Warning: this is the longest post ever on blkcdiary.
The Blk C Malaysia Road trip!Date: 15-19dec
Location: Singapore, KL, Cameron Highlands, Penang
Day 1Even before the trip officially started, Chuifen accidentally withdrew $1000 in cold hard cash and had to walk all the way to the Concourse to deposit it back. This was an omen that hinted at the series of events to come…
After this incident, we walked towards Lavender bus terminal. On the way, we counted only eleven people.
QUOTE: “Who is the last person?”. At the eleventh hour (literally), we realized
Daniel was absent. Luckily for us, he arrived in the nick of time before we missed our bus! Under the sorching Singapore Sun we ran with our dear lives for the damn bus, for fear that our efforts planning for the trip would be a waste.
daniel and robert! old men who were tired from the running..
After the morning madness, the bus ride went smoothly. Since the bus ticket was the cheapest ($25.10), the Transnational buses gave off a weird musty smell, while we played bridge, card games and gossiped for 5hours.
KL welcomed us with the crowded noisy dirty Puduraya bus station. The noise of hollering and weird smells mingled with sweat in the air as all of us clamoured for some space and quiet.
Kane (looking very Malaysian in his dirty green and khaki coloured ensemble) met us. We proceeded to our Punjagga Homestay hostel which was superbly located in the midst of Irish, French and Turkish pubs. The hostel delighted us with its warm Balinese décor and cosy rooms.
A VERY GENEROUS Kane treated our ravaneous stomachs with a delicious and very famous Bah Kut Teh dinner. IT WAS HEAVENLY. It left Valerie and Emily yearning for yam rice and Kenneth and Joyce yearning for the de kar (pigs legs). We were very full with the herbal soup and Kane’s generosity.
Leisurely, we strolled to the main shopping street and the girls and guys separated at Sungei Wang, the “far east plaza” of KL, agreeing to meet at a corner pub to chill at 1030pm. Barely half an hour into shopping,
Emily went missing.The girls and Matt got all separated in the crowded atrium, and the girls didn’t realised Emily was lost, not until 2 hours later! QUOTE: “ We didn’t realise Emily was lost”. Despite getting lost in the sea of Malaysians, Emily still managed to buy ten earrings and souvenirs to the amazement of everyone.
Oblivious to the excitement the girls and matt are going through, the guys were doing walking to “The Pavilion”, the latest addition to shopping malls in KL, hoping to see some eye candies that will brighten up the day. Despite our best effort to maintain a constant 360 degree view of the surrounding, we conclude our attempt a failure. Dejected, the guys went to do groceries shopping for the next day. Still oblivious to Emily’s disappearing act the guys stroll backed to the hostel.
Meanwhile, the malls are closing and Emily finally decided to venture down the streets to walk back to our hostel. As KL came alive at night, Emily lost her way and went down a dark alley street. She quickly walked out, as several suspicious characters loitered around and asked directions from a hotel reception desk. However, she did not know the actual name and address of our hostel at that point of time as the receptionist smirked at her. Her handphone was not working too and she was momentarily stuck. Luckily for her, she had her camera with her and showed her photos (which she takes aimlessly luckily in this case) to ask for directions from the hotel staff and find her way back. As she reached the hostel, she met a Singaporean friend who lent her a phone to contact the rest. It was a night of lucky coincidences indeed.
As everyone chilled at the French pub at the end of a very exciting first day with Carlsberg, we played the “ I have never” game. Quote:
Groundbreaking confessions shook the foundations of our very beliefs! Hehe.(which we are unable to reveal past the circle of trust).
Day 2The next day, 12 of us piled into the 2 rented cars.
Kenneth the laid-back uncle with the beer belly was paired with
ROBERT hum ji hao who reprised the role of the stressed out mum with the Toyota mpv.
NOTE: Jun Hao has officially been renamed ROBERT. They were joined by Valerie, Joyce,
Rebecca Barbara Wong See Mun, Matt and Emily.
The other car was driven by Chris the Ah Beng driver and Daniel the lost sheep, along with Chuifen, Hoonie and Potato.
