Tag Archives: sarawak

Raya 2014 : Homestay Taman Lavendar

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel by

People often ask,

“Siapa ada di Kuching?” after knowing very well that my parents have migrated to Semenanjung ever since I was 12 years old. I have lost my grandparents when I was very young which means my parents loss their parents at a young age too. But we still have blood ties who are still alive. Mainly our cousins, their siblings et cetera. And this is enough to make Hari Raya a festive season for all.

This year kita raya ala-ala merantau di bumi sendiri. We do not have our own house in Kuching. Hotel rooms are way expensive hence we chose a neat homestay for the Raya week.

Homestay Taman Lavendar,
No 25, Jalan Depo,
93050 Petra Jaya,
Kuching, Sarawak

Owner : Encik Rahman
Tel : 016 867 3565

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The single storey terrace house had 3 bedrooms with air conditioning in each room. 2 toilets with one in the master bedroom fuly equipped with a hot water heater. A small, cozy kitchen with its kitchen appliances, even a fridge to store our ikan masin and kuih lapis. A front porch that could fit two cars – our Persona and Myvi that we borrowed from a relative. A TV with Astro.

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NO WIFI. But who needs it anyway during Raya, kan?

All this for MYR 250/night. 

I felt it was reasonable for our party of 10 people ( 8 adults, 2 toddlers). My younger brothers slept in the living room which was equally  comfortable because of its nice sofa and air conditioning!!

Overall, the house was clean and most importantly near Matang where all the relatives live.

Raya 2014 : Travelling under WPUA with Air Asia

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel by

Selamat Hari Raya everybody. Camne Raya kitak tek? 

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As a civil servant from Sarawak working in Semenanjung entitles me to a special ‘treat’ from the government. That is a once a year FREE FLIGHT back to my hometown whenever I choose to use it. And these free expenses cover Mr Husband and my son till the age of 18 years.

WPUA

Air Asia’s smart top people have introduced the Waran Perjalanan Udara Awam (WPUA) flying programme to kind of bring them closer to public agencies and truth be told, I felt like a First Class passenger on board the flight under this WPUA.

In short, we get pre-selected Hot Seats, Hot Meals with a snakc box and most importantly FREE 40kg worth of baggage space each! That’s enough to bring back lots of kuih lapis for a home business. Hehe.

My brother who was using his warant as well under MAS even envied our food selection and ‘special seats’. He got an economy class seat of which he said was far more cramped than the Hot Seat in Air Asia aircraft. Now that he’s mentioned it, I am choosing Air Asia again next year.

PUTRAJAYA CENTRAL – EXPRESS RAIL LINK (ERL) – KLIA2

We traveled from Malacca using our own car and parked at Putrajaya Sentral. The facility charged us MYR4/overnight parking which was a cheaper alternative to park at KLIA2 itself. Then we took the ERL for a mere, very comfortable 20 mins journey to KLIA.

The transit train was well on time and we noticed other young families doing the same.

Adult fees were MYR6.90 per way.

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KLIA2

As most people have commented elsewhere, it does involve a lot of walking. A bit of a challenge for the elderly or small children but if you know where to ask for help, I’m sure the relevant authorities at KLIA2 could help make your journey smoother and more convenient.

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KLIA2 was an airport connected to a shopping mall –  which makes any woman scream for a bit of  ‘light window shopping’   prior to boarding.

We checked in at the counter as the computer system was down and had plenty of time to just rest before getting on our flight. Hazeeq enjoyed his Upin Ipin movies and snacks while waiting.

Already we were hearing familiar Sarawakian accents at the airport by staff to passengers during boarding.

“Mintak boarding pass kitak kak”

“Kitak tiga nait sama kah?’

“Kitak nait dolok.. embak miak”

Hello Sarawak. Let the fun begin!

Raya 2014 … hoping it will be special and will become a tradition

Posted in Everyday Life by

All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.

Dalai Lama

I do not recall the exact moment of when Hari Raya means just another holiday. Perhaps it was the killjoy preachers who likes to say ‘puasa kita patut lebih meriah dari raya tapi kita pula buat yang sebaliknya’.

I agree that one should not spend lavishly for Eid thus nullifies all the pahala he/she has gathered during Ramadhan. I however also disagree that we should downplay Eid as an event of joy and celebration. Eid as a personal victory in battling our personal demons as we observe the fast.

I see Eid as a public and accepted excuse for a person to go home and spend some time with the family. To bridge the gap and rebuffer connections. To wear something nice and fresh for a special occasion. To see and visit people you’d never have seen even if you get that long weekend off.

A time to be generous. A time to forget that one eternal enemy. A season to eat special food and taste new delicacies.

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This year I am celebrating Eid at my hometown Kuching, Sarawak.

This is not a normal ‘tahun ni beraya kat tempat saya’ sort of thing. This time the whole family is going back to Bumi Kenyalang specially for the raya season – not the school holidays, not for annual leave.. no… it is RAYA. Despite undergoing housemanship in Kuching before, I did not really get to enjoy the festive season as it is. I had to be oncall. Hence, this year is a great opportunity for myself and also Mr Husband to see how Kuchingites celebrate Hari Raya.

It is also my hope to be able to go back to Kuching for Raya every 2 years. Of course my government warrant gives me the privilege of having that once a year visit but for Raya… lets BE able to make it for at least once in 2 years. Lets make it a tradition for my family.

I still have one last call this weekend prior my flight to Kuching. My bags have been packed since last week.

Till then, I wish everybody Ramadhan Mubarak, Eid Mubarak. Take care.