Nihao, Henan And Shaanxi! Part I

I was contemplating where to go for my year-end break then remembered that we could still enter China visa-free for 30 days. After searching and consulting maps, I decided to purchase Batik Air ticket to Zhengzhou. From Zhengzhou, I could travel by train to Xi’an. Batik Air rescheduled the departure times from both KL and Zhengzhou so I had to find a hotel in Zhengzhou near the airport which offered complimentary airport shuttle. I usually use Booking.com to search for hotels (no Airbnb in China!) then turned to Trip.com because there were a lot more hotels listed there. I even rebooked my Xi’an hotel via Trip.com and cancelling the booking I made on Booking.com as the price quoted by the former was lower by more than RM100. When I checked Batik Air site following my ticket purchase, I found that prices had fallen and was not amused when I found my ticket cost a few hundred Ringgit higher than if I had waited. Grr!

Wednesday, 25 December 2024    

I made my way to KLIA T1 and checked in (online check-in didn’t work) my bag before going through passport control. Our flight would depart from Gate C so I had to take the shuttle to the Satellite Terminal. After performing prayers, I walked to my gate. We took off on time and landed at 22:40. We had to wait a while before the door was opened though. I hurried to the passport control and was told to fill up a form first. That done, I collected my bag and then went down to Gate 3 at Level 1. I had to ask a local bloke’s help to contact You’aimei  Meijia Hotel and he used Translator on his phone to communicate. It turned out another couple was also heading to the hotel. After ten minutes, the hotel shuttle arrived and it took about five minutes to get to the hotel. I quickly checked in and went up to my room. Thankfully I didn’t have problems falling asleep. 

    

Thursday, 26 December 2024     

I woke up for prayers. I went down for breakfast and after asking where breakfast was served and much struggling with the language barrier, made my way to a local eatery. It wasn’t very clean and I was surprised that the hotel served its breakfast there. I had a bowl of soup and some fried bread. As I was leaving, the owners said something to me and, confused, I showed the hotel card. They waved me away. I did wonder on my walk back if the reception had misunderstood me when I asked where breakfast is served. The hotel did provide complimentary breakfast and that was what I asked for.     I went back to my room and did some reading before checking out at almost 12 noon. I asked how to get to the nearest metro station but after a while, the hotel staff advised me to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport and ride the metro from there. So I did that and waited at the airport until it was Zuhur before I made my way to the metro station. The fare was RMB7 and it took more than an hour to reach Erqi Square where the Memorial Tower, the landmark of Zhengzhou, is.     

I spent some time walking around and getting lost before getting my bearings again. Made my way to Zhengzhou Railway Station but it was too early as my train was later in the evening so I detoured and walked to Fuminli. The area was getting spruced up, including the mosque there. I asked a couple of girls who later asked some locals and after much gesturing, one man beckoned for me to follow him. I thanked the girls and followed him to Qingpingli Mosque nearby. I was shown the entrance to the women’s area and I was welcomed by the local women there. Performed evening prayers there, Alhamdulillah. I tried finding a halal restaurant nearby but didn’t see any restaurant at all. I tried to go to some shopping mall (looked like a wholesale mall) but still couldn’t find any meal option so I turned and walked back to the railway station, stopping to buy some buns at a small shop.    

I stood in the ticketing building (there was no seat) for almost two hours and even witnessed a scuffle when some police burst in holding a man struggling to get away. They brought him into the police office at the station but later released the man sans shoes. I stood gaping then some local man came over to read over my book before starting a conversation. That was it, I decided to make my way to the main building then. I lingered before enquiring some officers if I could already enter the station. A handphone was consulted for translation and yes, I could already enter, so I had my passport scanned and entered. There were a few waiting rooms depending on your destinations and after asking at the information counter (I think), I located the waiting room where I was supposed to be. There are washrooms at all waiting rooms and hot water dispenser too. How convenient is that? In fact, quite a few people were enjoying their ramen meal.     

I followed the others and queued up just before 23:00. There were machines to scan IDs and for me, I went to the side to have my passport scanned. We then had to go down stairs to get to the train with our bags and all. I asked a train conductor but he responded with barks and I just blinked at him. I continued on and finally managed to locate the right carriage. When I booked my berth, the site showed that I managed to get the last first class (soft sleeper) berth available so I was surprised to find a couple in my cabin and the fourth berth vacant. The couple nodded at me and I made myself at home: stored my bag under the berth, took out my travel pillow, located my eye mask, spread the quilt and stretched out. I opened my eyes once to find the couple seated together and the next thing I knew was when someone opened the cabin to empty the trash. Alhamdulillah, I could hardly sleep on trains or planes and I managed to do so. The couple had left during the night and I was alone.     

