I always get these surprised, amazed looks when I tell people that I spend Eid in KL, every single year; I don’t see the big deal because this is how and where I celebrate Eid. I suppose just as how some people cannot fathom how anyone can celebrate Eid in the city, I similarly cannot understand how they cannot grasp that it is a normal practice for some of us. How I love the quietness and peacefulness that the city enjoys in this period; if anything, this is among that something that I look forward to every Eid!
I spent Eid helping out as usual, catching up on reading and footie, and thinking of and refining my travel plans for the coming months. It was also during the weekend when I told Abah and Mummy of my two coming trips and not without some trepidation of how they would react to one of the destinations (I wonder how they will react when I tell them of the next few trips before the year-end). They were surprised alright and not too encouraging (they had been to the country before but in the dry, hot season, i.e. the ‘wrong’ time).
Speaking of trips, it looks like I may need to fork out more dosh than expected after all for one of them. Now, I like taking the train whenever possible and plausible and had even contacted a local travel agent who has agreed to purchase me a sleeper train ticket but after further consideration, I decided train travel will cost me too much time. Just like in Laos, although I would have liked to experience taking land transportation to/fro Vientiane-Luang Prabang (if I can even bear a 10-hour bus trip or an 11-hour boat-ride on a challenging landscape), in the end, I decided to fly between the two cities because of time constraint (and even that was a 5D 4N trip). I don’t want to feel guilty of the carbon footprint I’m leaving but in the interest of time, it looks like I will have to go for this option for this particular trip. Flying equals speed and time-saving but it sure does come at a cost to the pocket (as it is, I’m already forking out a fair sum of money for the air ticket and the visa application) and the environment. But seriously, if you have only a few days and want to squeeze in as many destinations possible, I’m sure you’d consider this too. Believe me, if I have the luxury of ten days’ leave to spend in only country, I’d take the train too, never mind that it’d confine me to a train-ride of close to fifteen hours one way (I read that trains in this particular country are quite old and rail-tracks not any better). It costs considerably less and I get to enjoy the landscape and scenery. Oh well, that’s opportunity cost for me then.
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Glad to say that I managed to watch footie on the eve of Eid (!) and was very happy with the win (oh and the young Guns also won their Carling Cup match last night). Oh must share this: Titi Henry shares the opinion that you-know-who’s celebration is classless. And Song, Eboue and Cesc have all expressed their anger too (the latter has scars to remind him of what you-know-who did, poor baby!). Well, he certainly deserves the ban.
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