The Pinay Solo Backpacker

“Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

C. S. Lewis

Once upon a time, a healthy baby born was in a rubber plantation empire known as Kinta Kellas Estate in Batu Gajah, Malaysia.   The sound of innocence and joy filled the air.  He was baptized as Anthony, the son of the wealthy Scottish owner William Kellie Smith and her lovely wife Agnes.   They have long wanted to have a son to become an heir to their empire after their first daughter Helen.  So when the gods answered their prayers, they decided to build a castle.  An impeccable and stately building with an elevator is to be the first of its kind in Malaysia and will take about 10 years to complete.

Oh fairy tales, why am I madly and deeply in love with thee?

He was dark-skinned with a thick black hair and had that deep look in his eyes. He was wearing a white shirt with black horizontal stripes and blue old jeans.  My heart started to beat so fast.

“Batu Gajah?” I asked as I stepped on his dirty rugged non-air-conditioned bus. I sat at his back, by the dusty broken window where I can get a full view of the countryside while the wind gently touches my face.  His mere presence suggests a corrupt mind.  But I figured, I have to trust this young man because he will bring me to my next destination.

It’s too easy to judge unfairly.

Recurring images of a lush green manicured valley, the Ramayana, and the laughter of children wearing white flowing dress with a ribbon on its back and their hair fixed into two neat ponytails playing around the vineyard and running right through a garden filled with blooming flowers flashed in my dreams. I see colorful flowers enveloped me – tulips, carnation, daises, and roses!

 It’s the good old-fashioned excitement.

When I was a child, I wanted to grow up fast, but now that I’ve grown old I don’t want to grow up.

I closed my eyes but was too tired to even go to take a nap again. I just got off the train from Penang and today is my 3rd time in Ipoh.  Today, I’m finally going to walk into a mysterious castle for real.

The bus feels like a tortured soul, shuddering as it moves past dozy villages and brown farmlands.

The crooked road has a bold sign -> “A8 Road”.  I should get off but figured I should wait for the bus to turn to that direction.  Unfortunately, it went straight.  “I’ll just get off in a safe road nearby and go back,” I whispered to myself.  But the road is wide and long reminiscent of South Expressway in the Philippines.  Not one soul is walking and no pedestrian lane either.

I touched his back to get his attention. He was baffled and scratched his head.

“I’m sorry I forgot because you were so silent.  Just sit there. I’m going back anyway.” he assured me.

I stared at the mirror to pry on how many passengers were left inside the bucolic bus.  Less than 10, I suppose.  After a few minutes, there was just me and another Malaysian girl left.   I’ve sat there at his back for over an hour but I can’t seem to fully trust this man.  And I feel so guilty.

We entered a remote district somewhere in Kampar, way past Batu Gajah.  It’s a booming tin mining town in Perak during the late 19th century and even the Kellie’s have ventured in this business.

The modest girl gestured at me as she went down. I sat there silently and utterly alone with a man I can’t seem to trust.  The bus is parked on a dead-end that’s surrounded by unassuming houses.  A typical drowsy town. Playing a few meters away from the bus is my only ray of hope - the nonchalant children shouting.  If my instinct is right, I could just shout at the window for help.

But of course, I’m over thinking again.

The engine finally started after thirty minutes or so.  No passenger but me, but it started picking up some locals along the road.  I could sense my outfit is not blending in as well as my good old’ buddy backpack.

A8 Road.  My lucky sign! Started to prepare my backpack but the driver stopped me.

“No, there’s no taxi there. Wait,” he said.  He helped me carry my stuff and asked me to walk to the taxi station just a few meters away from the bus stop with no sign. He told me the standard rate for the cab to get there so I won’t be fooled by the cab drivers. I thanked him and smiled but he just nod and turned his back.  I never saw him smile, maybe he doesn’t really smile but that doesn’t make him a bad person.

The hospitality that the young driver showed to a stranger like me made me feel so ashamed of myself.

I feel like shrinking at that moment.

“Please pick me up after over an hour.” I told the cab driver after the negotiation for the round trip fare.  There’s no timely bus back to the town center so I had to break my budget for the cab fare.

The story depicted on the history of Kellie’s castle actually suggests that Kellie’s Castle is Ipoh’s “Taj Mahal” not Ipoh’s Train Station.   In contrary to what I first heard, Ipoh is believed to be a gift of William Kellie Smith to her wife Agnes so he can convince her to live in Malaysia.  He wanted to build a castle for her reminiscent of the castles in Scotland so she will feel at home.

I strolled towards the old-fashioned bridge.  Down below a moss-green stream runs quietly.  A robust lone tree that sprouted beside the river banks made the scene more dramatic with its falling leaves turning summer into a fall atmosphere.  Perched on top of a not-so-high-hill surrounded by manicured garden is an apricot-colored colossal building.  The stately mansion has Moorish-styled windows, grand columns, wine cellars, huge rooms with colonial designs, a blank space supposedly designed for the first ever elevator in Malaysia, arches and walls inspired by Greco-Roman designs, and a grand tower.

Standing on top of the castle overlooking the lush jungle and the wide road, the fresh air sings a bittersweet song in my ear.  Kellie’s Castle assuming built reflects the mighty power of destiny and how it can weaken even a powerful man.

A castle of  love and  tragedy.

what Kellie's Castle may have looked like if it was finished (photo credit: ngc-prismspectrum)

As for me, I still believe in fairy tales,

even if not all fairy tales ends happily ever after.

-The End-

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How to get to Kellie’s Castle from Ipoh:

by taxi:

You can take a cab and may ask the driver to wait for you.  The cost is around MYR 60.

by bus:

Take bus #36 or #37 from Ipoh’s local bus station to Batuh Gajah (1 hour and 30 mins).  From the road with a sign “A8 Road” you can catch bus #67 to Kampar or take a cab to the main road from the bus stop in Batu Gajah.

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This is part of my Malaysia series.

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