The Nelson Memories - "Voyage - School - Neckties & Achen's Mobike"
Dear All ,
A small pause. But will continue soon. Cochin was an experience. However it did a lot to make me more independent. I missed home though. After that when I was about 9 years old Achen took us back to Malaysia. We did not travel airplanes in those days. We had 2 ships then plying between India and Malaya as it was then known. They were the STATE OF MADRAS and RAJULA. The conditions in the ship were horrible. Many passengers would throw up because of the rough seas.
When we reached Malaya Achen was there to meet us. After our arrival we stayed first in Kuala Lumpur along Ipoh Road. It was quite a good house in a newly constructed housing estate. One day in the evening I was sitting on a culvert which was pretty and very clean and leaned back. I fell into the drain which some small pieces of broken glass and had cuts just above my forehead. Achen had to take me to a clinic nearby and had to get stitches. Then we moved to another part of Kuala Lumpur i.e Old Klang Road. In both these places Achen never took me to school the first day. He just put me on a bus and said go.
I had to find my way from the first day. For my return fare I had to go to his office to collect the money. This school I was studying was a big school St.John's Institution and on Mondays all had to wear ties. Once I went to his office wearing the tie and in front of everyone in his office he commented "you came to show off your ties ?". The next day I did not go to his office and instead I walked home about 5 miles in the hot sun. Mum was worried and called Achen. When I finally reached home Mum scolded me and asked me why I did not go to Achen's office and get my bus fare. I told her that Achen embarrassed me the previous day. Now you know how I became a long distance runner. It was around that time Achen bought a big motorbike, it was bright red in colour. I used to sit on it and just make the noise. Aggy may remember some of this.
Next episode later.
Love to all.
Nelson Arthur Fernandez
3 Chitchat:
Well, I too did travel in the "Rajula" on my way back in 1969 with Mummy from Port Klang. Yes, it was terrible voyage. Later on when I was visiting Malaysia in 1971 / 1972, there was a ship called "M.V. Chidambaram" (ex-french). It was comparitively a "Queen" fully airconditioned with everything from a beer bar (hey ! I was a minor then), a barber shop, a library and of course the "Tambolla" games.
what are 'tambolla' games?
Oh ! am sorry - it is actually Housy ! Housy ! (i hope the spelling is right). You buy tickets with numbers and they draw out the numbers and you mark the ones that are in your ticket - you get prices if you are the first to complete a row - or a full house.
Remember 8 & 8 the two fat ladies !! !
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