I walked more than 17, 800 steps or 12.2 km today.

To be continued

The Year That Was: 2024

So another year had come and gone. A whole new year without any parent.

Atrocities continued in Gaza and Palestine and other areas in Yemen and Lebanon, and African countries which didn’t get publicised. It amazes me that some people, even non-Muslims, readily educated themselves and openly supported the plight of the Palestinians when some so-called Muslims just didn’t care. And it also shocked me that some people think that is-hell has the rights to force others out.

A moment of careless caused me to fall and break my wrist, necessitating a surgery and numerous physiotherapy sessions. I also had my own exercise at home and bought some exercise tools to help me. And because I didn’t really use my left hand until a few months after the surgery, I now have minor frozen shoulder and have started physiotherapy to address that issue. I really must be more alert and careful and less ditsy to avoid recurrence of this. It’s too easy to regret and say I should’ve been more alert and careful but it had already happened and regret is just a waste of time and energy. I do need to exercise more care to avoid similar occurrences and recurrence.

Arsenal finished second to Sh*tty in the 2023-2024 campaign. We drew and lost some games we shouldn’t have. The current season has been challenging with some players already out injured. Sigh.

I embarked on ‘revenge travel’ and visited a few countries (Timor Leste, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein) and new places (Bacolod, Semarang, Pontianak, Sapa, Kuala Krai, Zhengzhou and Xi’an) and revisited Ipoh, Taiping, Kuala Kangsar, Georgetown, Kota Kinabalu, Hanoi). Alhamdulillah. My 2024 trips were as follows:

January: Flew out at month-end to Denpasar, spent a night there and flew out to Dili in Timor Leste the following morning. I also travelled to Baucau before returning to Dili

February: Flee to Bacolod via Manila during Chinese New Year break to visit my Pinoy mate

March: Joined schoolmates on a bus trip to Ipoh, Taiping and Kuala Kangsar

April: Flew to Tashkent and on to Astana via Almaty. After two nights, I flew to Shymkent and from there travelled on to Turkestan (where I fell down and broke my wrist although I didn’t know it then) and then took the night train to Almaty

May: From Almaty, I crossed over to Bishkek. Spent two nights there before flying to Osh. After two nights in Osh, I flew to Istanbul and after a few hours of layover, I flew to Bologna. Took the coach the following morning to Vaduz in Liechtenstein, passing through Switzerland. After one night, I took the following afternoon’s coach to Milan for my flight back to KL. At month-end, I took the night bus to Georgetown for my annual trip

June: Came back from Georgetown. Had wrist surgery at month-end and was given medical leave for 3.5 weeks

July: Doctor gave me green light to travel to Kuching. From Kuching, I took a bus to Pontianak and overnighted there

August: Took the ETS train to Kampar to explore the town

September: Took the train to Arau and then travelled to Kuala Perlus during Malaysia Day weekend. The weekend after, I flew to Kota Kinabalu with my nephew and nieces. At month-end, I attended another niece’s wedding at the groom’s place and my sister and I overnighted in Kuala Krai

October: Flew to Hanoi at month-end and travelled on to Sapa from the airport

November: Returned to Hanoi and spent a night there before flying back

December: Overnight trip to Batu Pahat to settle dad’s estate. Flew to Zhengzhou on Christmas Day and took the train to and from Xi’an

I did better than 2023 but still fell one book short of my reading target of 150 books. Well, I do have to spend about 30 minutes to exercise in the evening and there were some evenings when I could hardly keep my eyes open. Some evenings I woke up to find I had dozed off when trying to read (after my exercise) and had to drag myself up to bed.

I never cared much about new year or celebrating it. All the same, I pray that the coming year will bring us good health, wealth, peace, increased iman, prosperity, success and all that we wish for. May we prioritise our mental and physical health, may we be more considerate, generous, less judgmental, more compassionate, thoughtful and kinder to everyone and all creatures.

Starting Over

The month seems to have sped by. I’ve been busy with packing my things at the office as there will be changes in my working life soon, insyaAllah for the better. I haven’t managed to do much travelling apart from an overnight trip to Batu Pahat in end-November to settle my dad’s estate. I did have plans; however, I’ve had to put my travels on hold as I’m still undergoing physiotherapy and attend them twice weekly (once during the week, and the other time on either Saturday or early on Sunday morning).

