Wednesday November 11, 2009
Going places
By TAN LING SUAN
Travelling opens up a whole new world for even the most jaded spirit.
A RETIREE, or any senior citizen, should not be discouraged by age to get out of the house and see the country. Yes, there’s lots in Malaysia to visit, to appreciate and to learn from at the same time. One never stops learning, even about one’s own country.
This was drummed into me during the four years of sojourn in a town in the north. While my “retired” spouse was kept busy with a new job there, we nevertheless found time to explore the northern-most state and discovered Gua Kelam with its walkway, and Wang Kelian which offers a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside. We brought visitors with us for repeated visits.
Dark cave: The writer discovered Gua Kelam while exploring Perlis with her spouse. On weekends when we did not return to Kuala Lumpur, we made our way to a Penang beach in the evening and later walked the pasar malam and had dinner there. We discovered a great banana leaf outlet in Butterworth and visited Bukit Tambun for seafood. In and around Sungai Petani, there were several good food outlets which we revisited in later years.
When my penfriend from England came over, we took that long drive through the East-West Highway and stayed overnight at Marang and Kota Baru. It was an interesting trip, further enhanced by seeing familiar icons through our visitors’ eyes. We stayed at chalets next to the ocean at the Beach of Passionate Love; we took away lunch to eat on mats by the seaside, which we had not done for umpteen years.
At the food courts, my pen-pal asked me: “You mean all this is available throughout the day?” I think she got the picture that Malaysians eat throughout the day (and night) and that we walk our night markets till nearly ten.
She would never see this scenario in her homeland where the weather may put a damper on late night outings. While she was amused to see me sipping soup throughout a meal, she was at the same time pleased with the variety of dishes at her disposal. She also enjoyed teh tarik and Chinese tea. Once while in a Chinese restaurant, when she called the waiter and pointed to her cup saying, “Empty”, he corrected her with “No, Chinese tea!”
There was one day when my visitors had roti canai for breakfast, nasi lemak for lunch and Cantonese fried bee hoon for tea. We ended up with a western meal for dinner. Aren’t we lucky in Malaysia to have all this (and more) accessible to us in most food courts around town and in shopping complexes? No wonder we’re so pleased to come back to all this after an overseas trip.
You miss a lot of things travelling by plane. By road, one catches more sights and sounds. If you can drive or have someone to take the wheel, you can make short trips that are not too tiring.
If you need to cover a longer distance, stop anytime you want at the R&R stops along the highway. Some of these are surprisingly scenic. Bukit Gantang provides a pleasant setting for a durian stop. You can eat comfortably at sheltered individual tables with a sink nearby to wash your hands. It is so well landscaped that one can almost feel the holiday ambience of a seaside resort, though there is no beach nearby.
Over the years I have seen improvements in several R&R areas. We are so fortunate to have these places to break our journey. However, variety in food is still lacking and maybe that’s why some motorists still turn off into small towns like Bidor or Air Itam along the way to have something different.
In my husband’s next posting, we rediscovered Malacca, a place where we had spent 10 years during our younger days when the children were still in school. We used to stay in Terendak Camp and came to town during the weekends. But now we were right in the centre of the tourist hotspots.
For over three years, from our 16th floor rented apartment, we observed the changing skyline of the city. While we valued the sights and tastes of old, we also enjoyed the new food outlets and shopping complexes.
One of the plus points that come with travelling is that you can look up old friends. It might be timely to renew the bonds before it is too late. In fact, being locals, they might help you discover hidden gems in their locality, whether it be food or a historical spot.
Of course, there will be some who say it’s safer to stay at home. But I have come across surveys where they record that more accidents happen in the home than outside.
Going out of the city or town is a good break from routine. Your mind becomes filled with fresh images, you are enriched by new experiences. You will return refreshed, with renewed spirit to tackle old problems and commitments ... before you embark on your next break.
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