After a very eventful first day, all of us thought that the rest of the trip could finally progress smoothly. We sailed through the KL streets with Chuifen’s auntie leading the way. But even before we could get onto the highway leading out of KL ,
tragedy struck!
The Toyota reversed suddenly and crashed into the Proton behind. The Proton seemed to crumple under the mighty Toyota. It was like throwing an egg against a rock.
There was a moment of stunned silence, as Chris’s mouth dropped agape in shock. The aftershock of the crash sent a momentary current of tension and panic through the air as everyone was stunned at the unbelievable sight in front of their eyes.
QUOTED BY CHRIS: “ My life flashed past my eyes in a moment.”
QUOTED BY DANIEL: “ Many things went through my mind.”
Police sirens rang through the air as the highway police rushed to the scene of the accident right at the junction. People stared at the sight of 12 Singaporeans and 2 crashed cars. The car company arrived with a new Proton an hour later while the crashed one was delivered to a car graveyard. It was a weird procession all together making their way to the police station. The drivers were taken away by several burly policemen to make a statement. For the next few hours, the rest of us huddled in fear and worry.
Finally, the doors of the station opened and our hearts sang with relief as we saw the Kenneth, Chris and Daniel being escorted out. Fortunately, no charges were pressed and we were slapped with an RM300 fine and a receipt in a jargon of Malay. Chuifen’s wonderful auntie was by our side all the time. And it was then when we did a whoosh in the middle of the carpark filled with heaps of unwanted cars.
Finally, after the traumatising drama of the morning, we set off for Cameron at 1pm. We assumed that insurance will pay for the car damages…..
As we left KL, the paranomic mountain scenery took our breath away. Sculpted rock faces, towering rock hills, and lush greenery swayed in the mountain breeze. The green forest was a welcoming sight for the eyes after the concrete jungle of KL. The expressway with its dummy roadman waving flags leading to the winding mountain roads with its sharp turns and steep slopes resembled a Daytona set. Uncle Kenneth and the Malaysian ah beng driver Chris navigated it with ease.
Nightfall beckoned as we hiked to chuifen auntie’s house which was perched precariously on the edge of a rock cliff. The house was a retro dream come true with the green marble floor and old-school tv set.
magnificent view!
on cameron highlands, the year ones.
007 year twos!
and of course, the old people who took care of us throughout the trip!
With Teck Chew’s recommendation of charcoal BBQ Steamboat in mind, our hungry stomachs rumbled in anticipation. We combed through every nook and cranny of the highlands in search of this elusive place.
QUOTE: “ SO WHERE IS TECK CHEW’S HIGHLY RECOMMENDED CHARCOAL BBQ STEAMBOAT?”
Sadly, teck chew's steamboat could not be found.
But,
In the end, we settled for s sumptuous spread of yuan yang steamboat followed by satay, strawberry naan and a banana-milo-honey prate which rocked our tasted buds and left us asking for more!!
Back at the bungalow, the guys went into the room to check out their sleeping quarters. As Chris closed the door behind them, Matt and Robert came to a sudden realisation that they were alone! An unspoken agreement passed between them and they simultaneously threw themselves to the ground in a frenzy of push ups and crunches! MUCH to the horror and astonishment of Chris! But after a quick assessment of health benefits vs the blardy ridiculous WAH LAUness of the scene before him, he lost no time in joining in the action!! The excitement of all that physical fitness was loud and boisterous no doubt and led the clueless people outside to come to very dirty conclusions of their own. In the flurry of questions afterward, Matt, Robert and Chris informed them that it’s a guy thing. Some things are better left unsaid.
That was not the end of it, it as getting late and the guys gathered in the room to change! Maybe it as the burn out from driving, the darkness of the room, or just plain blurness that made Chris disregard the many half naked individuals in the room and throw open the door in full view of the living room! There as much shouting and screaming. However not much damage as done yet! The girls were apparently at the sofas not in view of the horrors that be. Robert quickly tried to close the door! But alas! He as too late! Inquisitive Val with dirty thoughts of guy things in her mind pushed past the fray to look into the room! She as turned completely to stone!! The rest of us played bridge while Val went to take a cold bath.