 

I don’t want to dwell too much on the changes at work. It’s a good thing I haven’t had much time to connect even deeper with my colleagues when I moved floors in early January because now I’m moving office, department and building to another one altogether.

 

How fitting that I saw this this morning: You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.

 

May Allah continue to bless and guide us through our worldly life. Ameen.

Super Sapa

 

I’d purchased MAS MHflypass for ASEAN last December and had used two of them for my flights to Bali (en route to Dili, Timor Leste) and Manila (en route to Bacolod). I decided to use the remaining pass to revisit Hanoi as it’d been almost 16 years since my first visit. I did some research, booked hotel and Airbnb (and cancelled the first hotel and booked another) then joined Klook to buy some tickets. I also bought a bus ticket online using 12go because I had problems purchasing the ticket from the bus company’s website.

 

Thursday, 31 October 2024

 

Initially I wanted to fly out on Wednesday, 30 October 2024, but found there was no flight out on Wednesdays so I had to change my plans and flew out a day later. Left home right after morning prayers and made my way to the LRT station. I arrived at KLIA T1 at 08:10 and immediately headed for the counter to drop off my bag. I then went in to clear immigration and security check.

 

Our flight took off on time and we landed three hours later at Hanoi Noi Ba International Airport. There were another one or two flights which also just arrived so there were considerable long queues to clear immigration. My bag was already waiting and placed on the floor instead of making joyride around the carousel. I exited the baggage area and found a quiet corner to perform prayers.

 

I had bought bus ticket online from the domestic airport to Sapa; however, Interbus sent me message the day before that they could pick me up from the international airport. Alhamdulillah! Turned out there were two other Malaysian couples and a Chinese couple also taking the bus to Sapa. I was told to wait from 13:30 but the bus arrived at its intended departure time of 14:00. We had to check our names against the tickets and remove our footwear and place them in provided plastic bags before boarding the bus - not unlike entering an Asian house.

 

The bus stopped twice to allow passengers to use the facilities. At each stop, passengers needed to step down onto a rubber mat and chose a pair of slippers from a basket and return those slippers to the basket before re-boarding the bus. Of course some Westerners didn’t understand this concept.

 

We arrived in Sapa just after 19:00. I collected my bag and asked for directions to London Sapa Hotel. I was quoted VND40k to get there but I said I’d walk as I knew the hotel was near the bus office. And I discovered the following evening that there was even a much shorter route from where we disembarked to the hotel! Well, good thing I refused.

 

After checking in, depositing my bags and checking my timeline, I ventured out to find dinner. Dinner was had at Thong Dong Vegan Kitchen & Café. I love that the café has bookshelves of books and envelopes of quotations on the tables. There was also a resident kitty who came to greet the diners. The weather was mild and it was a lovely walk along the Sapa lake. I returned to the hotel just before 22:00 local time (Vietnam is an hour behind).

 

Friday, 1 November 2024

 

I woke up early for morning prayers then tried to catch some kip after prayers. I had breakfast at level 6 of the hotel and was delighted to find the hotel resident kitties. After breakfast, I walked to Sun Plaza for the funicular train to Muong Hoa. At Muong Hoa, we walked out of the station and walked up the hill to the cable car station. There was a long queue to board the cable car. I queued for 25 minutes or so. Thankfully many people could fit in a gondola so that made it more stable and helped me feel less scared of the height. The cable car ride took 15 minutes and my ears popped at the altitude change. After admiring the view, I headed for the stairs to begin my climb up. There’s another funicular train here that you could take near to the summit but I read that it was not necessary.

 

Well, I must say the stairs were challenging alright. They seemed endless! The thin mountain air didn’t help any. So I took my time climbing up and you’d be wise to do the same. I finally reached the summit and spent some time there taking in the view and snapping photos. Alhamdulillah, the fog and clouds had cleared sufficiently by then to allow clearer picture of the surroundings. At 3,143 metres, Mount Phan Xi Păng is the highest mountain in Indochina. Just like Mount Kinabalu, one could also hike up if he chooses to.

