I receive an invite to my good friend Lat’s “house blessing”. His pet project, the Galeri Rumah Lat, which he has been planning to build since 2009, opened its doors on July 8.

I fret over what to wear to the opening, wondering if what I have is batik enough.

I am greeted by what appears to be two rainbows when I arrive in Ipoh. I am pretty sure that I will find the newly built gallery and museum at the end of them.

A delectable spread of Malaysian food beckons. If I want to take in a place, it is always easier to start with the local cuisine.

The main building houses Lat’s drawings, sketchbooks, medals and awards. It provides a delightful inventory of his accomplishments. Letters of admiration from around the world are also on display.

There is a replica of his drawing table, complete with his art paraphernalia and works in progress.

During the opening, I find everyone to be distinctly familiar, having made their acquaintance in the Kampung Boy and Town Boy books. I have this sudden realisation that I am no longer looking at just another Lat cartoon — I am in one!

The second building, the gallery’s piece de resistance, is the reconstructed kampung house of Lat’s childhood. The house is the setting for most of his memorable drawings, including the unforgettable cartoon on the “well-starched trousers that could stand on their own” he did decades ago.

Wherever Lat goes, fans approach him for autographs on just about anything and everything they can lay their hands on. Some have their shirts on their backs signed.

One had his signed on a motorcycle helmet.

An enterprising gentleman used plates from the buffet table.

And how apt that is, since Lat’s name comes from the Malay word “bulat”, which means round.