Hello.: 2015

Since Uja and I arrived in Luxor on October, we have explored the busy streets of the infamous Pharaoh land, as well as the sweeping panoramas of Aswan. Excited to be completely immersed in "land of the dead experience", we made the most of our ten days adventure in these places.

"It's surreal that after thousand of years later, the temples and the palaces were still intact piece by piece. Totally amazing."

As soon as we settled in a hostel that is owned by an Australian, Mia - it was time for us to swap the view from the rail for the city at the bank of Nile River and the history concealed within.

"I've been really enjoying our journey here, Nash."

It was only my second time in Luxor after three years ago. Some people would say that I was not quite eligible to be sort-of guide for Uja but hey, I did my job with flying colours.

The key to everything in travelling is confidence. Even if people said something nasty behind your back, just held your head high and be confident. Show how confident you are. Ignore negative thinking and those unpleasant people.

Our first stop was the Colossal of Mormon. We spent fifteen-minutes admiring the two giant statues, and exploring Madinat Hebu temple while withstanding the forty-degrees heat.

Uja and I later met up with Jie and Asa, adventurous duo Chinese traveller that has been travelling together since they were in Armenia. We were in Hatshepsut Temple when we're having a discussion to go into Wadi Haifa together.

Throughout our journey, we've shown who we are underneath the scarfs appearances to the people that we meet along the way. We've shown kindness, compassion even when they were in need of Arabic-English translators. I've helped translated every single words in Ammiyah Arabic just because the wandering guide didn't speak English. We even helped some tourists from being cheated of paying the clearly overpriced mineral water and three can of Coca-Colas.

Still, we've got enough amount of nasty eyes just because we are clearly Muslim. They expressed such a terrified look whenever they saw us. The stigma of saying that all Muslim is bad people is affecting us all, but Uja and I marched on. We need to set a good example to these people, letting they know that we are plain normal, just like the rest of the people of the world. We're living our daily life just like yours.

I even experienced the prejudice against Muslims when I was in Europe few months back.

It's okay.

Despite of all that, I've made a lot of new friends. New friends that are not judging us based on our appearances only. They bothered about us, they were curious, they asked anything that they wanted to ask and we were happy to answer.

When you set out to see the world, I promise that you will see many incredible people that will see you and treat you for who you really are.

Faith in humanity restored.

21:45
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Aurora Borealis Mission

featured

07:54
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An Independent Life Guide in Egypt

Egypt

It was my second time away from my family after being in a foundation programme for a year and half somewhere in north of Malaysia's peninsular. I flew to Egypt almost six years ago to achieve a dream of becoming a doctor.

"Do you think the journey will be tough?"

"Our classes will be in Arabic, right? I pray not."

"What am I doing here? I wanna go home."

Those were our inner voices when we finally stepped into Zagaziq University for our first Human Anatomy class with Dr Amira.

Funny. I am Amira myself.

I'll never forget the dark skin male cadaver that all of us frowned upon for the first time. The muscles attachments were all labelled, a few organs were stored in the jars near the said male, the head was gone. Imagine the shock of seeing a headless corpse for the first time laid on the hard-steel silver table, our reactions were pretty funny.

A friend of mine threw up. Another fainted upon the sight. A few girlfriends stepped away from the table.

But I stood strong. I find the cadaver was actually fascinating. I am not weird, am I?

Medical school is hard. Frankly speaking, I was more keen towards engineering subjects. Mathematics, Physics and Additional Mathematics were more my forte. However, I am deeply grateful for my journey of becoming a doctor. It was truly challenging.

I was so far from home.

I leaned in to my friend Piqa, who stayed two storey above my one-room apartment, and said, "You need to help me to survive the medical school." I thought of every single one of my batchmates, knowing that some of them didn't come here on their own accord. They were here because they had to.

Later, from time to time, I had spent time trekked to the top of Sinai Mountain in Southern Egypt. I visited the temples of the dead in Upper Egypt, defying any challenges that came. I sailed in a felucca down at Aswan. I specifically remember exchanging glances with a friend at Hanging Church in Old Cairo because of some people were passionately staring right at us. Is it because we wore scarfs? I don't know.

There I was, travelling around Egypt while surviving the medical school.

Sometimes, we focus on too much on the differences : mathematics only works in engineering, accountancy or chemistry only found in chemical fields. I later learned that every field complement each other or at least, some fields will. The same principle applies to our life.

The night sky is beautiful no matter what hemisphere you're in. The sunrise is peaceful as ever. The locals are kind and welcoming. We all smile when we're happy, and vice-versa.

