What have become of Awi's Yellow House. {Rumah Kuning Aboh}.

 

Dropped by to check on what was going on at one of my favorite haunts in the old days, Awi's Yellow House or Rumah Kuning in Malay on Pulau Duyong. Awi's younger brother was there by his home  and we sat and chat over black coffee. So what happened? I asked  thumbing the background of what was once the iconic guest house that sits on the banks of the Terengganu River. Again the Devil is in the details and in short Wan Kaya, Awi's brother quoted my late friend's son in law, " The place can only be rejuvenated to its old glory when the present owner is not around anymore." #rumahkuning #

This was what Awi's yellow House used to look like  in its hay days when I was frequenting the place as my port hanging out and getting stoned with my late friend Awi or better known as Aboh among the locals especially the kids. Together we varnished the whole exterior of the chalets for lack of better things to do when we were high. Awi, anyone who had known him was a character! He practically built the whole place from the river up and to me it was a Work of Art. 

Reviewed 17 Oct 2014

I am 73 yrs and have been backpacking malaysia for 4 months and Awi and his Yellow House was the most enjoable stay I had. Awi with excellent English is a treat in himself.
The place is totally different.It is on stilts in the river and the water laps under your room. A shower and SIT DOWN toilet in each room. Mosqito nets cover the large double bed but I did not use them. River traffic goes by your balcony when you have time to relax there. There is a canoe you can use to explore or go to town if you must as well as a bycycle to borrow no charge. Awi is a wealth of knowledge on any subject A large kitchen is there for your use
One guy had been there for 2 months. Awi's is different and if you do not like little lizards go elsewhere. To me it was a breath of fresh air after the poky rooms I can afford with no windows and those toilets where you must wet your trousers. ENJOY AWIS!!!.

Date of stay: October 2014

Sitting on the banks of the Terengganu river, Awi's Yellow House is located in a quiet kampung village among a community of boat builders. Insects are found all over the area along with otters and mullets just below the boardwalks of the mangrove area where it is located. The chalets are cheap and simple with basic amenities. You gain the unique experience of living how it was like in the past: no air conditioning, mosquito nets over beds, a wooden stilt house and the smell of fish paste in the air. #trengganuriver #

Today and the way it was yesterday, it is as though the place died with it creator.

What was and what is, is the epitome of what I always observed as a weakness among Malaysians when it comes to keeping up an already existing structure especially one of scenic beauty like this. Look around and notice what it is like when buildings are left to rot when not well maintained and this is common especially in cities. 

Of the whole Island of Pulau Duyong this location has one of the most well visited as an iconic site as it is also located next to the traditional boat building facility. 

Awi is a boat builder who’s lived in Pulau Duyung all his life. He and his wife, Christine Rohani Longuet met when she ventured from her hometown of Paris to visit Pulau Duyong and learn to build boats from the craftsmen on this island. Many decades later, they both run a guesthouse which is revered by many tourists as a memorable destination: Awi's Yellow House...Gokayu.

Note; Awi was no boat builder not that I know of, he putts around with the boats he owned but he never was a builder.

 

Guests to this unique venue were usually older and those who were seasoned travelers and they came from all walks of life and from all over the world. Some stayed on for as long as they could, months and even years. 

May The Yellow House rest in peace just like the owner and builder wherever he is now.

                                            Awi during the few years before he departed