Old folks town Sungai Lembing
Hi guys this is Johnson for JohnsonMalayisa.com your local tour guide welcome to Malaysia. Today I’m on a tour to a very interesting town call Sungai Lembing or Spear River. The town as its super glorious days for about a century from 1880s after a major London tin stock exchange crushed the town once call the El Dorado of the East became a sleeping town.
My visit to or I bring tourist to this place made me to do video to introduce a more precious thing than the tin that made this town ie. The people. What is unique about this Sungai Lembing town is the friendly old folks. Where here you turn you are to see sixty years and above folks.
RM One Ringgit
I met a few of them and had chat they told about the olden stories how this town used to be they earning was among the highest in Malaya or Malaysia today. Among them is a lady selling noodle for RM 1 Ringgit. Try to get in Kuala Lumpur sure can’t.
62 and still going on
Johnson bought the noodles, which were cooked on the wood stove. The noodle was mix of flat rice noodle with yellow egg noodle. I personally did not expect anything wow of this noodle. The Chinese sister En Yean (spell by hearing) told I can buy from her stall and have my coffee at the market or food court about a stone throw away. This En Yean was such a wonderful lady. Johnson asked En Yean how long you have been doing business here she replied for 40 years she now 62 years.
25 cents
Later, when I met an elderly man he told Ea Yean was there since young kid most probably helping out her grands the elderly man said back then it was 25 cents per pack. It was called “Mee Koleh” or Cup noodle. Noodle is a Cantonese word used widely in Malaysia referring to noodle.
Mee Koleh
After sitting in the food court, Johnson ordered for a glass of local coffee, for me the taste was alright, but the most interesting was the experience drinking my coffee surrounded by many elderly. One thing I hear from them often is that their children left the town to look for jobs elsewhere since there are not much work opportunity the town. To my surprise the Mee Koleh RM one Ringgit was not bad but quite good. This town maintains some of the old Chinese cakes sold on the main road.
7:30 am Empty market
When Johnson was here at 7:30am then I was shocked to see the market was empty, no vendors, but the old folks were waiting for the product to arrive. Later you will see in the video half empty vendors in the market a fish monger, some vegetable sellers a sundry shop. Don’t forget to watch towards the end there will be a pick truck bring a couple of boxes or tray with fresh vegetable plugged from this garden. The old folks will rush to get them.
Book tour with JohnsonMalaysia.com
Thank you for watching the video don’t forget to contact JohnsonMalaysia.com for Team Building in the forest or International school trips to this place. The Sungai Lembing Museum is a short distance from the Market.
RM 1 Ringgit Noodle Pretty Good
Tourist from UK with JohnsonMalaysia Local Guide
RM One Noodle Ea Yean wonderful lady
Sungai Lembing Market half empty
Sungai Lembing Old Folks rushing to buy fresh vegetable on a pickup truck
