In Remembrance Of His Late Son, This Man Grew An Orchard In The Middle Of KL
Since his son passed away, Uncle Yen stopped working and tried to cope with his loss by taking care of this orchard for years.
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In the hustling and bustling city of Kuala Lumpur, who knew there’d be an orchard with various local fruits and plants?
Located in between the Taman Tun MRT Station and Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery lies a hidden orchard called the Urban Orchard KL, owned by a positively cheerful man named Uncle Yen.
According to Wiki Impact, despite the optimistic persona, Uncle Yen or Yen Maseri Hj. Idris had to go through a heartbreaking past that led him to work on this hidden orchard.
Seven years ago, Uncle Yen was in the recruitment industry when he got the news that his son passed away. After working 32 years in the industry, the loss of his son affected his spirit and he can’t seem to continue working there anymore.
He also said that he was a graveyard digger for a year back then and finally decided to cope with the loss by working on a personal project near his home. The project gave him strength and a motive to carry on.
Initially, he said that the area was just an active site for mosquito breeding and so he took an effort to clean the place up and turn it into something useful for the environment.
Fast forward 7 years later and he now has an orchard filled with plenty of mature fruit trees and various animals.
His work of revamping the mosquito breeding area into a breathtaking orchard has positively affected the ecosystem. The river there is cleaner, and animals started to inhabit the area such as Tilapia fish, tortoises, monitor lizards, stray animals and more.
Some of the fruits that he grows in the orchard are Monthong Durian, Harum Manis mangoes, Honey Jackfruit (Nagka Madu), Ping Pong Longans, Kedondong, Lemons, Miracle Berries and more.
I’m saving the orchard, I’m saving the river. I’m saving the urban forest.
Uncle Yen, Caretaker of Urban Orchard KL
Initially, Uncle Yen funded the orchard with his own pockets but over the years, he developed a secure support system in the form of a club with 150 members. They all chimed in to help pay for big things at the orchard like protective gates and vet bills for injured strays in the community.
He said that he has big dreams for the orchard. He aimed to open a cute ice cream parlour shop there to sell ice cream to welcome visitors.
He also said that he’s actually very happy to be working on the orchard. He dedicates his years of hard work for the younger generation to enjoy. He wants the young people to appreciate their nature more and be grateful to mother nature.
I’m giving this to the young people. I just take care of the orchard, and that’s enough for me. I’m very happy.
Uncle Yen, Caretaker of Urban Orchard KL
That’s what I’ve been telling the young people. This is for you guys.
Let’s pay a visit to his ice cream stall once he opens it one day there at the orchard.
Meanwhile, if you wanna find out more about the orchard or Uncle Yen, you can follow Urban Orchard KL on Instagram and Tiktok.
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