For many it’s the end of
an era. Yes, Ampang Park is closing down.
The shopping centre
built by the Low Keng Huat Brothers Realty Sdn Bhd in 1973 is set to be
demolished following compulsory acquisition of the land to build the Ampang
Park MRT underground station
Naturally, many
(especially those within my age group) are shocked and saddened when they heard
the news. I am too. It really is sad as Ampang Park is iconic; it was the first
mall in Kuala Lumpur. There is so much history here.
I don’t really go there
that often to begin with but like many from my generation, I have had wonderful
memories of the mall.
The first time I was
there was just months after it was opened when Ayah Ngah and family brought us,
this visiting relatives from Perak, to a new hip shopping centre (nobody uses
the word mall then) that has escalators. For a nine year old me, those
escalators were the coolest thing. Greatest. Invention. Ever. So like many
jakun kids, we (my brothers and I with my arwah cousin Fendi leading the way)
went up and down the moving stairs many time over. Gila tak nak main
escalator,,,, best giler.
Three years later, when
I was in Standard Six, I joined a rombongan sekolah to KL. We visited all the Negaras
(Zoo, Masjid and Tugu) of course plus the new theme park called Mimaland. But
to me the highlight of the trip was when we went to have dinner at Ampang Park
before we head home. I don’t really remember where exactly in Ampang Park we
had dinner but I do remember we went to the rooftop … If I’m not mistaken there
was an ice skating ring there then (or was the ring in another shopping
centre?)
Bila masuk Universiti Malaya
in 1984, I remembered asking my friend and college mate Halim (a KL boy
himself) to bring me and Ishak (both orang kampong from utara) to Ampang Park. Lagi
pun Ishak nak beli kasut. And I remembered we ended up watching some stupid
movie while we were there. I must say that outing was spectacularly memorable
because of that movie – satu cerita perang paling bodoh in a movie history. It’s
a C-grade English movie in which the director apparently didn’t know how to end
the movie. Such miserable experience. LOL.
When I was in second
year, I remembered going there several times with my arwah Achik bershopping
and berwindow shopping. Well, actually she did the shopping and I was the
driver. And gladly to be doing so. Arwah was really one cool and sporting mak
sedara. Miss her. Al Fatihah.
