My Grandfather

My home is in Malaysia, a place called Tanjung Sepat. It is a small fishing village near the sea. Where the skies are blue, the clouds are white and sunny all the time. You can see a 3 storey big house from far away by the roadside. It is my home.

My grandfather built the house even before I was born. He planted a Christmas tree when he started building the house.  The tree is very tall now. It’s grandpa’s favorite! The tree is just like grandpa’s old friend, seeing how the house was built and seeing the family members growing.

Grandpa hopes that no matter how far his kids are, they always know that they have a warm home waiting for them to come home to. Grandpa is very skinny, but to me he is a very strong and powerful man.

Grandma told me that they were poor when she married Grandpa. He worked very hard and finally he owned 5 big buses to support the family. The people in the village all respect him due to his loyal and reliable personality. Grandma’s parents did not agree with their marriage at first, but after they get to know Grandpa better, everyone in the family liked him.

The “ Lover Bridge in Tanjung Sepat is very famous. Grandma said it was grandpa who led the people in the village to build it to help their fishing work. We still keep the photo of grandpa and the villagers building the bridge. In the photo, grandfather is still very young and handsome! The wooden bridge doesn’t look very special. But it is now a famous tourist attraction in Tanjung Sepat. Everyone who travels here will walk by the “Lover Bridge ” to take pictures.

Grandpa left us when the flowers were all blooming. The whole family was very sad. Almost everyone in the village attended his funeral.  And there were a lot people from outside of the village that I do not know.

When I see the Rhododendron in our yard, I think of my grandpa, He told me he loved rhododendron. That’s why our yard is full of it. He says the flowers are just like our smiling faces. I think, my grandfather in heaven would like to see us smile, and not be sad! So, I will not cry.

Grandpa in heaven, do you see me and the rhododendron flowers smiling at you?

Hocks House – Fu Yuan

FU YUAN , a three storey building located in Tanjung Sepat （T-7, Jalan Gelama). Named after the owner Mr. Lee Nam Hock who has passed away, this building was built in 1982. The owner’s initial plan was to give all his children a large family home. He has 5 children and there are about 20 family members in the family now. This ordinary residential building has been transformed in a home-stay with an artistic atmosphere. It is because the owners are art lovers.

On the first floor is a coffee bar cum art gallery. Here, you can enjoy traditional local coffee from surrounded by art. There will also be some art activities for the guests.

The second floor and the third floor are bedrooms for guest and each floor comes with different character. There are 8 guest rooms on second floor, 5 of them are standard room with full facilities (Ka Wu Ding), have a view of colorful roof tops from the neighbors, 2 of the family rooms (Fu Yuan Ge) with Japanese style futons and 2 queen size bed to fit in the whole family. The family rooms are attached with a small kitchen as well. And the last room here is completely decorated with antique furniture (Balik Kampung).

There are a total of 10 rooms on third floor. 2 are sea view room (309 Wind Whispering, 312 Clear Sky). Just imagine how relaxed you will feel when you standing In front of a huge window enjoying the sea view and see breeze. Others 8 rooms (Wind Whispering, Clear Sky and Mango Tree) have a view of blue sky, colorful rooftops from the neighbors and a huge mango tree planted by the owner, Mr. Lee. The old Christmas tree in front of the house is the best proof on how old the building is. Mr. Lee who loves nature and gardening decorated the yard with all kind of colorful flowers. Since Fu Yuan emphasizes the artistic atmosphere for their home-stay, interior and exterior is tastefully designed. It is decorated with art pieces and paintings collected from all over the world. Each piece has a story to tell.

Welcome to FU YUAN, drink coffee, enjoy sea breeze, and listen to stories while being surrounded with art.

About Tanjung Sepat

Tanjung Sepat, a fishing village in Kuala Langat district in Selangor, Malaysia. It’s about 1 1/2 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur and 45 min drive from KLIA airport. People here are mainly in the fishing industry, agriculture and some small businesses.

Besides seafood, Tanjung Sepat is famous for its durian, mushroom farms, fish ball factory, bird’s nest factory, coffee manufacturers and hand made pao.

The tourist attractions here include fishing village traditional culture, orang asli village and some local handicraft. People are simple, enjoying a natural and relaxing time. If you are an artist or art lover, you can easily find a view for sketching and photography.