Boredom May Also Be Joy

Most of the time joy was from the unexpected things. Things that are not in the itinerary but eventually happen, either due to poor planning or some help from above to change the boredom to beauty.

I found sitting on the bench near the Jam Gadang was one of the surprises. Fit to describe how boredom may at times has beauty in it. The towering Dutch building nearing sunset was beautiful. The buskers provided the soundtrack, singing an unknown melody. The drizzles softened tense afternoon and the kids who travelled three hours to the highlands were joyful to see. They were all added up to be a beautiful moment.

In fact, I am grateful for the boredom inflicted upon me that day. Seeing a place, the second time around, gave depth to the touristy little place. Boredom gave better lens for us to see beyond the obvious happiness.

The People of Saigon: A Tribute

I should thank all the Vietnamese for their kindness. This is not a fake compliment. This is real and I really mean it. In fact, I think I should tribute this entry to all nice Vietnamese.

When the flight landed, I was in a very confused state. This is a country which speaks little English. This is a socialists country which according to historians and democratic propagandists is evil. And, this is a land which has seven million people all crowded in a small city. There are many reasons to be afraid to be here alone.

When I met the bus conductor (bus no 152 to Pham Ngu Luo), little by little, the fear turns to comfort. The Vietnamese are in fact very courteous.

Then I met a lady with her little girl in a bus, talking like we have met long.



Also the boy who approached me when I was unable to get the point across to the people in the central bus station.

‘How may I help you sir?’

He said. Then, I was in a bus to Cho Ray. A girl chatted me up with her accented English and also the bus conductor who worked two years in Malaysia.




The conference was nicely conducted. And there, Kim Koon entered the picture. She brought half of the her Biomedical Engineering course mates to entertain us. I can’t remember the names. But the most helpful were the one in red dress and the chubby one. The others was as nice except probably they are a bit conscious with their English.



I had a grand time in Ho Chi Minh, hope to be there someday. To all good people of the city, I thank you.

Banks: I Hope You Go Bankrupt

One of the most tiresome pre-travel things is calling your credit card’s customers relation officers. Especially when you have fcuk credit card company like CIMB and UOB. They have fcukability beyond comprehension.

You can call them 10000 times and this fcuking voice will tell you “Our customers relation officers are currently busy attending other customers, please hold…” repeat that 10000 times on your ear and you will pray to God for the bank to go bankrupt.

‘Go bankrupt! I don’t give a fcuk!’



I swear I will terminate all these stupid cards and use foreign banks instead. Singaporeans can go to hell also. I want a British bank.



As entertainment, and clarity, I’ll show you my maxis statements. Look how much I spent on these fcuking banks which gave me no benefit at all. At least Citibank gave me hundreds of ringgit worth of vouchers and Tupperware. And they picked up the phone on the first call I made.

Next time when some freaking banks approach you, remember my words and tell them.

‘Your customer service sucks! And I hope you go bankrupt’

Singapore oh Singapore

We called it a road trip, by car using old road from Cheras (to be specific) to Johore Bahru and straight to Singapore. It was a very impulsive trip.

Still in my mind- it was Friday night (May 19,2007), I have tuition class, from 8.00pm - 10.00pm at Bangi, so does Azrul. On that day , we had to book a ticket to Kota Kinabalu and had some sort of internet problem and we need to settle everything on that very day.
We ran to the nearest internet cafe.

It was a rainy night, the weather was so cold. We skipped our dinner and rushed home because our friends are already waiting, it is about 11.30pm. You guys can imagine how hectic the day was.

And I slept along the way, I missed all the moment which i failed to capture.
When I tried to reflash back, seems that i did something wrong- taking advantage from other people.
Slept along the way without offering myself to drive or do something better other than sleeping.

It was a long journey. We stop at one of the mosque in an unknown place in Johore, took a bath, breakfast (in a small stall in Felda) and got ready to continue our journey to Singapore.

Singapore oh Singapore, we are here.
The road was too clean, the greenest of landscape, the CCTV is everywhere, the people are rushing-they honk at everyone who bears a different car plate.

For the whole day, we were at Orchard Road-finding a mall which it's name I have already forgotten.
There are no photos, for this entry. Everyone were very tired and were not in the mood for snapping photos. Every moment were well saved in our memory.

On the way home, we were stranded in the middle of the high way. Not realising that the fuel was almost empty.

Happy Birthday wishes to a boy, who calebrated his 25th birthday at the highway.
Without birthday cake or balllooon or birthday song..

I miss you, Kinabalu

GUNUNG KINABALU-If someone ask to me to be there again, definitely I will say YES. It took us almost 2 days to complete the hiking.

p/s: photos are not in the sequence.


Laban Rata- finally.
2/3 of the journey.
Temperature: below 10 degree.
Wheather: cool and windy, a little bit foggy.