 

I then made my way down and back to the cable car station. This time there was hardly any queue for the cable car. If you’d bought a Klook ticket that includes lunch, your buffet lunch is at Van Sam Restaurant. The buffet spread was generous and there was halal food too, alhamdulillah. There was some cultural show at Muong Hoa but I didn’t stop for long before making my way down to the funicular train station. We had to wait a bit for the funicular train down.

 

Back in Sapa, I walked on the other side of the lake on my way back to the hotel. Dinner was again had at Thong Dong Vegan Kitchen & Café.

 

Caturday, 2 October 2024

 

I set off after breakfast today to Cat Cat Village. The plan was to hike there and beyond. A few motorbikers approached me asking if I needed a ride and I declined them. I referred to a map shared on a blog and followed it. There was water going down the hill and it got a tad irritating. After a while, I came across a sign stating a shortcut to Cat Cat Village so I decided to follow it. Sure enough, it took me to the village. I almost missed the ticket counter. You’ll need to purchase a ticket to enter the village. The ticket costs VND70k for those below 1.3 metres tall and VND150k for those above 1.3 metres. I had my ticket checked then followed the path down to the lane lined on both sides with shops selling handicrafts and local souvenirs. I only gave them a cursory glance. There was a group of South Koreans wearing the local costumes. Every once in a while, you’ll come to a platform where you can enjoy the view and take photos.

 

After some time, I came to a sign showing the way to the waterfall so I went down more steps (already dreading having to climb them up again later!) and soon came to the waterfalls. Yes, there are more than one waterfall. I spent some time walking along the river and crossing it before turning back. Having had my fill of the place, I walked out and up the steps and away from Cat Cat Village. I followed a country lane and had the whole lane all to myself. There were the occasional white couples but they were far and far between. Unfortunately, I took the wrong turning at one junction where I turned left instead of right which meant I had to climb up steep hills instead of going down hills. This also meant I cut my hike shorter than I planned to. I emerged onto a main road and stood waiting for a bus or motorbike offering me a ride. One chap on a motorbike came after ten minutes offering me a ride and I asked him to drop me near the cathedral for VND50k.

 

I decided to have lunch while I was still out and about and had it at Thong Dong Vegan Kitchen & Café again before returning to the hotel. I paid for my room and informed the reception that I would be checking out early the following morning and if I could get a packed breakfast. I then stayed in for the rest of the day and had some bread and milk for dinner. I also started packing my things.

 

Sunday, 3 October 2024

 

The hotel staff came to deliver my packed breakfast just before 07:00. I left at 07:15 and walked to the bus office. The bus was already there and I was boarding it within five minutes. The bus left at 07:27 as everyone who should boarded it had already done so. We stopped at the same rest stops. To use the facilities, you need to pay VND3k. We finally reached Hanoi at around 13:00. Everyone got down at Tran Quang Khai and I walked all the way to my Airbnb at Phung Hung. My Airbnb is at the fifth floor (fourth floor to us used to the British system) and accessible by a narrow staircase. Thankfully the owner came out and helped me with my suitcase.

 

After performing prayers, I walked to Hoang Thanh Thang Long, an imperial citadel which dates from the 11^th century and inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 which was after my last visit. It was near my Airbnb but I had to walk around some government building. And the entrance is at Hoang Dieu. I paid VND70k for my ticket (no distinction between locals and foreigners) and walked to the grounds. There were many groups of students there, dressed in their ao dai. I explored the grounds before returning to the main gate.

 

I left close to closing time and made my way to train street. This is a train track lined on both sides with small cafés and is an attraction in its own right. There was a festive air and many foreigners were already there soaking in the atmosphere. Cafés were doing a brisk trade and there were small chairs placed along the track for patrons to sit and nurse their drinks. I walked along the track then crossed Tran Phu to get to the other track. This was better to me so I stayed there. One shop had the times posted but 5:30 p.m. came and went with no train in sight. Finally, we heard whistles but even then it took another 15 minutes or so before the train finally appeared at almost 6:00 p.m. Some of the café owners were telling the visitors to move out. I was lucky to find a foothold at the edge of a café. After the train passed (all of one minute!), the crowd dispersed. I went to find dinner and after traipsing all over, finally had dinner at Soy Vegetarian Restaurant where buffet was served for only VND80k (USD3.20!).

 

After dinner, I headed back to my room.

