Hello.: Roadtrip

Farewell, 2016

14:25
0 Comments

Siblings Roadtripping Edition : Chasing Freedom in Langkawi

"See you guys soon."

My little brother couldn't be more subtle as he sped away in his car when he dropped us off at the airport. Ika and I carried our backpacks along with some food to munch on. It was still early in the morning but the airport was already bustling with travellers.

Our flight left Kuala Lumpur at seven forty-five in the morning, heading to Langkawi International Airport. We were re-routed to Penang due to bad weather. After stranded for an hour and half in Penang, the flight jetted off to the intended destination.

We originally planned to go to Banda Aceh but it sounds even better to go travel locally. So yeah, we decided to start with Langkawi this time.

We were on another of our road trip- the third during this trip home - and once again, my youngest brother wasn't available to join his sisters.

Over the past few days on the road exploring Langkawi, we have scrambled over tree trunks, stood on wild wind-swept Cenang Beach and consumed about galleons of water because the weather was devastatingly hot. My little sister patiently sat on the passenger seat while tolerated my temper when we were stuck in the jam. She'd accompanied me to a place I just had to hunt down and visit after a friend recommended it or after seeing it on Instagram.

"You should turn here, sis. Can you please follow the GPS for once?"

Annoyed, I replied "I did. Can't you see that we're so far away from the place that we're supposed to go?"

or something like "Are you sure this is the right way? We're so far off right now."

Lil sis, thank you for being patient with me.

Somewhere in amongst the dreams of a road trip, the idealization of sunny weather and perfect photographs, reality sets in. And that's how we rolled with reality and dealt with bumps along the way that has helped us become most excellent road trip buddies.

From island hopping until Beras Basah Island to fumbling and bumbling at the Cenang beach, I am always considering the context in which I am here.

Our trip began as soon as we registered with SB Guide tossing blue-black sticker to plastered on our shirts and pointing the way to urban minivans. After racing through the mid-afternoon streets to a beach, we switched to boats heading towards Tasik Dayang Bunting.

The path was paved and quite easy to access. It was quite slippery and I was sweating under the sun and with frequent photo stops, it took us longer to reach the beautiful lake. The deeper we walked, the more visible the rocky front became and we were stunned by the vast beauty of this famous lake.

"It's majestic!"

My little sister was ecstatic when we finally made it to the lake. We took lots of photo while making some silly antics for the video. An hour later, we were on the boat again to go see a group of eagle feeding on fish. It was an awesome fifteen-minutes experience to watch the predator circling the sky before hurtling towards the water.

"Now, we're going to Beras Basah Island. This is gonna be our last stop before going back to mainland." Our guide finally spoke.

We detoured to the island where every single person on the boat become swimmers. My sis and I walked around the beach with small backpacks on our backs. We passed some shacks and some animals before we stood in front of a small jetty, perfect for a photo or two.

This is Langkawi. Langkawi is faded with city lights and has cool, bright white beaches, just like in Krabi or Phuket.

We reached our hostel in the evening with a warning of heavy rain. My sis was pondering an idea of having dinner at Kuah Town but I was really exhausted by the dinnertime. We went out and bought some foods to our liking at pasar malam.

There were juices and fried chickens and a good book to look forward to. We were like children, eating on the bed while talking with our mouths full and unpacking our 55 liters backpacks.

I stayed awake. Cairo on one side, San Francisco on the other. I was awake and the wind was blowing hard as I sat on the front porch at three in the morning. I was no longer searching for the context in which I was there. If an entire people in Langkawi can be more than one thing, so do I.

I am an avid traveler, a mostly-good driver, a medical student and a part-time Malaysian blogger.

And I have to drive again in a few hours.

Adios.

17:42
0 Comments

Because I Miss You

Backpacking

Today is a weird day.

I woke up a few times during the day because I slept after five am. I woke up after a certain familiar face came up in my weird vivid dream- Kak Rose, you gave me quite a scare.

I remembered that I was in her living room, sipping hot black coffee in the middle of the summer night while she kept reviewing our roadtrip plan across the USA. The rustling of the papers seems so real and her voice sounds like a big sister coaxing her little sister to sit down and pay some damn attention to the things that she say.

But I could tell that this was just a flashback memories that I had since her death.

I know. This was just a piece of my memories of her.

The scene changed and I am now behind the wheels, driving in the dark highway- I had no idea where we were. I looked around and saw Kak Rose was asleep, at least I think she was. Her breath evens out, syncing with the slow classical music that she had me listen for hours just because she said "Classical music is good for you, trust me."

Well, guess what, I really feel that it does not.

I saw a few cars on the opposite side of the road, lights flashing out battling the surrounding darkness. Kak Rose abruptly woke up and gave her eyes few rubs before her raspy voice asks where we were.

I shrugged, "I don't know. But the GPS said that we are almost in Arizona."

I saw her head bobbled up and down before she went back to sleep.

And just like that, the scene changed again.

A still silence lay over the land. A pair of black birds flew overhead, exchanging chatters in their foreign tongue. Kak Rose and I cooked and ate dinner by the car, basking in solitude.

We saw two minibuses a few hundred metre in front of us, they were building campfires and singing around as they ate and having fun.

"This is fun too, no?"

