How can one ever get enough of the sunset? There are so many incredible places to witness the day taken over by night— the river, the hills, the city. And of course, the sea. There’s something special about facing the ocean in the late afternoon. The gentle wind, for instance, and the few birds roaming the sky. Usually I’m just taken by the sheer amount of pink and orange light as the sun disappears underneath the body of water. There’s no other art that leaves me breathless.
N and I drove down to Kuala Selangor to have late lunch at my granduncle’s place one fine weekend. He and his wife took us out to this nearby small beach called Remis as the sun drew closer to an end. They claimed the place to be their favorite afternoon hangout aside from the river where they fish in the mornings. They told us that their favorite thing to do is to gaze at the sea and wait for the sunset to happen. We thought it was cute of them to spend time with each other at a place like this after so many years of marriage. You could instantly tell that they complement one another like parts of a jigsaw puzzle. They’d been together since they were 19. Today, they have several grandkids living close to them. Such is old love— it lasts that long.
We combed the shoreline and looked around for empty shells and dried seaweed that were scattered in the sand. It was nice to have my granduncle and his wife around together with us. He’d been there ever since I lost my grandfather many years ago. My grandfather still counts as my most favorite person in my life. The man was always in good spirits and whenever I miss him, I think of his brother to hang out with. He was just as crazy as I am when it comes to sunsets; he'd shown me an album on his camera phone where he stored photos of the sun as viewed from the beach taken on different days.
There were many children flocking close by with their elaborate kites in the air. The wind was strong so no kites were left un-flown. The sight of their kites soaring against the clouds made the children gleeful. There were others who sat on the rocks, enjoying the breeze and simple view of the quiet sea. Life’s pretty sleepy in Kuala Selangor and there’s no better place for the townspeople to reconnect to this earth any day. And that’s exactly what we love about life far from the city, this chance to just step away from the daily grind and into this incredible place just before dinner. We’re in awe of those who get to do this every day. While we may not want to give up life in the city too soon but we’d love to settle down at a place that’s close to nature like this.
The waters were far away from the shore and the sand at the beach was muddier than usual. Nobody could swim in this thick sludge. The mud-covered terrains were meant only for those courageous souls who collect shellfish for a living (I mentioned 'courageous' because the area could turn into one mean quicksand in a split second). The best we could do was to look out to the other end of the sea while we stay for the sunset to color the sky dramatically. And truthfully, it was worth the wait.
