Escape from Kuala Lumpur : Trip to Kampung Rinching Hilir, Semenyih.

A city boy enjoying the beautiful view of nature.

Being someone who was born in a city, I have always wondered how is it like to have the experience of living in a village in Malaysia. On the 30^th to 31^st of March 2019, which was on the weekends, I have finally experienced what it’s like to be living in a village and experienced the “kampung” lifestyle. How did I get the experience? Well, there is a university course in my university named Social Engagement whereby it is compulsory for all undergraduate students to take. This course gives students the opportunity to socialize and interact with the community. My group’s project was the “Program Anak Angkat” whereby we were given a chance to interact with the community of Kampung Rinching Hilir which is in Semenyih, Selangor.

30th of March 2019 (Day 1)

The day started off by gathering at the entrance of the Department of Electrical Engineering located in the Faculty of Engineering in University of Malaya at 8 a.m. We were then given a short briefing on the tentative on what should be carried out and done when we’re at the place. Then, we were all divided into small groups of four so that we can travel in cars that was driven by some of my batchmates. The journey from my university to Kampung Rinching Hilir was nearly an hour. Once we have reached there, all of us that came gathered in a “Balai Raya” and we were warmly welcomed by the head of the village named Tuan Haji Malek. Then there was this short ice breaking session whereby we introduced ourselves. 

Head of the village, Tuan Haji Malek welcoming us upon arrival. 

Ice breaking session.

We then had our lunch which was cooked by one of the chefs in the village. Once we have satisfied our hunger, we then went to our homestay and quickly refreshed ourselves. After that, all of us gathered in the “Balai Raya” and the head of the village told us that a few of the villagers will be guiding us to go and visit a cane farm and a bee farm. First, we headed to the cane farm. Some of us went there by sitting at the back of a lorry whereas some of us travelled to the farm by bringing their own car which was guided by one of the villagers there. I travelled by sitting at the back of the lorry and it was a fun yet bumpy experience for me. I enjoyed the view of sitting at the back of the lorry and breathing the fresh air that literally felt like slapping me in the face cause at that particular time it was quite windy.

Travelled to the farm by sitting at the back of the lorry.

One of the villager cut the cane for us to taste.
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Once we arrived, we were given brief explanation about the process of planting the sugar cane and some tips to keep the farm in a good condition. One of the villagers then start cutting the cane for us to try and taste it. The juice of the freshly cut sugarcane tasted very sweet. 

My groupmates and I at the bee farm.

We then head to the bee farm once we have tasted the sugar cane. Once again, I travelled to the farm by sitting at the back of the lorry. We went to a bee farm owned by Mr Fadirul Faris. He told us about his background before he started this business. We had the chance to try out the raw honey which was taken directly from a nest. Mr Fadirul Faris then briefly explained us on the process of how the honey was made while he was carefully extracting out the honey for us to taste. It tasted slightly sour than the normal honey. He then told us about the products that were made from honey such as the lip balm for an example. He told us that he has his own Shopee page and that we can buy products through online shopping as well. 

After visiting the bee farm, we went back to the homestay to freshen up ourselves. Then, we went to Mr Mazlan's house for barbecue preparation while some of us play mini games which was conducted by another group. I got to know some of the students from other group when I was involved in the mini games. Around 7.45pm, we then started to barbecue the chickens and sausages that were marinated by other group members. It took quite a long time for the chickens to be cooked well and we started eating around 9pm only. We then ate our dinner with some of the villagers that came to visit the house of Mr Mazlan and had a good conversation with them. Once we were done, we then helped to clean the place before heading back to our homestay to get a good sleep for the next day.

31st of March 2019 (Day 2)

We began our last day here early in the morning at 8.00 am by doing some exercise and zumba that was conducted by another group. We gathered at a court that was located beside a river, Sungai Rinching. Once we were done with those activities, we then had our breakfast.  After the breakfast, we then proceed with the next activity which was water rafting. That activity was optional to everyone as some of us were quite afraid of our safety when we’re in the river. To those that did not wanted to go for water rafting, had to help clean up the compound nearby the river.

Geared up to go for water rafting.

For those that wanted to go for water rafting were then split into two groups as there are only a limited number of rafts. There were also two routes for the water rafting activity to be carried out. I choose to be in the second group as one of the villagers told that the second route will be quite adventurous and the route is longer than the one that the first group will be taking.  To be honest, water rafting was the best activity that was carried out there. All of us enjoyed ourselves being on the raft. Throughout our journey on the river, the raft got disassembled by itself a few times and some of the villagers that followed us had to tie back the knots to assemble back the raft. It took quite some time to reassemble back the raft so that it was back to how it was, but we had a good time in the river even though some of us got wet. It was quite peaceful when I was on the raft during the journey on the river. I was amazed by how the villagers were able to build a working raft using only recycled materials. 

Visit old folk's home and gave them gifts.

After the water rafting activity, we had lunch. The tentative continued with visiting the old folks' house. So, we went to a few houses to give a few gifts to them. Some of the items were rice and shampoo. It was a really fulfilling experience for me as this reminds me that we should always give back to other people. Although we did not give much to the villagers, they were happy upon receiving our gift to them and they welcomed us well into their homes. We enjoyed a great time having some conversations with the villagers that we visited.

Once everything was done, it was time to bid farewell to Kampung Rinching Hilir. The closing ceremont began around 4pm and all of us gathered in the “Balai Raya”. The closing ceremony went well and Dr. Marizan was there too. Before departing back to our university, we took some pictures. I am grateful to be able to experience this “kampung” lifestyle in Kampung Rinching Hilir. I wish the villagers prosperous health and brilliant wealth for their kindness toward us. It was a very meaningful program that allowed the students to socially engage with the society and gained a lot of experience. It was indeed a splendid experience being able to live in a village. I personally felt like it was more like a vacation to us. I have learned so much from this visit. For instance, it taught me to appreciate more and be more thoughtful to others. I wish the villagers prosperous health and brilliant wealth for their kindness toward us and I hope to meet and visit them again in the future.

My groupmates and I in front of the "Balai Raya".

Published by : Kavines Rau A/L A Nagarajan 

Matric No: KIE170032