I chuckled. "Yes sis, this is fun. Eating a pack of hot cup of Maggi in the car on summer night is very appealing."

Kak Rose made faces. "We are having more fun this time around. Before, you were travelling around by your own but you've got me this time. That ought to say something."

We were in Antelope Canyon for a day before continuing to other canyon.

But then, I woke up.

I laid on the carpeted floor with a pillow in my hand. My body hurts but my mind was reeling- the dream had been surreal. My orbs were looking around before it settled on the balcony in front.

It was ten in the morning and the African summer heat greeted me with morning wind.

I am back, right?

"Happy Independence Day, Malaysia." I read the messages on my Whatsapp chats and on Twitter and Facebook. And the clock turns 10.01 in the morning.

I saw Jue was watching The Big Bang Theory, sipping hot coffee no doubt while laughing at something that Sheldon said.

Yes, I definitely am back in the reality. The feeling that lingers deep in my heart will always be there and I want you to know that you're always gonna be in my prayers.

See you again, R.

10:00
0 Comments

Favourite City of All Time : Kuala Lumpur

Asia

I look around as I drive by the magnificent city. I see how a city can be both futuristic and exotic. The urban texture of Kuala Lumpur is designed in a way that unites nature and the people reside in it rather than separating them. It's always one of the main reason as why I love KL apart from the city is the capital of my motherland, Malaysia.

Walking in the shade of the skyscrapers that dominate most of the city, I realise that even these tall buildings doesn't bother me - I find peace in their tranquil glory. I familiarize my senses with the hectic surroundings, welcoming any feeling that greeted me. It felt kinda surreal - coming home after such a long time.

Kuala Lumpur is also famous for the harmonious coexistence of the Malay, Chinese and Indian populations. I am proud to be one of them eventhough I no longer live in Malaysia. I am proud to tell my foreign friends and family that I am Malaysian, no matter where I am.

I parked my little purple car near to KLCC's LRT station. I decided to take the LRT to see lots of things in Kuala Lumpur because of the little time that I had. Ethan would love to be here, he always told me in his annoyingly excited voice back in New York - he undoubtedly wanted to go to Malaysia and eat lots of amazing delicacies and experienced the wonderful harmony between the people in Southeast Asia and their unique lifestyles.

Ethan is weird in his own style. Whatever.

I went for a walk in Chinatown, I smell the scent of incense from the Tao temple nearby. Some chanting immediately echoed in the air, I saw many tourists going in and out of the temple. I made a stop near a small stall, ordering Ice Tea in this hot weather.

"Very hot today, eh dik?"

I smiled. "Yes. But I just strolled around, uncle."

The old Indian uncle chuckled while making 'Teh Tarik' for another customer. Who in their right mind to order Teh Tarik under the scorching sun, I wonder.

When the humid and suffocating air starts overwhelming me, I went to another tourist spot, the beautiful Lake Garden, comprising Bird Park, Orchid Garden and Butterfly Park. With more than hundreds species of mesmerizing colours flying around, the park allow the visitors to experience a majestic forest atmosphere in the heart of the city.

"It's almost seven. I should find something to eat."

I leave behind the realm of birds and sit at one of the best restaurant that is really known for its naan cheese with a friend.

One of the best aspects of coming back home is tasting different cuisines which are abundant due to Kuala Lumpur's cultural and ethnic diversity. I ate various delicacies from Indian, Malay and Chinese cuisines for an affordable prices.

Normally in Malaysia, there are food kiosks or restaurants managed by Indian Muslims, called 'Mamak Shop' by the locals - visitors definitely should try their genuine dishes. Located at almost every corner, Mamak's speciality is Roti Canai (a type of Indian flatbread) which coincidentally is my all-time favourite.

I remember mornings and nights spent overseas when I was craving for Roti Canai so much that I drove for hundred of miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco because apparently I had no patience and hunger for Roti Canai clouded my mind immediately. The restaurant was closed in LA during that night so I dragged late Kak Rose and Ethan to go to San Francisco.

I was way crazy back then.

Same thing happened in Toronto but neah, not gonna write it here. Maybe next time though.

So yeah, Roti Canai is definitely Malaysian's favourite.

The next morning, I spent my day with my siblings in Gombak. My little brother was excited to hike Tabur Hill (West Side) but I was keen to go to Putrajaya to do some rock climbing. After the vote (yes, we voted), the three of us drove from Shah Alam to Gombak in the early morning.

"We came back to Malaysia for this, eh?"

"Live a little, sis. Hiking is fun, you should do it more often." Ariff chimed in while driving.

The trail was quite extreme and I was complaining, a lot. My body isn't fit like it used to be but the view was completely breathtaking. We took three hours to reach the top because we made stops in every ten minutes. Poor guy, haha.

"Maybe we should hike a hill with an easier trail, then." My little brother commented on his older sisters inability to hike as fast as he can.

"How about you shut up and gimme the water?"

Ariff and Ika exchanged their sly smiles.

"Yeah, if there is a next time."

As I pack my bag, I think that Kuala Lumpur is one of those cities where the beauty is in the details. I'm gonna miss the people, the cultures, the foods and definitely some of my family and friends.

It's so good catching up. Until the next time, KL.