An Unsuccessful Escape From Home

I love travelling and I love doing adventurous things. It has been in my blood since I was born. But I was never a naughty or troubled or misbehaved child. I was a good girl, really, I truly was! I couldn't believe I actually did turn bad... eventhough for just one day. The story goes something like this... 

I met two new girlfriends as I set my foot into a school when I was just 8 years old. Let's just call them R1 and R2. No, I am not blaming them for anything, as I was part of this mischievous plan. A plan that I will tell you about later. So, as we were having lunch at the canteen, R1 and R2 asked if I had been to Kuala Lumpur. Told them, I had. They got really excited as I started to describe the city I had visited once upon a time ago. At the peak of the excitement, R1 came out with the most stupid idea - run away from home and go to KL! And that most stupid idea came to take place when both, R2 and I agreed to the plan. So, we started to discuss on how to get money to support our living there. Came another idea - steal our parents' money! Goodness, we got really excited that we almost got choked on our lunch. And stole our parents' money we did! (Kids, don't attempt this at home or anywhere. This is not something cool to follow).

So the plan went really well. When the day of 'independence' came, we managed to collect almost RM600. Imagine that! Three 8 year-old kids with RM600 - that's a whole lot of money! We thought we could buy a house!

Now how? We asked each other how the hell should we go there? R1, always the brilliant one among the trio, said there was no other way but we all had to jump onto her truck and go over to her place and hail a bus as soon as we got there. She added, it was easier to get a bus at her place, her parents would not be around during the day, rather than at the school and exposed ourselves to the teachers. We did as she told.

At this hour, my mom and dad started to get really worried and outraged. Dad was in a meeting when mom called and told him that I had gone missing. Dad packed up, left the meeting and immediately called the police.

Fast forward, we somehow managed to get to R1's home. I was playing with R1 and R2 at a playground near R1's house while waiting for a bus to come and pick us up. While waiting and playing, we were also busy contemplating on how to survive living without parents. So lost in our thoughts we were, we vaguely hear an ice-cream man yelling out "Ice Cream!! Ice Cream!!" until he came closer to us and pulled over by the roadside. Leaving our thoughts behind, we went over to him and bought some.

We were about to walk back to the playground when I saw a familiar car slowly passing us by and I heard somebody sternly call my name. I turned around and oh no, it's - DAD! And MOM too! And a patrol car tailing at the back. Oh noooooooooooo...............

And no need for you to guess. A number of whacks landed on my back ended the unsuccessful escapade. So much for an 8-year old wanting to see KL and could just do it by herself, eh?

Reshmonu 'Hey Waley' Weds Kavita

I do not know this Malaysian singer, Reshmonu personally, but I do know his close friends, and that was how I got invited. Let's carry on with Reshmonu’s wedding story. The ‘Hey Waley’ singer tied the knot with a millionaire’s daughter, Kavita, yesterday in an extremely lavish wedding at Kavita’s family residence in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. Since many celebrities would be there, I made sure I looked as glamorous, so that would not be out of place. Well, ok, slightly less glamorous, as I didn’t want to steal the bride’s thunder! Cewahhhh…

He touched everyone’s heart that night when he sang a slow number to the queen of his heart. His eyes never left hers. Hand touching hand. Two hearts beat as one. So sweeeeettt… so romantic… so crazily in love! Congratulations to you both! 

A Hard Rocking Tour - Pattaya & Bangkok, Thailand

In September 2002, I went to Pattaya, Thailand. It’s one of the largest tourism centers in Thailand located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand (about 165km southeast of Bangkok in the province of Chon Buri). Pattaya’s main attraction are its beaches.

Pattaya Beach is situated along the central city in close proximity to shopping, hotels and abundant nightlife area. Just like Phuket, Pattaya is renowned for its nightlife, some of which revolves around the sex oriented industry. The streets of Pattaya are decorated with massage parlors, beer bars, go-go bars, restaurants and clubs, and are bustling with activities 365 days a year. Boyztown area is famous for its gay go-go clubs and bars which draw gay men from all over the world.

Stepping into the infamous Hard Rock Hotel of Pattaya, I felt the earth shake under my feet. There was no doubt that Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya would give me the ultimate rock’n’roll retreat I had wished for. As I checked into one of the themed guest rooms, I could see it was designed and decorated in a hip and vibrant style, featuring an over-sized bed and oowwh, the pillow covers had Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s faces on them. Awesome! After tipping the bellman, I closed the door before me and hopped onto the bed. Lying down on the comfy bed, I closed my eyes and imagined what it would be like if Elvis was there lying next to me… looking down on my sleepy face… touching my eyelids… playing with my hair… massaging my back…

Suddenly…

Wabammmm bammmmm…. bammmmm! “What the hell is that?!”, I spat. But then I soon realized that it was time to rock’n’roll. The sun barely left the sky but the drum had already started to rumble. Getting out of my bed, I got ready for the fun. It’s parteyyyy time!

Oh there’s something you need to know. When you stay at Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya, you will hear a different hotel language, which they call it their very own ‘Lingo’.

