The urge
to pen down memories from one of my “road less-travelled” adventures has
finally taken over my slothfulness. Amidst the loud cries of, “quit your job to
travel the world”, exercising an option of appending a week-long vacation to a
day’s official work, reminds you how fortunate you are, isn’t it? Who would
even consider quitting?!
Day 1 - Just making it.
The
moment your Japanese super boss questions, “Why late?” and follows with, “Taxi late?” the
guilt of making him wait fades away as I nod "YES", and I keep walking with a wide grin to clear
the airport security.
A mild
turbulence wakes me up and I turn aside to see my boss, pointing at a big white
swirl in a weather section at a news paper, and sketching our flight path right through it.
It took
me a moment to figure it all out, but a wider grin from him made his intention very clear.
It simply kept me awake for the rest of my flight.
He just
got me back, fair and square.
Day 2 – Work and cultural
evening.
Work.
Duh! (Enough said). Post lunch, the team takes me out to the KL’s cultural hub
where the Malaysia’s historical things are on display with few interesting cultural
shows for the public. A quiet dinner ends the day. But the real excitement
begins the following day as a solo traveller with a very adventurous plan. The
excitement hardly let me sleep though!
Day 3 – Expect the unexpected.
You
think, you have it all figured out with a solid travel itinerary. But one can
never be sure, when it is a bunch of couch surfers you are counting on in a
never-ever-seen-(Is)land. Hoping for the best, I open my eyes to see a beautiful
archipelago welcoming me - The Langkawi Islands.
I take a
taxi, straight to a town hospital. Yea, right. A hospital. I walk in to meet
one of the doctors.
Dr:
Hello there, please have a seat. How are you doing today?
Me:
Thanks. I am all fine. Errrr..you see..a new place. I am just wondering if am
curious or anxious?!
Dr: Well.. let’s find out.
And he
takes his stethoscope to examine me.
I go,
“Hey! Wait a minute. I am not one of your patients. I am your couch surfing
buddy.”
A moment
of silence followed by a chuckle, and he later takes me to his house and makes
me feel home! My hope for the best was turning real.
A walk with the BOB
Teaming
up with the neighbour Bob, I decide to explore the white sand beaches and dwell
into some local cuisine. Bob, a well-known face walks around with swag in the
curvy streets, amidst party lights, hi fives and shoulder greets everyone. Few
of those, hi-fives extent to me as well. Yay! I am the sidekick!! THUG LIFE!
Cheap thrills are certainly exciting.
Later
that night, the Dr. takes us for a spin in his chiselled Subaru WRX.
Seat
belts – √
Full on
AC – √
Tamizh
FM – √√
The
beast rolls out slowly from its den. Just a tap and he lashes out. Driving up a
hill, under the radiance of moon along the coast, soul soothing music, and psithurism
all around, Dr’s car was as popular as these two, with cops making way for it
to zip through. The drive got me cancer sized goose bumps. Thug life just got
bigger and better.
Day 4, Facing Vali.
Bob,
runs through a map in a circular way along the border marking “must-visit”
places. A quick breakfast at a food joint, and ending it with a Milo shake (used
to exist in India years back) was a perfect start to the day. I rent a moped (they
are the most common bikes unlike India) and pep through the chiming wind towards
our first point – seven well’s
waterfalls that flow down the second highest mountain of Langkawi.
About an
hour of bike ride in the lonely roads, I reach the destination to see a gruel
trek waiting for me. In fact, I totally missed the point, when Bob mentioned,
it is on the second highest mountain. I already felt like an opponent to
Ramayana’s Vali. With half the energy left, I followed Bob, maintaining a
distance where only a howl cry can connect us both.
Almost
there, almost there and almost there, became my most self-assuring word.
Finally, when I was actually almost there, Bob screams at the top of his voice,
“Sorry broooo... Not enough water. I forgot to tell yaaa, that it ain’t the best
time of the year to visit this place”. Though,
I was disheartened mostly, the howl cry distance meant a lot to me!
A mix of
sane and insane talks filled the rest of my night. So did the roof tearing
rain.
Day 5,
Terima Kasih - Langkawi.
Anything
less than 3 days is too little a time to explore the beauty of Langkawi. But the exciting stay with CS buddies made it
all worth.
Tip – If
you are an avid traveller, the one who looks for company rather than comfort,
CS is definitely worth checking out. And if a CS profile says – no TV, no WiFi,
no tour guide, only couch. You know what to do. A memory for life is what one
lives for. I am carrying enough for seven!
Selamat datang – Kuala lumpur
The
reality show “The Amazing Race” has always fascinated me. The moment I landed in KL, I was on one such show.
My own show.
KLIA is
about 50 kms from a hostel named BackHome - a perfect central spot to explore
the city, even by walk. A CS buddy named Chris(very good friend to be) had
shared directions from KLIA to my hostel, so meticulous and exhaustive that,
you just have to follow it literally. When it says, 50 feet from the roundabout,
it is 50 feet. You go a foot ahead; you are just wasting your time. But I
wasn’t competing. So, I took my own time to explore the city, clicking
memories. Why worry when you have the all the time and clues to (Back) home?!
Eventually,
I was (at) BackHome. Phew! It was one amazingly slow race.
BackHome – a contemporary space that
guarantees a serene time at a budget price and it truly becomes your home away
from home.
Post a
quite lunch, I decide to recharge my batteries for the long night ahead and my
night starts by 9pm when Chris takes me out for a drive around the city. KL
looks absolutely stunning in the night with Petronas stealing the show. After
stopping by a few more attractions, I get some travel tips for my expedition
the following day.
Day 6 – Between the two.
Two of
the popular daytime attractions around KL are Genting Highlands and Batu caves.
Genting Highlands – An assortment of fancy
restaurants, theme parks and the only inland casino in the country. When you
are travelling with a group of friends, GH seems to be a fun place to check
out. Hence I rule it out this time.
Batu caves – Majestic limestone hills with
historic caves and a Hindu shrine. About 40 minutes travel by metro from
BackHome. Easy decision. Batu caves, it is.
As I
alight the metro and walk out, I see the most photographed section of Batu
caves, the grand statue of Lord Murugan – a Hindu deity at the foot of a
picturesque limestone hill.
“Almost
there” became my catch phrase again, helping me climb the strenuous 250+ odd
steps. I rest for a moment in the last step to catch my breath; and the view is
totally worth all the efforts. I walk into some deep and long caves, occasionally
sighting the pigeons chase each other. Further few meters ahead, is a main
shrine that is guarded by towering walls of limestone all around it.
Breath
taken! It was just 250 odd steps to heaven!
Day 7 – Back to base.
Oh, boy!
My appetite for life got just served. Or should I say it just began rather?!
Had it
not been the CS buddies in KL and Langkawi Islands, I am very sceptical if it
would have been as adventurous as it turned out to be. The wandering monk continues
to wander, making memories, living through adventures and sharing stories! Remember that, a tan is the best accessory for any outfit :)