I'm now happy being here after a rocky start few years ago. My years in Egypt are certainly the greatest adventures I ever experienced. I traversed the African continent, flew from Cairo to Durban and driving down to Cape Town, South Africa. I spent days helping in local orphanages and schools in need. My journey was absolutely incredible.

Thank you Egypt for these amazing years. Thank you friends for all of our memories. Let's survive for a little while, together.

11:44
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Assalamualaikum, Bahrain

Backpacking

"Welcome to Manama."

I read the massive words ahead as soon as I stepped out of Manama International Airport. The hot Middle East weather greeted me, welcoming me to the capital and largest city in Bahrain.

Three hours after departing Cairo, I finally arrived in the heart of Bahrain. I was quite eager and excited to to explore the town. With only two days time before I depart for Kuwait, I have to lead myself in this fascinating new place, wandering to tourists and locals favourite spots.

In the midst of planning my adventure, I decided to do some research on what to do in the city. The first place that I went to was Al Fateh Grand Mosque. The mosque was named after the conqueror of Bahrain, Ahmad Al Fateh. It is also located next to the King Faisal Highway in Juffair.

"The mosque is the largest place of worship in Bahrain."

"It is one of the largest mosques in the world."

I paid some attention to the tour guide that guided my group. The beauty behind the detailed architecture of the Grand Mosque was truly mesmerizing.

I strolled around the town by taxis. Next, I headed to Bahrain National Museum. The place was incredible, as it was declared as the largest and among the oldest public museums in Bahrain. The museum has some of the most fascinating collection of Bahrain's ancient archaeological artifacts and covers nearly five thousand years of Bahrain's history.

My sister would love to be here.

I went out to get some chai that I had accustomed to years ago. Chai was a popular choice for a drink and I opted to go for some donuts and melt-in-your-mouth local cookies.

As I sat, I thought of my motherland, wondering when I will be back there. The months kept passing by and here I was, enjoying a light meal in the middle of Manama instead of sitting in a plane bound for Kuala Lumpur.

"I dare you to go out and see the world on your own, my dear. Explore and broaden your perspective. Go."

I will do just that, dad.

Manama is a beautiful place, yet understated. I learnt about the city quite well, but I am sure there are always new corners and picturesque view to discover.

The city itself is the laid-back traveller's dream. Hours can be spent lazily meandering through Manama Souq. You can get lost in the dark-brown alleys, making your way to another, it almost seems countless. I am pretty sure that you would find yourself in a constant state of dizziness, spinning in to take in all of the spices and herbs on every corner of the streets at the Souq.

At the centre of Manama, there stood a 240-metre high twin tower complex, named Bahrain World Trade Centre. The towers was close to other popular landmarks such as the Bahrain Financial Harbour and NBB.

When I arrived, I was told, "You're gonna love Manama." After a short forty-eight hours seeing the city's fusion of colours, stunning architectures and histories for myself, I'm definitely gonna say the same sentence to anyone who wanted to go visit Manama.

Goodbye, Manama. I will be seeing you again.

10:27
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Giza Day Trip

Backpacking

12:46
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New Kingdom of Egypt : Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel

08:09
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Evacuation Journey : Jeddah

Evacuation

"Welcome to flight Malaysia Airlines to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The journey will take about two hours. Have a pleasant flight. Thank you."

It was in the middle of winter season. The airport was bustling with travellers that wanted to go out of Cairo as soon as possible. My friends and I were among them, after we went through everything to get from Zagaziq to Cairo.

During 2011, on January 25th, a revolution sparked in the heart of Cairo, causing millions of Egyptians came out to the streets and marched against the army and their own president. The protests caused many injuries to those involved, even the death toll increased. I was in the middle of my winter break when the situation risen. It was terrifying, but it was a memorable experience for me.

We arrived in Jeddah with only few clothes and things that we were told to bring in our seven-kilograms restriction, each. It was ridiculous, really. Many of the students get to bring as much as they want but we have such little space to bring.

Whatever.

We were thrilled to have arrived at King Abdul Aziz International Airport, to share our whirlwind, impromptu evacuation out of Egypt by Malaysian Government with our families and friends back home.

The first day that I arrived, I was brought into Tabung Haji Complex, near to Mecca. The original plan was to placed our group in Mecca because we were among the last group to arrived. But, there was some alteration and we went to THC for accommodation.

We were pulled into Jeddah for nine long days after we had left Cairo. What had been a group of strangers just a week and half prior had coalesced into a big family : thanks to long nights drinking coffee and roti canai at the stall downstairs, explorations around the complex together at nights, and meals, stories and contributions shared along the journey.

