It's not the destination, it's the journey.
It was decided on impulse, barely five days before we were set to drive off. Once we were set upon it, we scrambled to make the necessary arrangements – babysitter, schools, work, leave, rental car, cash, credit and of course, research on where to go. Surprisingly, all fell into place very nicely and without hiccups and by Thursday, we were all packed and ready to go.
Thank God for great family support!
Now, this is one journey almost similar to the one we took 6 years ago – on our honeymoon. It would be our first time together after 6 years – as husband and wife and as parents. After a decade of knowing someone, out of which 6 years you have stayed married to, it is now time for the ultimate test – without any distractions, but for ourselves, would we be able to stand the sight of each other for the next 72 hours or so? Would our differences clashed? Would we be at each other’s neck? It's like putting our marriage to the test. And I am proud to say that we passed with really flying colours!
If there was a vast difference in myself during my honeymoon trip and this one here, it was the fact that I was extremely confident of who I was. I knew that I can let my guard down with Hubs, who, at by that time, has seen me, unfortunately, in my worst moments. Why, I did not even powder my nose!
And there was one incident at the hotel car park in Kuala Trengganu. The car park was very hot, and as Hubs was sitting at the driver's seat, I was busy at the boot, arranging and packing the million-and-one souvenirs. Being a meticulous and organized person that I am, I took a long time in packing and repacking things. I was fully aware of this, and I was also aware that Hubs was sitting there patiently.
When I was done, I went to the passenger seat and saw Hubs looking at me, with an expression on his face.
I blurted: Sorry, I took so long.
He continued looking at me. He was half-smiling and there was a .. a contented (?) look on his face. I had thought he would be at least impatient with me, for I took such a long time back there and he had to sweat it out at the car park.
When he continued to look at me, with that expression, I just had to ask: Why are you looking at me like that?
Reluctantly, he pulled my eyes away from my face (dare I say this?) and with his hands on the wheel and getting ready to drive off, he simply replied: Sayang ..
Aww... it could be the hot weather, or the lack of ventilation in the car park, but whatever it was, I sure melted into my seat that day!
POINT 01: Where are we going, really?
I still had no idea where we were headed to, but Hubs had been checking various spots and places and since he’s the Walking Compass, I let him make all the decisions. We decided to head down to Kuala Trengganu, and along the way, soak in the vast beaches of Cherating. And to make it more memorable, we decided to take the route less traveled.
Singapore> Johor> Pahang> Trengganu Since 28 March 2008, from Johor to Trengganu and back to Singapore on 31 March 2008, we have clocked a total of 14,265 km.
POINT 02: Bad Omen?
The day we were supposed to start our drive did not start well. That Friday 28 March 2008, the morning paper greeted us with a front page report about a horrific and fatal accident, save for a 2-month old baby, of a family driving along Tangkak, Johor just the day before. It was heart wretching and very scaringly, it mimicked what we were setting out to do on that day. Not ones to believe in omens and supersitions, we were determined, however, to set off.
On our way back to Singapore from Johor, we passed through Tangkak, and we did spot the still-fresh tyre tracks of the ill-fated Mitsubishi Grandis on the road. We shuddered when we recalled back to the news report, and whispered a million prayers of thanks to God who has watched over us on our trip, so much so that we were able to go and return safely.
POINT 03: The Survivor's Handbook
We decided to leave after Hubs had his Friday prayers at An-Nur Mosque. Meanwhile, I headed down to Woodlands Library and out of impulse, grabbed this book title I LUV MALAYSIA, which later proved to be a life saviour of sorts!
POINT 04: Mak Cik Gemuk 69
On the way to Kuala Trengganu, via Cherating, we came across this shop with the most illustrative name ever. Very gimmicky. We stopped and shopped for a few batik dresses and most surprisingly, the nice lady who attended to us was nowhere near as what was described on the sign board!
*A direct translation would be Fat Auntie 69
POINT 05: The Hogger cum Waver
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On our way back to Pahang from Trengganu, we were unfortunately stuck in a bumper-to-bumper jam. We noticed that the driver in the car in front of us, which had a sticker that screamed FU-YOH!, was behaving pretty weirdly. He would wave and greet SALAM to each and every driver who passed on the opposite lane. He would slow down ever more to say out the greetings in earnest each time he happened to be alongside a car on the opposite lane. It was very hilarious! Needless to say, his actions slowed us down even more but for the priceless entertainment value that he provided, we did not mind at all.
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