Town of Giant Prawns

IN the murky waters of Sg Rompin lurks a secret. The instruction from Karim Ismail, an officer with the Rompin District Office, is cryptic: "When you reach Rompin, call this mobile number. Ask for Yusri. He will lead you there."
More than three hours later, we arrive in Kuala Rompin, and actually wouldn't have known it, but for the district office.
It's really not that far from Kuantan, and we could have made it in under two hours. We had stopped for late breakfast in Pekan and again for lunch in Leban Chondong.
Yusri is waiting at a Petronas station. "Follow me," he says, as he jumps into his white Proton. Obviously, he is a man of few words.
We backtrack some 10km out of town to a junction, where a signboard only reads: "Bot sewa di sini (Boat for hire here)."
About 6km from there, stands Kg Merlak - a village of two houses. One belongs to Tok Empat (village headman) Mohamad Rendah, the other to Adam Bidin.
The XC90 parked in a clearing, we walk towards the river following the taciturn. Yusri.
Tok Empat and only neighbour Adam are working on a houseboat.
"Ramai orang Kuala Lumpur datang sini. Nak tangkap udang galah juga ke? (Many people from Kuala Lumpur come here. You here to catch udang galah also?)"
Tok Empat is not convinced we are here just for a story - as Kuala Rompin is also known as Bandar Udang Galah or Giant Prawn Town.
So the secret is not that big a secret?
Well, Kuala Rompin is still largely undiscovered by KL-ites. But for those who have, they would come between November and February, which is when udang galah migrates downriver in huge numbers. Spawning begins during the dry spell after the monsoon floods.
Tok Empat and Adam introduce 30 year old Mohd Firdaus Miko Abdullah or Mat, a Sarawakian who has made Rompin his home. The latter shows us a lam kong, or blue pincer in Hokkien, and says the Rompin udang galah can reach 30cm in length and weigh half a kg each. That's a huge prawn.
Then Roslan Ahmad comes by. He explains that most people fishing for the blue pincers wait for low tide, and offers to take us out on a boat to see how fisherman Pak Itam Li, 39, does it.
Yusri has disappeared.
Pak Itam Li lays his 30m net during low tide, wading in the chest-high water to string the net to poles planted on the riverbank.
The technique is called mengempan. Tapioca pieces are strewn in the water and the net is left there until the next low tide.
"The udang galah will be attracted to the sourness of the water. They get trapped in the net," informs 31 year old Roslan.
On the opposite side of the river, Orang Asli fisherman Cindai is checking his udang galah trap made from strips of tree bark. It looks and operates like the bamboo bubu or lukah. He also puts pieces of tapioca into the water.
The catch of the day is dismal. Pak Itam Li lands about a kg and a half of udang galah, and Cindai half a kg.
But a kg of udang galah can fetch RM50 upwards. "The smaller prawns are cheaper," says Pak Itam Li. He sells his catch to us for RM35 a kg.
On lucky days, Pak Itam Li would find a soon hock or ikan hantu in his net.
The fish is a favourite with Chinese diners, and normally fetches RM80 per kg.
Sarawakian Mat had once sold a whopper soon hock he caught for RM600.
Tok Empat wants to build more houseboats for rental to visitors. He currently lets out only one houseboat, which is old and rickety, for RM50 a night. Another houseboat is used by Mat, Roslan and Adam's children whenever they return to the kampung.
He also has five rental fibreglass boats, rates of which are negotiable, depending on tenure.
Sixty-two-year-old Adam had worked for Lembaga Kemajuan Pahang Tenggara (Dara) as a mechanic until he retired. He owns a house in Bandar Muadzam Shah, about 100km away, but prefers to stay in Kg Merlak. "It's quiet here."
He has been helping to clear the land near the river for a campsite. His wife, 60-year-old Halimah Bakar, enjoys company and looks forward to the time when the houseboat is rented out.
Makcik rasa sayu petang-petang bila tak ada orang (I feel sad in the evenings when there is no one around)," she says. Her 12 children are all grown up and come back to the village only on some weekends. A few are working with the 74-year-old Tok Empat, who is also a contractor in town.
"Now that you know the place, do come again. Next time, you'll find more houseboats. Stay the night, give us a call," he says, as we bid him farewell.
Probably. The 2kg of udang galah in the styrofoam box packed with ice won't be enough for distribution to family members.