 

Monday, 4 October 2024

 

Early morning start. Despite being on leave, there was a meeting. Unsure, I joined the meeting which dragged on to close to an hour. I quickly finished packing then made my way down those stairs and walked to Long Bien bus station. I had read that one must be careful of pickpockets here. Alhamdulillah, nothing untoward happened and bus no. 17 came within five minutes. I was surprised to find the trip was VND15k and after digging my money pouch, only found VND14k which the conductor accepted. The journey took longer than the 60 minutes which I anticipated. It took close to 90 minutes and it terminated at the domestic terminal. I had to drag my suitcase and walked to the international airport. Good thing it was an overcast morning.

 

I arrived at 12:00 noon and managed to drop off my bag. I then joined the long queue to clear immigration and the longer security line. Once inside, I went to perform ablutions and performed prayers in the nursery. I reached the gate just as passengers were boarding. Alhamdulillah.

 

We landed at KLIA T1 at 17:40. I missed the 18:05 KLIA Transit train and had to take the 18:22 train. Reached home at 20:25 after performing prayers at Ampang station.

 

That was a great trip. I only went into one shop, having no desire or temptation to shop. I think there’s more I haven’t discovered about Hanoi and wouldn’t mind a repeat trip.

Land Below The Wind

 

My nephew and a mate share the same birth date and I’ve always thought it’d be fun to have them meet each other. So this year I decided to make it a reality. I bought air tickets as early as March, six months before our departure date. Then in early April, I started booking hotel and resort. Still a long way away but we were going at the tail end of school holidays and looking back, I was glad I made the purchases and bookings when I did.

 

Friday, 20 September 2024

 

Finally the long-awaited day arrived. I met the kids (my nephew and two nieces) at the bag drop-off counter and we made our way inside. I had managed to get myself upgraded so I didn’t drop off my bag. We parted ways outside the prayer room and I continued on to the Golden Lounge. Alas, the bathroom was being upgraded so I had to go and use the washrooms outside and couldn’t have my shower.

 

I met the kids again at the gate after evening prayers. The flight was pretty full. We boarded and took off in no time. We landed around 22:35 and hiked across the airport from our gate to immigration. There was one or two other flights that landed around the same time or slightly before so there were a lot of people around. And oh yes, as mentioned previously, it was school hols too.

 

The bags took a while to emerge (this is why I try not to check in my bag if I can help it) and then we had to wait for the person with our rented car to arrive. There was a crowd at the door and had we known, we would’ve gone to another door but we didn’t know and besides, the driver would have to pass the gate we were at first. Having gotten custody of the car, my nephew drove us to Hyatt Regency Kinabalu. There were two other couples ahead of us so a late check-in wasn’t that odd. It had been a long day at work and then travelling but I only managed to sleep after 00:30.

 

Caturday, 21 September 2024

 

An early start because morning prayers are early in this part of Malaysia. I pumped iron then showered before going down for breakfast. We left at 09:00 and headed for Ranau. Oh my, the drive was challenging with road works, road diversions, bumpy road conditions in some stretches, drivers suddenly appearing from nowhere… we also had to endure being stuck behind a lorry or a bus a few times. Finally, after close to two hours, we arrived at Perkasa Hotel Mt Kinabalu. We stopped there and enjoyed a bird’s eye view of the surrounding area. It was breathtakingly beautiful. If only Mount Kinabalu wasn’t hiding behind some clouds then. In fact, we didn’t manage to sight it at all.

 

After having some banana fritters, we performed prayers at the hotel prayer room before driving off to find lunch. We were heading for H Benjamin Café when we saw the many cars at Restoran Selera Kebun so after driving a bit, reading the reviews and discussing among ourselves, we decided to turn and have lunch there instead. We had to park at some homestay and walk up. We ordered two set lunches and they didn’t disappoint at all. The only downside was the presence of flies everywhere.

 

After the satisfying lunch, we drove back to KK. Just like the drive heading out of the city, the drive into the city was challenging. We reached the hotel after 4 p.m. and rested.

 

My mate, Eskay, came to the hotel for dinner with her two kids, sister, brother and sister-in-law and treated us to dinner. Alhamdulillah for the rezeki. Much appreciated, Eskay!

 

Sunday, 22 September 2024

 

After breakfast, we walked to nearby Gaya Street to experience the Sunday morning market. There were many sellers selling pearl accessories, brooches and other accessories, plants, vegetables, coffee from Tenom, and other produce. After that, we went to the waterfront before returning to our rooms. It was only after 10 a.m. and already very hot.

