BM? You mean, Bahasa Malaysia?

By Chong Joan-Lynn

The ‘bukit.’

For someone who has been living in Bukit Mertajam since five, I sure am an embarrassment to this town. Until recently when I was digging out info on Bukit Mertajam, I had no idea how it got its name. Literally, I was guessing a hill of some sort. Thankfully, I wasn’t far off! Like many other towns, Bukit Mertajam is named after a tree.

The Mertajam tree is smaller than the Ipoh or Melaka trees, with ruby red berries that develop after the creamy panicle of tiny blossoms. Old local residents discovered many Mertajam trees growing only at this area, and most of the plants were located on higher ground (the hill), ergo the name Bukit Mertajam (which is actually Malay for Mertajam Hill).

For those who are not familiar with Bukit Mertajam, the town has been called many names. Locals refer to it as simply BM or Bukit Ubat (medicinal hill) because of the therapeutic qualities attributed to the hill, and among the Hokkiens, it’s Tua Swa Kah which translates simply as being at the foot of a big mountain. In the mid-1900s, it was even called Little Hatyai.

The population of Bukit Mertajam, based on the latest calculation, shows 221 882 people. Bukit Mertajam is predominantly Chinese populated representing 50% of the total population whereas the Malay population is about 35%. The Indian community represents 10% and others are at 5%. Hence, majority of the locals converse in Hokkien.

Bukit Mertajam is actually a quaint small town with a number of attractions. Among the few spots one should not miss when passing through the town is definitely the Bukit Mertajam Recreational Forest, Mengkuang Dam, the St. Anne’s Sanctuary Bukit Mertajam, the Highway Auto City, and the busy Market Road. These places are usually packed with tourists and even among the locals during the public and school holidays. As to the exact locations of those places and further details on them, I’d leave it for some other day to talk about.

One of the best things to do during the night in this town is to have supper in stalls, be it Mamak ones, or Malay ones. This is the place where teenagers and adults gather at night for light chats, watch sport games, and just basically “hang out”. Besides the common Roti Canai, Nasi Kandar and Teh Ais Limau, Koay Teow Basah is one of Bukit Mertajam’s specialties. If you have never heard of it, Koay Teow Basah is almost alike Fried Koay Teow, except this one is not fried, but served with some spicy gravy.

Looking for a place to stay? Worry not, for accommodations are available from budget hotels to the three-star Summit Prescott Hotel. There is also a rest house, and if one prefers to lodge closer to nature, the chalets at the Bukit Mertajam Recreational Forest are recommended. These accommodations are situated all over the town, thus public transports are easily accessible.

Bukit Mertajam is well known for the Feast of St. Anne. The feast is celebrated by Catholics. Each year in July, the St. Anne’s Feast draws thousands & thousands of visitors from around the country and abroad to small-town, Bukit Mertajam. People flock to pay homage and thanks St. Anne for countless prayers answered and petitions granted.

If you intend to travel here by car, on the North-South Highway, exit at Bukit Mertajam. From the toll plaza, follow signboards to the town. The drive from the plaza takes about 20 minutes. Or, if you are really worried about getting lost, you can always take a train from KL Sentral. The more popular stops up north are Alor Setar and Butterworth. The Bukit Mertajam train station is just a stop ahead of the Butterworth train station.