I literally had six meals a day out of Al-Baik Fried Chicken, with some extras that was given to all of us. We had silly fights regarding water and bathrooms with our next door neighbour - some boys from Tanta and we had girl-nights at the dorm while everyone was sleeping.

"I heard that we have to be in Jakarta before we get to go to Kuala Lumpur."

"Some of us have to transit in Colombo, as well as in Changi and Frankfurt."

I had some quiet time to stomach what had happened in the past weeks. Lots had happened, foreigners were forced to leave Egypt out of safety concern and many more.

The nights proved generous as the sun dipped below the horizon just as we went downstairs to join some activities or just hanging out in the balcony, admiring the night sky.

The excitement of going back home made us long for the warm, familiar environment that we accustomed to. It was with a heavy heart that every person that I know personally had left Jeddah for home.

I was grateful for being able to go home at that crucial time. I was grateful for the bonds that we formed, I was grateful for the friends that always had each other backs.

See you soon, Jakarta.

17:18
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Twenty-Eight Hours in Singapore

Asia

I awoke in the middle of the warm night with a sudden revelation: I wanted to go visit a friend in Singapore. The clock hit midnight, and I packed everything in a speed of light, brought only small backpack and a big bottle of water.

I arrived in KL Sentral within an hour, only to find that the KTM counters were closed. I waited for a few hours, I even went to money changer booth to convert MYR to SGD, ate some chicken sandwich and it must be my lucky day because I got the last ticket for the train that bound for Woodlands, Singapore.

Around eight am, the train arrived in Woodlands. After I went through all necessary customs and immigration procedures, I was finally welcomed with Singapore's cool air and gusts of wind.

Well, hello Singapore. Long time no see.

The agenda on that morning was obvious : to have a big breakfast and call Ethan. I went for a stop in Little India to find some scrumptious breakfast. I strolled around the area between the old colourful buildings and the little stores along the way. But it was quite early in the morning, some stores wasn't even open yet. But I saw variety of dried goods for sale at some of the opened stores, many of which I didn't get to see in my local grocery in Malaysia.

I waited timidly at the MRT station as I quietly dialled Ethan's cell number repeatedly. As the MRT pulled up to my stop, I finally got a text from E, saying that he had some kind of family emergency. I stared at the text for a good few seconds before boarding the MRT.

From Little India, I headed to the infamous Orchard Road to get some food and get an overview of the city. I saw the MRT was approaching my stop and I looked around, recognizing the area. I got off, wandering while watching Singaporeans make their way up the very busy street. Nearing eleven in the morning and the people endlessly roamed the streets. Some with children in tow, some were tourists just like yours truly, some were running and hurrying to get to places, but many just breezing past. I stayed grounded to my spot. The last time I set foot in Singapore was four years ago: there was quite a development going around this time around.

The air felt different in this part of the city. I darted down the side street, showing up in front of a modern cafe that was packed with people bolting down plates of food. Some were reading the newspaper or books, others were just chatting among themselves. All of them, I noted with pleasure, were drinking large mugs of coffee.

"Finally. I need my dose of coffee."

I opened the cafe door, truly excited when a gust of warm, humid air carried the smell of black coffee, toasted bread and scones. Or maybe some red velvet cake. My mouth started to water.

As skyscrapers and modern-looking rooftops passed by, I felt a sense of satisfaction spread through me. Even though I didn't get to meet E, it was a good impromptu journey. Who knows that I will be going to Singapore two days after I arrived in Kuala Lumpur? Life is truly an unexpected adventure.

I was feeling excited about the day ahead.

I wandered around and headed to Gardens by the Bay. I hanged out outside of Marina Bay, overlooking the city that was famous for its unique architecture. I also went to Masjid Sultan that located at Muscat Street and North Bridge Road within the Kampong Glam district. I found myself at a busy crossroads with taxis, motorbikes, pedestrians and cyclists surrounding me on all sides when I was on my way to Jurong Bird Park.

I walked up and down the streets and alleyways, through intersections and around corners, more often walking without a single clue. I just go where my feet directed me.

Ultimately, I left Singapore for Kuala Lumpur without even a short meeting with E. But, the feeling of rush of excitement and accomplishment boosted up inside me.

My twenty-eight hours adventure in the Lion's City was a whirlwind, but it allow me to delve with much deeper sense: getting myself into unknown places, admiring beautiful landscapes, ate many delicious treats.

I look forward for the return trip in near future.