 

We checked out at 11:20 and waited for the e-hailing vehicle to bring us to Jesselton Point. The check-in office location had slipped my mind so we had to turn back and then endure a long queue to check-in. In the end, we didn’t manage to check in there but boarded the boat with the other guests and completed our check-in at the resort. The boat ride took 15 minutes. After the welcoming drink and cold towel, we were shown to our rooms where beautiful towel decorations waited on the beds. We waited a bit for our bags then performed prayers before venturing out to the pool bar for lunch. I must say that the small tables were inadequate if you’re in a group and if you sit at the sofa with the bigger table, it’s awkward to eat too because of the distance to the table. The food took a while to arrive so much so I managed to climb the spiral stairs up to the library, browsed books and came back with a Lee Child book and visited the washroom too.

 

We went for a short walk after lunch then the kids wanted to go for a swim while I went back to the room to rest.

 

Dinner was had at Feast Village then we retired to our rooms.

 

Monday, 23 September 2024

 

After breakfast, the kids went for a long swim and I went back to my room and book. We were finally blessed with the sight of Mount Kinabalu in the morning although the clouds covered it up by lunchtime. I met up with the kids and we rode the boat to Tavajun Bay. We stopped first at the Marine Centre and learnt about the rescue, treatment and care of rehabilitated turtles. We then had lunch before my nephew and one niece who decided they still hadn’t had enough soaking went for another dip in the sea.

 

We boarded the boat back to the resort and the kids decided to do some kayaking. I headed back to my room. Was starting to feel under the weather and I didn’t eat much during dinner either. It must be the heat or some bug going around. Somehow finished the 510-page Lee Child book which I borrowed from the resort library before I turned in for the night at 22:45.

 

Tuesday, 24 September 2024

 

I had a brief rest after morning prayers before getting up to finish packing. Went for breakfast – still lacking appetite -  and took paracetamol after my meal. We took the 11:00 boat and arrived at Jesselton Point at 11:20 (the boat left later than scheduled). We even went to get our bags instead of waiting for the porter to unload them and the Grab car arrived just as we walked out of the ferry terminal. We reached the airport at 11:45 and rushed to drop off our bags then went in to clear security and immigration. Well, it turned out that the MAS flight from KL was late so I even managed to perform prayers before boarding.

 

Despite departing later, we landed at KLIA at about 15:10 and this time, my bag came out early. So much so I managed to catch the 15:22 KLIA Transit train.

 

Alhamdulillah, everything went well and smoothly and I managed to fulfil my dream of bringing my nephew to meet my mate.

Pre-Malaysia Day Trip

 I decided I should travel somewhere during the Malaysia Day weekend and bought ETS train ticket to Ipoh. I was dithering if I should revisit Georgetown or go elsewhere and finally decided to visit Kuala Perlis; after all, I was a small kid the last time I was in Perlis. So I cancelled the Georgetown accommodation (I actually booked rooms at two places!) and confirmed the Kuala Perlis room.

 

After my physiotherapy session on the morning of Friday the 13th of September, I made my way to KL Sentral for my 12:00 noon train to Ipoh. Because it was the last day of school before school holidays, there were many people all waiting to board the 14:55 Komuter Utara train for Georgetown. I decided to perform prayers then instead of waiting until I arrived at Butterworth.

 

Well, the train was packed to the rafters. At first, I stood by the door and I could enjoy the breeze whenever the train stopped at the stations along the route. After a while, I decided to move in and it turned out to be a wise move as I managed to get a seat when passengers got down at some station. But my, the train ride was like being in a sauna. It was hot and humid and the opened windows didn’t help much. Things improved when we reached Bukit Mertajam where the bulk of passengers disembarked. I only realised I could’ve and should’ve just bought ticket to Bukit Mertajam instead of Butterworth then. Oh well.

 

We finally reached Arau station at close to Maghrib. For some reason, there was no Maxim car e-hailing service available in Perlis so I had to arrange for Grab. It took about 20 minutes to reach CSH Motel and the ride cost RM21. I had to wait for the motel owner to return from a shopping trip before I could check in. My room was at the second floor and near the stairs. After depositing my bag, I went out to get a bottle of mineral water and then had dinner at the restaurant next door. The motel does provide a water dispenser on the first floor. After dinner, I returned to my room and rested. It had been a long day of travelling. I had earlier messaged the motel owner asking if he could help find me a driver but he said it was difficult to find anyone among the locals. I then checked Grab but it would cost me over RM100 to go to Wang Keliang for one way trip (!).

