PONTIAN: It's the lull before Chinese New Year in Kampung Kukup Laut and the community here is anticipating the homecoming of its sons and daughters working in towns, states and countries away from the fishing village.
A New Straits Times visit found that the predominantly Chinese settlement was slowly stirring to the demands of this celebration in the first New Year celebrated in Kukup Laut since international borders reopened in April 2022.
Extra fish were caught and cleaned; bedsheets and curtains were hung out to dry and houses were repainted.
Villagers lugged or pulled an assortment of items ranging from foodstuff and decorative items from the main street outside the settlement's gateway in carts attached to their motorcycles.
Hotels and guest houses are fully booked and even Tenaga Nasional Bhd's (TNB) servicemen were seen checking the wiring in the neighbourhood to see whether it could handle the thousands of visitors set to throng the usually-sleepy village.
Sky Ser, 45 was happy as all his children, including his 24-year-old son who works in Singapore, would be returning this year.
"This is the first year that we are celebrating CNY outside a pandemic. The last time many of our children couldn't come home as borders were only partially opened and they had to observe the vaccinated travel lane's requirements."
Ser's other reason to cheer was the fact that all 20 rooms of his guesthouse had been booked.
"It was a very different story these past two to three years. Most of us had to go back to full-time fishing and sell things in Johor Baru or online to make a living," said the father of three.
Liong Tiong Kiet, 64, whose sons were on their way for Chinese New Year said it was going to be a good year ahead.
"It's all dull now.
"But wait for a few days, everyone and their uncle will be here," he said while painting the doorway blue.
Fish trader Dante Kuan, 28 said people would be spilling out of settlement's stilted walkways in a number of days.
"They usually come for a day or two if they are married with children, or spend a whole week to a month if they are single, or if both husband and wife are from here."
Summerly Ice House dessert shop operator Goh Ee Li said that she expected to open her outlet throughout Chinese New Year to capitalise on the thousands of villagers returning home.