Take our lunch and dinner here.
Have a good rest and sleep, preparing for tomorrow adventure (hehehheh).


Azrul- almost to the peak and he was at the peak.
But unlucky there is no photo to put in.

It was really- really cool,



Caiyok, caiyok....2 km more 2 km seem like 20 km in plain road.



Here I am.... at the peak. hoorayyyyy hooorayyyy
I am the last to be there... Serious, seriously i am not in mood to snap a photo or whatever. Very tired after all.



Almost, to Laban Rata. Normally a fit climber takes 4-5 hours to be there. Local takes 4 hours max, and me of course more than that....hhehehhehehI took 7 hours, luckily I have best ever partner to be with along the way.


We already half way to Laban Rata. Sunny and a little bit sweaty.


He looked very happy and excited :) .


Day One- just arrived to Kinabalu Park. Cloudy and windy.

The water was so cool, but bathing was never felt as compulsory

It is November-the worst season in the history (as told by the park's guard)

Negaraku is More Beautiful in the Heaven of Bali

When we have no money in the foreign land, we will never want a heaven on earth to replace the comfort of home. Suddenly this tune will ring to the ear and it feels deeper than ever:

Negaraku,
Tanah tumpahnya darahku

No matter how beautiful Bali is, we still want home.

I wonder what all these tramps will feel when they really hit the road with almost nothing to hold themselves to. No money, no nothing. What would they have in their minds when they have hunger pangs?

Probably it would feel both depressing and liberating. I want to feel it someday.

I need to escape to somewhere else

It has been a long....long time, i never been to anywhere.

My last trip was not, as my expectation, it has been very dull and mundane.

It is not a trip to see the culture, the people, the view, the tradition, the social or the place itself ...

but it is like finding the biggest shopping mall in town and buy anything without thinking,
bought anything if they offer you 1/2 of original price.

We went to same place twice, without doing anything, just sat in front of Jam Gadang, watching people around, 'makan jagung rebus', trying to learn Minang accent from the kids.

Eat at the same restaurant, using the same road & bla..bla..bla...

We went to one of the Danau there, looking the nice view from the car's window and pass-by, went to the top of the hill and bought some sort of craft there and went-down, rush back to town to find some sort of Kedai Jahit to sew Baju Kebaya.
What a pathetic trip!!!!

Train Ride: Seeing the People

My first ever (and still the only) experience with train was just two years ago. And it was not far, Taiping, Perak. And if one to see the people (the real people, not the holiday makers), train ride is the one most special place for that. These are the people who actually go far to work or study, so the train is like a melting pot.



You can see some people who inhabit the small spaces between the cabins. They are probably too stingy to pay for the ride or they can’t afford them or probably they are experimenting with the feels of getting caught for not paying? Either way they all add character to what frequent users of train find boring.

Are they going back to their hometown to say that they quitted KL? Or they have happy stories to tell the family back home? It just kills me to wonder about what they have been through for the past few months. Even to think what they had for breaking thrill me so much.

Indulgent

Our first trip was to Taiping-by train, two years back- on our 49th Merdeka Day
This is like a introductory to the new life episode :) .

A little bit scared@frightened since- first time travel alone with a guy to a place that i have never been before.

It is a strange place !!! We arrived there very early in the morning at 3.00am, supposedly our tickets were to Kuala Kangsar, because of unsubscribed reason we didn't stop there


The first place we went is "warung" behind the railway station. Kueh Teow goreng was very kauwww.

We walked along the road to no where, since we didn't have a map and signboard was not helping us, since it was very early, no one was available to ask help from.

Automatically i will SMILe in front of lense.


Our first destination was, Maxwell Hills-going up hill by jeep about 45 mins.

Fresh air was very revejunating.
Taking photos, eating nasi lemak and sight-seeing





On the way to Maxwell Hill, we walked almost an hour. The scenery and the air was very refreshing.



Check-in deserted and haunted hotel, this hotel is technically "bekas penjara" long long ago.

Taking a short nap and went out to find something to eat. it's was Friday-Azrul skip his Jumaat prayer.

Sight-seeing at Taman Tasik Taiping until sunset.






Supposedly our ticket was a day after but because of unknown reason (until now), Azrul want to come home at that moment.

So we take the last train to back to KL.

The Welcoming Idea

There is something surreal about travelling to an unknown place. Something wildly romantic and beautiful. I am sure that I would never be able to describe the whole spectrum of feelings but I guess whoever has been travelling would have some ideas.

Some people may find road movies crappish. What’s up with a guy who finds himself after hitting the road? – one may ask. Or – What’s up with a bunch of people who find their dynamics just by travelling together?

But seriously, when you are in foreign lands, they will all make sense. They are making more sense than any travel books.

This blog is dedicated to our experience in foreign lands, near and far. The fragility, the strangeness, the loneliness, the beauty. They have never failed to mesmerise us and they will all be treasured.