For those who haven’t known, I have now moved back to the Peninsula, to this lil town called Dengkil. Dengkil is probably a lil dot compared to its grand neighbors – Putrajaya and Cyberjaya, and far more unorganized. A lil bit of digging through its history had brought me into its mining past, hence the existence of several lakes that make up much of its landscapes.
The town itself consists of three main roads that meet at a Y-junction, with rows of shop lots and houses scattered all along. Despite its location and the convenient access from busy highways, Dengkil seems to have stood still against time. The shop lots look old, and I don’t see any shopping mall. But it has a fleet of convenience stores – 7-Eleven, 99 Speed Mart, DIY, Pasaraya Jommart – you name it. Everything is basically there. Even the eateries are a mix of every ‘genre’ that you can probably think of – Malay, Chinese, Indians (or rather Mamak), Thai – you name it, and not to mention all the fast-food restaurants that are scattered all over.
Despite all the development, a big portion of Dengkil is still very much dominated by farm and plantation areas. On the outskirts and beyond there are Malay and Orang Asli villages entwined with each other you can’t even tell which from which. The only apparent sign is probably the existence of dogs at Orang Asli houses which remind me very much of villages in Sabah.
I do enjoy Dengkil so far – although there are times when I wish I were in a more modern and properly developed area. I always make my time driving over to Putrajaya or Cyberjaya if I need more of the modern vibes especially during weekends when I have more free time than I usually do on weekdays.
But just as it is in most other parts of Selangor, Dengkil itself is undergoing a rapid development. New housing areas are up here and there, and more cafes are being opened. I have only been here for a little over a year and yet I see how new marts and restaurants are opening up all over – and nearer to my house of residence which is making my life here more and more convenient.
The biggest convenience of staying in Dengkil area is probably the quick access to the airports due to its quite close proximity to the KLIA airports. My job requires me to travel a lot, so it really is a blessing to be staying within a 20-minutes something of Grab ride to the airports. I remember how the logistics really were troubling me a lot when I was staying in Taman Melawati for 10 years – with the need to travel across KL and praying that I wouldn’t (really) get stuck in the traffic jam for too or I’ll miss my flight, like every time.
When I was rolling into the end of one year contract period that I’d signed with the house owner, it did come to me that may be I should try staying somewhere else and see what it has to offer me. In fact, I did quite a bit of house-hunting, with the area around Seri Kembangan as my top priority. But then, the more I searched and the more I traveled into that area to check things around there, the more I thought I should stick to staying in Dengkil.
And it’s been a couple of months, and I am still here. But for how long more? Only time will tell.