under construction.