Short Trip To Empress Town

I had planned to go to Muar back in March and had even bought the return bus tickets. Allah had other plans for me though as dad became ill so I didn’t go. I thought that was it but on Friday afternoon (12 August), found myself some free hours the following day so quickly bought return bus ticket then.

I left micasa early and made my way to TBS for the 09:00 bus. There were two other buses departing from the same bay, one going north and another to Genting so our bus only left at 09:06. I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived at Terminal Bentayan at 11:15 as I’d expected the journey to take longer. I had to use the overhead bridge to cross Jalan Maharani then walked along it. I passed the Clock Tower then some old shophouses before I came upon the Royal Custom and Excise Building which dates back to 1909.

I continued further until I came upon the police station which is another heritage building and still in use, the Court next to it (built in 1920s) and then the Sultan Abu Bakar building (dates back to 1921). It was getting very hot and I was glad I had my long brolly with me.

Next I came upon Masjid Jamek Sultan Ibrahim which was completed in 1930. I continued on to Dataran Tanjung Emas and took some photos before turning back. I walked past Masjid Jamek again then turned into a side road and walked to Muar High School, another heritage building which dates back to 1915. After that, I continued on until Restoran Mee Bandung Abu Bakar Hanifah for lunch. Lunch was good but I was not pleased with the hot lime tea drink which I ordered as it came in a very small cup and without any lime in sight. I commented on it when I paid RM1.80 for it. Daylight robbery is what it was.

After lunch, I wandered around and then turned back to find the Old Dutch Houses at Jalan Othman. They are all dated 1928 which was during the British time so I don’t know why the houses are called such although they do look slightly Dutch to me.

I then made my way back to the bus station as I wanted to perform prayers before my bus at 15:15. I then wandered over to the public market before returning to the bus terminal. The bus came early – another pleasant surprise – and we left on time. We reached TBS at 17:20.

And that was my trip to another royal town this year. Alhamdulillah, managed to accomplish Muar trip finally.

46 Hours In Kuching

 Back in June, I decided to take advantage of Malaysia Airlines offer and also utilise some of my expiring Enrich points and searched for tickets to Kuching. Early August looked to be good but I had to change my plans to depart on Caturday instead of Friday because I dithered a bit.

So early last Caturday morning, I left home and made my way to TBS. I arrived with enough time to get my physical ticket (can we already do away with this??) and browsed for buns (not much choice for flavour). The bus left at 09:03 and we reached KLIA at 09:59. After trying to check in online and seeing how full the flight would be, I decided to avail of the ticket upgrade offer and paid a bit extra for a Business class seat. This meant I could bring my suitcase on board without checking it in.

We landed at 12:40 and after trying to wait for the electric bus which runs from the city to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre and passing the airport, I took Maxim to my hotel. Alhamdulillah, I managed to check in even though it was only 13:40.

After performing prayers and resting, I went out to the riverfront briefly before going to the Main Bazaar. I walked before turning left at the Old Courthouse and walking up to Plaza Merdeka. I passed through the shopping mall and explored the area beyond. It was drizzling by then and I wasn’t keen to stay out too long as I was coughing.

I turned back and walked along the Main Bazaar again and went to find dinner. I was in my room by 19:00.

On Sunday morning, I left at 09:50 and went to wait for the hydrogen bus but gave up after ten minutes. I walked a new route to the newly opened Borneo Cultures Museum. I reached at around 10:30 and after taking some photos, I went down to the main entrance. I was a bit confused when I saw people sitting and started wondering, ‘Do I join them? How does the ticketing system work? Do we go by row?’ and then I saw the ticket counter beyond and decided to make my way there. I joined the queue and no one shooed me away so I was in the right queue. But oh my, it was such a painfully slow process. One can pay by cash or Sarawak Pay but both were slow. The plus thing about paying by Sarawak Pay was the shorter queue but it was definitely not any faster. When I got to the counter, I understood why: you have to present your MyKad (different rates apply for Sarawakians and non-Sarawkians) and they would then print you receipt for your payment with your name on it. I’m not sure if a simple receipt couldn’t play the same role unless there are those who actually visit and make official claim for reimbursement and hence need their name on the receipt. I went up to the second floor (first floor actually; the museum calls the ground floor as first floor) to the children’s gallery first but didn’t stay long before making my way up to the next level. I spent 2 hours and 40 minutes in the museum. I then crossed over to Muzium Sarawak and National History Museums (the old buildings) but the former looked empty and the latter was closed for refurbishment.

I walked to the Main Bazaar and bought some layered cakes (made with butter instead of margarine and honey instead of sugar or so the seller told me) and two sarongs before returning to my room. It was threatening to rain then. I had some tea and bun and read my book.

I went down at 16:50 and only noticed it had rained while I was in my room. It must’ve been a quiet one as I didn’t hear the rain. My friend and her husband came at 17:14 and we drove to Sharing Downtown for early dinner. My friend is a local Kuching lady and the last time we met was when we sat for our SPM.

I was back at the hotel at 19:00 and packed before resting.

On Monday, I took Maxim to the airport. The journey took 20 minutes and there were a lot of people at the MAS counters. Thankfully I had redeemed my Enrich points for a Business Class seat so I skipped the queue and went in after ascertaining I could bring my suitcase, box of layered cakes and bag on board. I went through immigration and security clearance and made my way to Plaza Premium Lounge. It was pretty tiny and there was not many options.

We boarded and there really were a lot of people travelling as the ETD was 10:45 and people were still boarding at 10:47! The door finally closed and the plane taxied down the runway almost immediately. We took off at 11:00 so it wasn’t bad at all. We landed at KLIA at 12:40. I decided to take the train as I thought it’d be faster but I didn’t factor in the possibility of a train breaking down and our train rescuing the passengers of this earlier train. So I reached BTS at more or less the same time as I would had I taken the 13:15 bus from the airport! Then I had to wait for the LRT train. Anyway, Alhamdulillah for the rezeki and time that enabled me to go on this short trip. Kuching, I’ll be back. InsyaAllah.