Yields its secrets
THE Paradom Jetty at Teluk Selalo in the Central Region could be evocatively tied to the historical landscape of the Rajang River Valley.
About 20 years ago, it was a bustling get-off and take-off point for hundreds of travellers to and from Sibu.
The express boats from Sibu would definitely call there on their way upstream. It was a strategic point for travellers to other parts of the Rajang and much further inland – beyond Paradom.
According to a researcher, the Rajang River Valley was inhabited by many different ethnic groups, not yet to be studied and researched.
It’s possible a group called Beliun might have settled in the areas from Bawang Assan up to Sungai Assan where Dou Ann Church is presently sited, the researcher said. Some of the Selalo Malays might have ancestors who were Beliuns and it could even be possible that some of the Melanaus of Igan had Beliun lineage.
Indeed, there is so much anthropological study that could be done in and around the Rajang.
Ever since the decline of express boat transport, life has been slow along the mighty river. Rural development has brought small roads and motorists can now drive from Sibu to Paradom, Bintangor, Sarikei and further inland via bridge-linked routes.
This overland connectivity has reduced the Paradom Jetty to a relic of a fast fading past. But a retired headmaster Wong Hen Ping, whose last station was the nearby Lok Yuk Primary School, has done wonders to breathe new life into an otherwise sleepy hollow.
Today, he runs an eatery at Teluk Selalo which offers a halal menu. During the weekends, bookings must be made as tables at this riverine bistro, called Cafe Selalo, are very limited.
Wong who was born in Ah Ling Pah near Paradom, told thesundaypost: “As a nature lover, l’m creating a special ambience for my cafe. The river view is something I grew up with. I have always dreamt of retiring in a quiet and green environment with lots of plants and flowers. This is an ideal place and furthermore, I won’t want the old jetty to go to waste.”
As a nature lover, l’m creating a special ambience for my café. The river view is something I grew up with. I have always dreamt of retiring in a quiet and green environment with lots of plants and flowers. This is an ideal place and furthermore, I won’t want the old jetty to go waste. — Wong Hen Ping, retired headmaster
River breeze and fireflies
During the evening, patrons get to enjoy the cool river breeze, and on some nights, the profusion of fairy-lights from a swarm of glowing fireflies which have made a comeback.
Night-time ebb tide will bring out the adventurous to scour the banks for river snails or do a bit of prawn fishing.
These have made the present inhabitants of Teluk Selalo and the remnant Foochow villagers in the area very excited about their future.
A group of friends who grew up by the banks of the Rajang, recently went on a day stroll down memory lane, led by local historian Wong Meng Lei and photographer Steve Ling Leh Tiong.
They told thesundaypost how fortunate and happy they were to have found shelter at the Cafe Selalo one rainy Sunday afternoon during their outing to recollect the good old days.
The rain kept them in the cafe, the food was good and hearing the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof and feeling the coolness of the river breeze was an unforgettable experience for them.
Wong’s wife was present to swap stories with our group. She grew up in Teluk Selalo, which actually has about 30 Malay householders who are all her friends.
Mrs Wong herself worked as cook at the Methodist Theological School for more than 10 years. She calls many of the former students (now pastors) her good friends. She comes by the cafe from time to time to check on the business and sometimes to lunch with some family members, especially on weekends.
Recalling her young days, she said as a teen, she even ventured across to Pulau Selalo to collect snails and fruits to supplement the family’s diet.
Her grandparents and parents planted padi during the Japanese Occupation and though they had enough to eat, times were really bad and necessities such as medicine and milk were hard to come by. Artistic and creative
Wong Hen Ping is an artistic and creative man who designed his cafe, using mainly recycled materials. He also intends to build a motor-driven wooden boat to take visitors on a daytour of Pulau Selalo and Teluk Selalo.
A half-day trip around Pulau Selalo should be very popular among families who wish to bond and enjoy fresh air and a taste of idyllic life. A small boat can even navigate into the heart of the island through many of the small streams.
Mrs Wong chimed in: “There are lots of things for local tourists to do here. This place is really pretty. Our cafe food is good as I have two very good cooks from the kampung.”
Indeed, the menu is good, complemented by a very polite wait-staff. When two women visitors sat down to order their food, the thoughtful head-waiter who is Chinese-Malay, came out immediately with two roses and wished them Happy Mother’s Day. It was a nice and pleasant surprise.
Cafe Selalo is also heavensent for many of the Indonesian workers of Lee Hua Sawmill just a stone’s throw away. The menu offers bakso, ayam masak merah and nasi pelangi, which suit the tastes of foreign workers as well as visitors from Sibu.
The old Paradom Co-operative building is still standing behind the cafe. The co-operative stopped functioning many years ago and has since been used for rearing swiftlets. Relic of glorious past
More than two decades ago, the Paradom Jetty provided a very useful service to villagers working in Sibu or across the river. Students also stopped there to take the riverboats to their schools – possibly the Kwang Hua School or others in Sibu such as the Wong Nai Siong School and the Catholic High School.
Today, the old jetty is a just a relic of its glorious past, a public facility that has outlived its purpose with the shed still standing and its name a little blurred by the passage of time.
According to Steve Ling, Wong who retired as headmaster of a nearby school, started the cafe to serve the locals and some curious visitors who happened to pass by.
The cafe opens every day from 4pm until 9.30pm with longer hours during the weekends and public holidays – from 7.30am till 9.30pm.
“We need a nice riverside cafe like this to relax and reminisce about the good old days,” Ling said, adding: “Mr Wong is an artist and a nature lover who is thinking of something nice and beautiful for people to come and enjoy.”
Indeed, for an experience of life on the banks of the mighty Rajang, local tour operators, holiday makers, photographers, historians are encouraged to visit Teluk Selalo and Cafe Selalo and enjoy lovely scenery where