Yesterday Night Melaka

Kereta Lembu is an old method of transport before lorries, buses or cars become a common sight on the roads in Melaka. Usually, two cows are used to pull the cart, the bullock cart. Kereta Lembu could be seen to travel  through Semabok Road, Admiral Zheng He Road, China Hill Road and to as far as the Quayside Road lining the Sungai Melaka or the Malacca River as late as the year 1969.

I was just about  127 cm tall when I began to notice the passing of Kereta Lembu from the window of my house. Say about 5 minutes before the Kereta Lembu came to sight, the sound of ‘kling, kling, kling …’ could be heard even when I was in the room. As sighting the Kereta Lembu had became a daily affair, it had been an important thing of the day that had taken a place within my daily time table. Come near to the time the kereta lembu is about to pass-by, I would be tenang to make sure I could hear the ‘kling, kling, kling…’

The ‘kling, kling, kling, … became louder and louder and the steps of the cows could also be heard too when they are in sight. I would rush to the window, climbed up and stood on the arm-rest of the sofa-set to get the view of it. In the past, Kereta Lembu was used by the rich as a vehicle and in the video below you could see how strong is its wheels.

Once in a while, I could see a black car overtaking the kereta lembu and the contrast always refreshes me of the extremes, the new and the old, the sciences and the arts, the fast and the slow,  … … the race, the wisdom. It helps me to contemplate, to look at things thoroughly and to think about …. And the scene repeated daily has become a sort of ‘teacher’ to me. Today, Kereta Lembu has become a heritage item. The sight of it every day half a century ago is so strong that the learning acquired from the sightings of kereta lembu never escape my mind. It is one of the great knowledges I’ve gained and because of that, I smiled sweetly and shared naturally the sweet reminiscence with on lookers at tonight Perarakan Melaka Parade at Jalan Hang Tuah as I captured the video for upload onto YouTube. It is hope that this YouTube video would be meaningful to you, educational wise and if you like, please share it with your friends as preview before they tour Malaysia.

The Chief Minister of Melaka, YAB Datuk Wira Ir. Hj. Idris bin Hj. Haron officiated tonight Perarakan Melaka Parade.