August 15, 2011

"I got wheels!!!"


Different women have different fates. Some are born with silver spoons in their mouth. Some have to eek out a living under the hot sun. Some have the overhead bridge as their roof and others live in rubbish dumps.

Most women have to eek out a living on their own and bring home food for their children.

Here's one who peddles food along the main street of Serikin. She has a very unusual "recycled" vehicle.


Two back tyres are bicycle tyres and the front tyre is a recycled wheel barrow tyre. The roof is made from vinyl sheet which is a common material for lining floors and table tops in Malaysia.

Lunch from her can be as cheap as RM1.50 (rice and egg and one veg). She does not cry out but quietly pushes her cart along the road and rests. While waiting people will come up to buy her food which is well protected from flies. Her conical hat is different from those worn in Sarawak as the weaving is different. The material is keropok a swamp plant which is also common in Sarawak. It is interesting to note that most Asian vegetative hats are conical in shapes.
The harsh sun and weather have not taken her inner beauty away. Praise God!!

I do wonder during the 4 weekends of the Fasting Month how she could make a living with her food cart. As I am so far away from Serikin now...I am wondering whether she would be selling her food only for a few hours before Buka Puasa at 6.40p.m. But then most people would be busy getting ready to go home from their temporary sheds and also shopping.

If it rains her business would definitely be washed out....

But life has definitely been much easier since she got her wheels!!

2 comments:

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

you pay her money to take her photo?

Ensurai said...

No...she was shy at first...but then I persuaded her...some of the other hawkers asked for 5 ringgit..but most just enjoy the publicity.

This afternoon I went to the Tamu to photograph some Raya preparations...the women there were very cheerful about being photographed. Another tamu in Taman Tunku had hawkers who would scold photographers (this is from some reporters who wanted to interview them....)

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