Menunggu di kerita



Someone mentioned about 'waiting' or being asked to wait in the car or 'menunggu' while one's elders went out and shopping. Parking in Bandar Seri Begawan in the 1980s was chronic. Definitely there was not enough parking. And everything was in Bandar. Even though Gadong was already up and running, there was not much else in terms of shopping unlike today's multi malls and department stores. So for most shopping, one goes to Bandar.

The worst is going to the wet market. The wet market was in Bandar. For those who do not know where it is, the wet market is sited at today's commercial centre opposite the bus station. Practically the whole of Brunei goes there for their food supply and in most days, you find that many cars are just left at the roadside. One of the favourite way was to open the engine hood and pretend your car is rosak while you go out shopping. This was in the hope that the policeman will not 'saman' you. Another was to get someone to sit in the driver's seat, no matter how old he is. As long as there is someone sitting there, then technically the car was only 'waiting'. I remembered my uncle used to take me to go out there and 'menunggu di kerita'. I was about 8 or 9 then.

Compared to today, it was a lot more fun and in some ways more hectic compared to today's lifestyle.

Comments

ROGUE ECONOMIST said…
Hahaha yes! That brings back memories.. My father used to ask me to wait in the car, in the driver's seat. And I was like 8 or something!
Monday, September 22, 2008 6:23:00 PM
Al-Qadr said…
My late old man was a daily frequenter of the old marketplace. Almost every morning then, I was like his 'golden boy' to be made the 'dummy' in the driver's seat during his "pasar" rounds. One of my most vivid memories while at it was a big 'Fist of Fury' fight between the well-known Pengiran B 'bodybuilder' brothers and the Mudim B "Silat Kuntau" family clan. Those were the bad old 'cowboy' days, I guess, when even a simple argument had to be settled with brutal scores ala Bruce Lee Kung Fu fighting...:(

Talking about pasar, there used to be another pasar at the back of the Borneo Cinema where veggies and other dry goods were hawked.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:14:00 PM
n e e s a said…
is this what they called as "tambing" or something?
Thursday, October 09, 2008 3:25:00 AM
Hitamlagam said…
The menunggu arah driver's seat is still being practiced whenever my parents and I when to Bandar...hehe
Monday, March 29, 2010 3:19:00 PM
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