It as a cold night at Cameron as the guys tried to sleep. Chris in particular was shivering despite sleeping in two shirts a jacket and a pair of jeans. He was not provided the luxury of a blanket. Like a homeless tramp, he started pulling out articles from his uncle bag to cover himself but to no avail! The small pieces of towels and shirts did not do much to provide warmth. Sitting up finally, he looked around him to see how his comrades were faring. And lo behold, Daniel woon was sleeping next to him like a child in nothing but a t shirt and fbt shorts! This ridiculous sight was too much for Chris as he left the room, completely awake at 5 am in the morning.
Day 3
The next morning, we enjoyed a superb breakfast at the Tea and Scones cafe admist breathtaking valleys, mountaintops and manicured tea plantations. Kenneth fulfilled his obsession of tea drinking by a mountain view.
QUOTE: “I want to retire here.” (this we find hard to believe for there is little beer in cameron highlands and even lesser women.)
It was exactly like he imagined except for the flies and the chicken which has sore throat. We tried 5 flavours of tea! – blackcurrant, orange, strawberry, Cameron Valley and Masala! Carrot cake, strawberry cheesecake, brownies and buttery scones completed the tea buffet. Like true blue, or some would say orange, Shearites, we wasted no time capturing the moments with our last two precious digital cam that were still working. From stylo individual to spastic group photos we tried all possible combination with teacup(s) in the picture. Time literally flew by with the many flies around as well.
Following, we satisfied our strawberry cravings with fresh juicy strawberries accompanied with deluxe cream at a farm and taking pictures of strawberries plants.
QUOTE: “ Valerie and Emily actually bought a carton of vegetables.” (just because they look like plastic, which took up much space in the already cramped car!!)
With full stomachs, we headed to Penang with really dubious driving instructions from the hotel. We were full of SUSPENSE as we crossed Asia’s longest SUSPENDED bridge. As the city neared, we CRAWLED along the main street. Traffic seemed to slow to a crawl as the roads become seemingly narrow. Not one car was driving on the correct lane and motorcycles weaved through the cars like water through rocks. The drivers had a stressful time driving through the city.
QUOTE: “Daniels degree increased while driving through the city.”
We had to send Chuifen home first and getting to her house was an adventure by itself. We had to cut through 3 lanes of heavy traffic and turn into a lane with a tiny entrance, called Love Lane.
QUOTE: “Love lane – how lovely!”
As We INCHED towards our hotel and after several heart-wrenching moments with the outrageous Penang traffic, we reached our very GOOD minGOOD hotel safely.
Without further ado, we made our way to Batu Ferranghi beach. Half of us jet-skied while the rest played on the shores. The waves took us on a rollercoaster ride as we were chilled and thrilled to the core.
QUOTE: “The waves was so strong that joyce rolled 10m sideways.” (who stupidly stood among the waves thinking that she was too heavy to be swept away.. but in fact she is light as a feather! ahahahahaha!)
Just when we thought we left behind the rest of our car woes in KL, we were slapped with a 60RM summon for our incorrect parking.
We headed for another sumptuous dinner with Penang’s local delights that doesn’t sell Penang laksa at Red Garden.
mango rice!!
Joyce, Valerie, Matt and Seemun paired up to do the cha-cha in the middle of the whole food centre. Suddenly, everyone’s attention was on the dance floor as the young ones stomped around in glee admist the old graceful couples.
After dinner ,we milled around Georgetown’s entertainment district. Despite looking rumpled and wearing only casual wear, we managed to enter club momo FREE OF CHARGE.
QUOTE: “ Despite Seemun and Daniel wearing a sheares IHG shirt, shorts and slippers, we were still welcomed by the club owner herself.”
Monday night was incidentally Oriental Night and we were literally the only ‘Orients’ around.
Upon sending Chuifen home, her Dad regaled us with tales of gang fights, vicious robberies as we told him of our plan to cruise around by the sea at night. He warned us that we would be in grave danger (also known as AWAS) .
Our hearts thudded and we held our breath as we drove past a suspicious looking group of people in a dark alley. Fearing for the worst, we arrived at our destination- Gurney Drive- only to see children running around and girls blowing bubbles at 1am. And although we were already very full, beloved Kenneth insisted that we try everything else, from the Ice Kachang with rootbeer and cuttle fish, because the Penang laska we were seeking eluded our taste buds.