 

I was woken up by heavy rains during the night which lasted into the morning. Just as I was able to leave and explore the town, it started raining again. I waited it out and finally left after 10:00. I walked to the waterfront and as I was nearing it, a group of men on big motorbikes came whizzing by and also stopped at the waterfront. I walked on until I rounded the corner where the jetty was and walked on to Tuanku Syed Putra Bridge. There were puddles from the rain so I took a detour and walked through a compound to get to the bridge. I was surprised at the crowd lining up the bridge and thought it must be because of school holidays. Well, it turned out there was a regatta which was part of Kuala Perlis Water Festival 2024. Last held in 2019, the water festival was to take place from 12 to 15 September. I wonder if the rains dampened the festival. In a way, it was a good thing I couldn’t find anyone to drive me to Wang Kelian as the dark clouds and rain meant there wasn’t much of a view to be enjoyed.

I crossed the bridge when I got to it (pun intended, heh!) to the other side then spent some time exploring the colourful villages before crossing the river back. The regatta was still ongoing then. I walked and had planned to have some laksa at Kak Su Laksa; however, there was a notice saying it would open at 14:00 instead of the usual 12:00 noon opening so I decided to have some meehoon soup utara first. Then I wandered slowly before heading for Kak Su Laksa. The restaurant was filled up within five minutes of opening so I told myself that the food must be good. Well, I must say I was disappointed. I didn’t think much of the laksa and I was appalled to find the warm laicikang I ordered was served in a plastic container. Obviously the owner had not heard of the health hazards of plastic. And how cheap can you get to serve drinks in plastic containers? One word: pathetic!

 

I walked back to my motel, it was only five minutes away and a good thing it was nearby because it started raining which quickly escalated into a torrential downpour. I rested and had a long nap. Dinner was had at the restaurant at the end of the building block.

 

I slept poorly on Saturday evening. It could be because of the long afternoon nap or it could be because the heavy rain during the night woke me up. I finally gave up trying to sleep and got up. Had a quick shower and performed prayers. I then tried to arrange for a Grab driver at 05:40 but there was no response. I tried again at 05:50. Still no response. I decided to perform morning prayers in my room after all (the plan was to perform Subuh prayers at Arau KTM station). Tried Grab again and one driver accepted but he was eleven minutes away and had to drop off a passenger. I checked Google Maps. It told me it’d take 18 minutes to get to Arau KTM station. And my train was at 06:39.

 

I went down and waited for the car. It arrived at 06:25 and as if the driver understood what was on my mind without me having to spell it out, drove like an F1 driver all the way. He clocked 120 km/hour and I was praying hard in the backseat and thankful that the tyres worked and had a good grip on the wet roads. We arrived at Arau KTM station at 06:37 - after only 12 minutes! – and I jumped out with my bag. Of course my carrier bag would chose to tear then so my water bottles fell out. I hurriedly picked them up and rushed up the two flight of stairs (I just couldn’t locate where the lift was anymore) and arrived at the concourse level huffing and panting, just in time to hear the announcement about the approaching train. I quickly scanned my electronic ticket and rushed into the opened lift (thank you, kind sir, for holding it for me!) and the train arrived just as we emerged from the lift. Talk about cutting it close! I thankfully boarded the train, it was a newer train and just like the ones in KL.

 

I got down and Bukit Mertajam this time and waited for my next train to Ipoh. It arrived about five minutes later than scheduled, an older train with seats facing each other, and we reached Ipoh at 11:15. I made my way out and walked to Dato’ Sagor Food Court and had mee kicap. I’d never had it before so was pleasantly surprised that it came with a bowl of yong tau foo-like curry. I returned to Ipoh station for my 12:05 train back to KL.

We reached KL Sentral at 14:39. Alhamdulillah.

Trip To The Equator Riverside City

I had made plans to be away during my birthday as early as mid-January. Then the surgery took place but I still asked my doctor hopefully if I could travel (barely a week after the surgery). He said that I could, as long as I exercised necessary caution. Sought second opinion from my therapist and she said it shouldn’t be a problem either so I rushed back from therapy and scrambled to check in for my flight, search for and rebook hotels as I’d cancelled the hotels booked earlier, pack and get ready.

 

I flew out to Kuching on the late afternoon of 4 July. From the airport, I took Maxim car to Kuching Sentral to find ticket to Pontianak for the following morning. I finally called a bus company and he said there were some seats on the morning bus but that I must come early to pay for the ticket. I then walked to Kuching Transit Inn to spend the night. It was the nearest inn I could find to Kuching Sentral. Well, it wasn’t great but somewhere I could rest. I could hear the next door guests and after a while, a noise that continued until I realised it was rain.

