One of the things that I had been most curious about in Kelantan is how it is like at the border of Malaysia-Thailand so I allocated my last day there to drive over to the border and see it for myself.
I learned from the people with whom I had worked on my job assignment in Kota Bharu that Thailand could be accessed from Kelantan by getting on a ferry at Pengkalan Kubor or crossing over the Golok River on a bridge at Rantau Panjang. I thought maybe it would be more adventurous going there on a ferry but Sungai Golok was badly flooded when I was there and the ferry service was temporarily halted so I had to go for the bridge.
Crossing the Malaysian-Thai Border via Sungai Golok
Fulfilling My Cravings for A River in KIULU, Sabah
So, I was back in Sabah to attend a friend’s wedding last week. Attending a friend’s wedding can be quite expensive now that I’m staying in KL but if you may ask, while the wedding itself is already important, meeting up with old friends who are there to attend it is certainly just as important, if not more. :-P
So, before I boarded the plane, there was something that kept coming into my head, something of a longing for swimming, and it came with the image of a river. Then I realized how much I missed swimming in a river and I suddenly knew how I was going to spend my first day in Sabah.
Traversing Through the Dark Era of Cambodia at The Killing Field
Previously on my trip to Cambodia, I started off the day by visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and see for myself how Pol Pot had turned a school into a prison and used it as the torturing camp for those who had the slightest sign of treachery against him. Bear in mind that most of the killings in the infamous genocide didn’t happen there. Instead, they were committed in a place 17 km south of Phnom Penh, in a place that is now known as The Killing Field. That was where we were heading to next.
Riding from Genocide Museum to The Killing Field would take you a little bit across the countryside where you’d see beautiful paddy fields on both sides of the road. Although the feeling is beautiful, you might want to bring something to cover your mouth with because it is quite dusty especially when you’re there during the monsoon season like we did.
Thaipusam (Batu Caves) 2012: Attended
So, I attended Thaipusam at Batu Caves for the second time in a row after daring the crowd for the first time last year. As usual, the challenges began at the train station when I had to push my way in with all my might and let myself be sandwiched in the super-crowded train at least until it reached the intended destination – the world renown Batu Caves on the outskirt of Kuala Lumpur.
I wouldn’t have wanted to go through all the rough experiences if it wasn’t for Thaipusam – a festival that for me the only ‘real festival’ here in Malaysia. Drawing hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world to commemorate the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel “spear” so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadam, it was certainly a celebration worth getting sandwiched for. :-D
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum: The World According to Pol Pot
It would be our first day in Phnom Penh so the excitement was sky-rocketing. We had arranged with the hostel to arrange a Tuk Tuk for a one day tour to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek (The Killing Field) for which we’d be paying USD15.
It was going to be a long day for us so we knew that a good breakfast was compulsory. We saved our time by having noodle soup at a stall just a few shops away from the hostel. The hawker didn’t speak a single world of English and you should see how her local customers helped us with ordering the food. They were just adorable – really.