On our way back, we got lost, hollanding at every turn, searching for this JALAN SEHALA Street which seemed to be everywhere and yet nowhere.
QUOTE: “ Jalan Sehala is a not a street name, it means ONE WAY!” .
No wonder we couldn’t find it on the map.
Day 4
The next day, we awoke early to buy the famous Him Heang tau sar piah of Penang and proceeded to make a final driving trip back to KL.
And upon reaching the tau sar piah place, Daniel who drove there came out of the car realising he has lost his slippers.
Quote: “ You can lose something in the most confined space.”
Again, we somehow managed to get another summon of RM15!
We rushed to get back to KL in time to return the cars by 6m. The girls and Matt mamboed and rocked in Kenneth’s car to the music and wondered why Kenneth did not bring any R&B or hiphop music! Especially Emily who constantly reminded Kenneth by saying, "KENNETH, WHY DON'T YOU HAVE RNB? I WANT RNB AND HIP HOP" for 20 times within the span of an hour!
The KL traffic threatened to slow us down as we struggled to reach the car rental place in time. The guys navigated with their maps while the girls navigated with landmarks. We barely made it in time as we trudged into the office to meet our fate. After conversing with the rental people, we were faced with the fees of the car crash and repairs which amounted to a few thousand dollars. It was as if a bomb was dropped as our faces fell along with our hearts. Junhao maxed out his credit car to pay the bills.
QUOTE: “There’s always a price to pay for a lesson learnt.”
With hearts as heavy as our luggage, we walked to KLCC Petronas Towers. Although there were many BMWs around, it was hard to find one
A&W.QUOTE: “ Emily had her A&W finally.”
We enjoyed a yummy dinner at A&W and munched on our curly fries as we contemplated the numerous events of our journey thus far. As the girls shopped around and we took a thousand group photos in front of the twin towers, we lost track of time. We realised that we were going to be late for our 10.30pm bus! Hence, we took off- ala AMAZING RACE style. With our backpacks and numerous knick knacks and luggages, we raced through the bustling streets of KL, with no regard for the horrendous traffic. Our hearts pounded as we squeezed onto the monorail to the bus station. Our fate depended on making it to the station on time. Every single second was magnified as time ticked by. We finally reached our musty pitstop JUST-IN-TIME and we piled our weary bodies, along with our luggage, into the very gross bus.
Day 55 hours later, we reached Singapore at 4am.We separated at woodlands and lavender as everyone headed home with a weary body but a contented soul. Just when we thought everything was over, Chris was almost left stranded without his luggage, as the taxi driver tried to drive off, leaving the poor boy behind.
Our journey thus ended here, with only memories to remind us of the fun times we had. It was an unexpected rollercoaster ride but I am sure everyone enjoyed themselves tremendously.
Looking back, we were no longer virgins as it was a trip of many firsts for us- 1st car crash, 1st car summons, 1st time getting lost…
Looking forward, this is only a beginning of many more trips to come, and many more lasting friendships to treasure…
Block C overseasssss.
the
Coolest C Towners.
the Cutest too!
finale video:
Other points:
Super act-cute matt and chris getting really grossed out. look at previous post.
Special thanks:
to Kenneth, who without his roadtrip planning expertise, would not have made this wonderful trip possible.
to Robert: who is our dear treasurer and is suffering from a major deficit in his bank account because all of us owe him $120 each.
to Potato: who took all the amazing photos in this blog post.. we'll miss you potato! please come back and visit us often yea! (:
to the other road trippers: who provided much joy and laughter in the process. (:
another trip next year perhaps?
guilty!
evidence of the 2 disembarkation cards. somehow the name wee choo hock seem to come out instead of wee da yang darius..
we were very excited with the bunk beds. haha. everyone was fighting to sleep on the top tier.
charlie angels pose. haha.
joey posing with the horse shoe crab..
joy enjoying the coconut pudding.. it was super delicious!
we played sparkles while the rest played with real fireworks.