 

I woke up early on Friday for prayers and packed. It was raining and I walked out in the rain to Kuching Sentral. Alhamdulillah, I packed my brolly for the trip. After queuing up and paying for my ticket (the man I talked to the previous evening told me I could pay online but counter lady said no so I had to find an ATM to withdraw money. I was in such a hurry that I didn’t dig out moure cash to bring.

 

The bus finally left at almost 10:00 and we stopped at a supermarket for passengers to use the facilities or do last-minute shopping or purchase snacks for the trip. The rain still poured. We continued after thirty minutes until we reached the border at Tebedu where we had to get all our bags and go through passport control and immigration, cross over to the Indonesian side and go through passport control again.

 

We continued our journey and stopped en route at a restaurant for lunch. I thought the price was a bit steep but the owner could get away with it as it seemed to be the only eatery around and most, if not all, bus operators stop there.

 

We resumed our journey and finally reached Terminal ALBN (Antar Lintas Batas Negara). There’s WiFi at the terminal but passengers cannot arrange for e-hailing car to pick them up. I had to ride a cab to Garuda Hotel. It took about 25 minutes in the after-office peak traffic to reach the hotel. I checked in and performed prayers. I ventured out after dark to Ayani Megamall to find dinner. The mall is across a busy road and I had to walk further to use an overhead pedestrian bridge to cross over. I spent about an hour there before turning back.

 

I slept badly that night, no thanks to the traffic noise outside the window.

 

I woke up on Saturday, 6 July, for prayers then lingered before going for breakfast. After breakfast, I walked to the riverfront. I had thought of taking the ferry across but it looked like it was a vehicle ferry and I didn’t feel like asking. I had initially planned to visit the Equatorial Monument but changed my mind that it doesn’t lie on the Equator but 117 metres off. Plus it looked like it was going to rain so I turned and walked back to the hotel. I went to the hotel rooftop for a bird’s eyeview of the surrounding area before returning to the room. I checked out after noon prayers. After depositing my bag at the left luggage, I went to find lunch. I then sat in the lobby and read. It rained shortly after and I was glad that I was safe and dry in the hotel lobby.

 

 

I sat reading and occasionally swatting mosquitoes away. There was a small mixed prayer room for hotel staff and guests (? It looked a bit horrible for guests) hidden away so after freshening up and changing clothes, I performed prayers.

 

The Maxim car I had arranged arrived early, driver said to avoid the traffic jam. So we left before 21:00 and arrived at Terminal ALBN 25 minutes later. My bus (I purchased the ticket online from another bus company) was leaving at 23:00 and we left on time. In contrast to the trip over, the bus was empty. I moved seats to get comfortable but couldn’t sleep, surprise, surprise.

 

To my surprise, we stopped at the same restaurant just before 03:00. And I was even more surprised to find people actually eating - and rice at that - at that hour.

 

We finally resumed our journey and arrived at Pos Lintas Batas Negara (PLBFN) Entikong before 05:00. I heard the call for morning prayers and went to find the mosque to perform prayers. it was drizzling. After that, we waited in the bus before we were told to bring our bags and queue at the gate. I didn’t know borders actually closed. The Azerbaijan-Georgia, UAE-Oman borders for instance didn’t close when we crossed in the middle of the night.

 

We stood waiting in the drizzle and the gate finally opened at 07:00 Indonesian time. There was a stampede as we rushed towards the passport control building where we joined yet another queue. Another bout of standing ensued. And of course, the kiosk I queued for opened much later. Having had my passport stamped, I crossed over to the Malaysian side and repeated the process. No queue this time!

 

When all passengers had boarded, we continued our journey to Kuching Sentral and finally reached it at 11:40 (!), 12+ hours after we left. I walked over to Kuching Transit Inn to meet SAK who’d parked there. We went for lunch and then she dropped me off at Marco Polo Guest House in Padungan. After checking in, I walked to the city centre and returned after buying dinner. it’s hard to find halal food in Padungan.

Gula apong ice cream

Guest house resident cats

 

On Monday, 8 July 2024, I woke up early and went for a walk. I came back after 45 minutes, freshened up and finished packing. I left shortly after breakfast for my flight back to KL.