n the hot afternoon of July 2nd, 1954 a Port Swettenham bound train roared
out of the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and in the first carriage sat a number
of the 2nd Kuala Lumpur Boy Scouts. We were on another "crazy trip" again. It
was only that morning that we had decided to go. After much discussion we
decided to go to Pulau Lumut (an island off the coast of Port Swettenham). At
1.30 p.m. that afternoon a number of us gathered at the Station and off we went.
The train arrived at the Port Swettenham Railway Station at 3.00 p.m. We went to town and bought a tin of biscuits and some tinned food. By the time we got back to the jetty our Scoutmaster had already hired a launch to take us over to the island.
After two and a half hours we finally reached our destination and disembarked at a very small jetty. There were some very friendly Malay boys at the jetty. They stared at us and then offered to help us with our barang (belongings). Of course, we were only too glad to allow them to do so. They packed our things on bicycle-carriers (bicycles are the fastest and the most popular means of transport on that small island). We asked them to take us to the Malay School.
The School was only about three miles from the jetty and at that time the sun was scorchingly hot, thus making the hike the most tedious one we have ever experienced. All along we hiked on a two-foot wide path and on either side of the path were coconut plantations. The coconuts were very tempting, especially on that hot afternoon, but our Scoutmaster would not let us pick any because the people made a living from them.
Soon our water bottles were emptied, but we carried on in spite of our thirst. At last, after a seemingly endless hike we reached the School. After getting permission from the Headmaster to camp, we were given ten minutes to pitch our tents (two boys to one tent). When the operation was over the Scoutmaster sent two boys to get us a cool drink to quench our unbearable thirst.
I was very surprised to see them returning with ice for I never expected that there was electricity on the island. Later, after my drink, I learnt that the ice came from a shop. So I went to enquire about the ice. When I approached the shop I noticed that there was an old refrigerator. There were also some electric bulbs hanging overhead. I then asked the store-keeper how they got electricity. He took me to the back of his house and showed me his "private electric generator." It was quite a midget compared with the ones we have in Kuala Lumpur, but it supplied sufficient electricity for the shop to keep the refrigerator and the electric bulbs working.
I went back and found my Scoutmaster waiting for me. He told me to make a fireplace so I went out again to look for stones. Again to my surprise I could not get a stone. It was then that I understood that the island was formed by the mud gathered at the mouth of the river - a delta. I took three iron pegs and made a tripod instead, then made a fire.
We had a camp fire that night to entertain the friendly folks of that small island. It was 10.30 p.m. when we retired to our tents. I could not fall asleep at once (though I was very tired) because that island seemed to be the home of insects, especially of giant centipedes some six or seven inches long.
We spent two days on the island bathing in muddy well water and cooking with rain water - collected in large cement tanks in the School - when we were thirsty we drank coconut milk supplied free of charge to us by some generous Malay boys, or consumed sweet sugar canes bought from the farmers. When we were free we played football, had plenty of fun, and mixed with the island folks.
At last we had to leave on July 4th but before we left we had the opportunity to see how the school was run. The school consists of boys and girls and they studied Romanised Malay and a bit of English just like the town boys and girls do, but the girls also learn how to cultivate the ground, plant and make baskets instead of learning domestic science and sewing.
The boys sacrificed their time and helped us to transport our things back to the jetty. When we reached the jetty the boat was there, we said a hurried good-bye (Selamat Tinggal) and jumped on board. The boat took us back to Port Swettenham.
We took the next train back to Kuala Lumpur and returned tired but happy to our homes.
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