Heritage postbox in Lumut

Leaving Telok Anson town behind us, we then drove a long way to our destination, Lumut. Earlier, I had booked ourselves into a quaint place known as the Hotel Ritz Garden. The name is a misnomer because there was no garden there. The space in front of the hotel was a public car park that was shared with the supermarket next door. At the back of the building was another public car park. Better make sure you double-lock the car if staying overnight here!

We were a little apprehensive about the hotel's condition but we were utterly surprised to find that the room was one of the nicest we have encountered in a small town. Very clean, roomy enough with all the basic facilities provided. Hidden on the top floor was a huge ballroom for functions. I really didn't expect all this from a very unassuming hotel facade.

The next morning, we drove around. Went into Lumut town itself to buy some of their local foodstuff including their salted fish. Their salted ikan belanak, although my wife kept mispronouncing it as beranak. Not intentionally, of course! Then I came across this old colonial post office letter postbox.

People who read my blog will understand my interest in this cylindrical letterbox. I have been taking pictures of such letterboxes wherever I can find them. They are quite rare to find nowadays. They are actually quite fascinating because normally, they'll display a royal insignia that indicate the reign of a British monarch.

Unfortunately for this particular postbox, they have been obliterated. Filed away, most probably. And covered with a sticker to denote the collection time for letters. But at least, I could find the manufacturer's name. There at the bottom was the name of McDowall Steven & Co Ltd of London and Glasgow.

Lumut itself looks like a very decent town. We drove up to the naval base, saw a very nice beach front inside the base and innocently tried to ask for permission to enter but was refused at the security checkpoint. Oh well, it was worth a try because there was nothing to lose by asking except being denied entry. So we turned around and stopped further down the road.

Looks rather dirty, doesn't it? Actually, the beach IS dirty, in patches, with debris washed up by the tide. But there are some nice clean spots too, where the sand  is beautiful.