When people ask the question, "Which part of Malaysia do I come from?", my first answer would be Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, and I will have to add (especially to Singaporeans) that it's a town about 60 kilometres south of Kuala Lumpur. But almost none will go on to ask and find out that my birthplace and home for a number of years is Alor Star, Kedah.
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For those who are not well-versed with the states of Malaysia, Kedah is a state in the Northwest portion of the Peninsular Malaysia, taking up a significant portion of the Malaysia - Thailand Border. But most importantly of all, it's the state known for being almost entirely covered with one thing, paddy fields. (and more recently, it has been found, PAS supporters). It's known as the Ricebowl of Malaysia, and aptly named so, since it produces more than half of the country's staple grain. Lately, there's been quite a buzz about a particular place near Alor Star, Kedah by the city slickers of the South. So, I went to check it out last weekend, after hearing much praise about a painting from the aunties and uncles. Having stayed in Kedah before too, my mum gets a lot of comments about the place. It was supposedly "very real", and "very beautiful", and being recently built, I have never been there before, back during the times I was there. So, since we were around the area, and that's a rarity nowadays, why not?
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Puncak Gunung Keriang: The Paddy Fields Panorama. Click to enlarge, because it's very, very long.
So, what's the hype about? It's what you see in the picture above. The actual mural is painted on the walls of a dome, i.e in a circular room. The walls are concave, creating an illusion of perspective, and making it look like you're really in a high place, looking at the paddy fields around you. The "observation deck" is a circular stage, with seats lining the outer edge that revolves very slowly. Well, it's a let down from all the hype that you hear from those who have been there. It's reminiscent of a very good version of one of those paintings we used to do when we were in Primary School. And I hate ART! Very "real", since the painting extends to three dimensional onto the floor, with plastic model trees and plants. However, it isn't breathtaking or sublime, just very normal, and definitely doesn't beat the real view. But, credit to the artist(s) for the hard work.
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That's just my opinion, at least... but that might be because the "others" have never since so many paddy fields in their lives. As for me, let's just say I do tell people I've seen paddy fields, and touched a ripe paddy plant before, and also, watched the paddy fields turn from brown to green to golden.
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The picture above is a compound picture, created from 8 different photographs, photoshopped together. I've tried my best to make it look as nice as possible, since the room was quite big, full of people, the lighting differed from place to place, and I was in a hurry to take the photographs. But I've tried my best to convey the picture to you.
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PS: Paddy from the stalk doesn't taste very nice, because of the bitter part, called the "hampa" in Malay, which has to be separated during harvesting. I know, I've tasted it before, out of curiosity.
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