I could say it was a SHiOK! road trip as everyone involved in the road trip to KL was someone in Kuching’s homegrown online magazine, but them again, it was a road trip to enhance more things for Sarawak Bloggers, and well, take my mind of all the work and stress I have to deal with when in Kuching. Yeah, regardless of what you think and say, being a teacher is as stressful as any other job. In fact, I believe it is worst with ‘some people’ pushing for promotions at the expense of others. Oppss.. that’s another story 😛
Throughout the 9 days, the group comprising of bloggers stretched our wallets, our parents wallets and our legs to cover 4 states, 4 cities within a short time In fact, there were plans to chill in Genting Highlands, but we scrapped it due to financial and safety reasons. Anyway, we did cover Malacca, Penang, KL & Selangor. Frankly saying, we walked till our knees felt like they were no more there… and ate like there was no tomorrow, feasting on food which Kuching did not have to offer.
Anyway, the trip itself was fun filled, with Penang providing the most impact for me. It’s not that Malacca and KL wasn’t nice, but Penang was special to me. It wasn’t the heritage status Geogetown had, nor was it the fact that Penang had the best meals to offer, but it was more of the people. Yeah… the heart and soul of Penang lies in its people, and despite myself finding it hard to admit, I do hope that Kuching people, or Sarawakians in particular could be more like Penanginites. The fact is, the moment all of us stepped our foot on Penang soil, the smiles kept coming, and the pleasant gestures continued till we left. This pleasant gesture continued on with the street stall owners, taxi drivers and people we meet just relaxing on the street, as they were very eager to share their tale of Georgetown. The only pinch in Penang I think came from the prices of food. While I was personally expecting ‘dirt-cheap’ Char Kueh Tiaw and Nasi Kandar, we were charged over RM5 for a small plate of Char Kueh Tiaw, and the Nasi Kandar we ate cost over RM7. Below are a few captures of Penang:
Malacca on the other hand provided us at a glimpse of history. Now that I mention it, I just realized that we covered both of Malaysia’s heritage cities. The beauty of Malacca lies in it’s special historical monuments, namely A Famosa, St Paul’s Hill, and the Christ Church Malacca. Jonker Street itself proved glorious when it was lighted up when night came. Here are a few photo’s to share:
In fact, staying in KL and Selangor for over 4 days showed me how Kuching is so much special than these mega cities despite having less. With money, you could enjoy KL life to the fullest, but when you earn as much as you can eat, that would never be the case. I hate KL’s traffic jams, and I do feel tired of walking endless miles just looking for something in a particular mall. Also, the fact that I needed to queue just to watch a movie was somewhat not pleasing at all, and turning round and round, just looking for a parking spot is annoying. Public transport is a good option, if you are willing to pay for the fare, but still… walking in KL’s humidity is something I’d rather not do, especially with my high metabolism rate which ensures I’ll be dripping with sweat.
Well, the whole trip brings back lots of memories with some which could make me burst out with laughter anytime… And to be honest, it is by far the best road trip which I have been on. There was so much “hmmmmm….“, “chow tut“, “konfiden!!” and “Baguss!! Teruskan usaha anda!!“… that it has sort of became a trademark for this trip. I’m crossing my fingers for another trip sometime soon, and more photos will be featured on my facebook page once I’ve uploaded it here (link has been updated). In the mean time, Ho Chin Min City anyone? 😛