• Stars: Our guests

• The show: Hard Rock Hotel, Pattaya

• Band Members: Staff at Hard Rock Hotel, Pattaya

• Lil’Rockers: Our younger guests

• Stage pass: Room Key

• Stage: Public areas

• Backstage: Back of house

• Autograph: Guest’s signature

• Sessions: Meetings

• Showtime: Service time / something to be done

As soon as I reached the entrance of Pattaya’s Hard Rock Cafe, a waiter pulled the door open for me. A rock band was jamming on the stage. People roared and shouted somewhere at the back. Girls flirting around with the boys wearing … what, bikinis? Short pants? Very very short pants? Oh, wow… When the band started to play ‘Heaven’ I just stood there unmoved. I was spellbound. I forgot my friends who were waiting for me at the bar. I forgot that I needed a drink. I forgot everything. All I could remember was that the room suddenly became silent. All were transfixed by the slow enchanting melody. Hmmmm…. hmmm… hmmm…. heaven!

Half an hour later, after having the last sip of the succulent orange juice, I told my half-drunk friends that I needed to get some sleep and regain my energy for tomorrow would be a long ride to Bangkok. Oh, why is it that when people enter a bar, they have to take alcohol and then get drunk?

Well, I have just three things to describe Pattaya – i) Pattaya for sure has beautiful beaches just like in Phuket, but I personally like Phuket more, ii) there are so many pubs around for those who like to party hard and iii) it is not that easy to find halal restaurants but you can surely try out their seafood. Simply fresh and yummy!

Half an hour later, after having a final sip of the succulent orange juice, I told my half-drunk friends that I needed to get some sleep and regain my energy for tomorrow would be a long ride to Bangkok. In Bangkok, we stayed in Baiyoke Tower, the tallest building in Thailand. There was nothing much to do during the day. All I did was shopping and shopping. Waiting for the night to come was a time full of anticipation. We checked out the Cabaret and Hard Rock Cafe of Bangkok. It was a blessing that the band playing in Hard Rock of Bangkok that night was the Telephone Band. One of my many coolest Thai people who had been befriending me for quite some time. We hugged and we hugged and we hugged! Then we took photos. All that cheesy smiles on our faces, showed how happy we were to see each other again. Nothing was as pleasant as having the chance to meet old buddies after so long.

This trip was nothing similar to the other trips I had so far. I never had a trip as rockin'-and-rollin' as this one before. I partied a lot this time! Very syokkkkkkk wo!

Top Of The World

Being the highest mountain in Southeast Asia, Mount Kinabalu will definitely offer a great adventure to the nature lovers. Situated in the hearth of the state of Sabah, East Malaysia it stands 4,101 meters high.

Looking at the magazine on my table, I saw pictures of the magnificent Mount Kinabalu. My dream of 'conquering' the glorious mountain came true when an old friend of mine, Zai called up and asked if I would like to join him in the adventure. Stunned, I uttered no other word but 'Yes'. Feeling rather uncomfortable, I asked his permission to invite Aida to come along. He agreed with the idea. With so short of notice but yet so tempting, Aida had no time to think but right away agreed to follow.

It was the tenth day of November 2000. With a large haversack on my back I headed straight to Subang Airport. Aida awaited me there impatienly. We departed from Subang Airport at 0700 hrs and reached destination at 0900 hrs. Upon touching down, Zai was already there waiting. We quickly took a chartered van to Kinabalu Park, which was located at the foot of the mountain.

Next morning at 0800 hrs, the wondrous journey began with a hired guide to show us the way up. A guide is mandatory. Climbers were not allowed to ascend without official park guides. We were told by the guide that climbing half way up wouldn't be so tough but the air would be getting colder and colder. Layers of gloves were my only protection from hand-numbing cold. The trail up the sea blue mountain extended from lush tropical rainforest through gnarled montane oak, wispy alpine meadow, and right up past the tree line to sheer rock face. Exquisite view of the summit greeted us when we reached at Laban Rata, half way up to the peak. There at Laban Rata, we booked a hostel and collapsed into cold soggy beds.

Rising up at 0200 hrs next morning, we started climbing again. We needed to reach the peak before the sun rose at 0600 hrs. Aided by a fixed icy rope, we made our way on a steep rock all the way to the summit. Eventhough it was a tough climb but it required no special skills or equipment. The arrival of daylight reveals the remarkable summit plateau of the mountain. A vast expanse of smooth rock with a weird assortment of rocky pinnacles rising from it welcomed us. 

Inhaling fresh air, I took it on one step at a time. Mesmerised with the scenic view around me, I totally ignored the dizziness I felt due to the increasing altitude pressure. Upon reaching the summit (The Low's Peak), there was no other word to describe how proud and overjoyed I was to be on top of the mountain. I felt like a conqueror standing on top of the world.

"Veni, vidi, vici"

I came, I saw, I conquered

Sa Wat Dee - Phuket Trip

Sa Wat Dee!  Yin Dee Dtaawn Rap Suu Phuket! – The Thai words carrying the meaning of "Hello! Welcome to Phuket”.

In October 2000, the company sent us to Phuket, Thailand for a trip. First, greeted by pretty Thai ushers, then by our tourist guide, a transvestite who we only knew as Mei Mei. With one swift glance anyone could get mistaken her for some Miss World. Eventhough the surgery had successfully transformed her from a man to a perfect woman, the Adam’s apple that bulged out from her throat did not quite hide the fact that she was a ‘he’ before. On the moving bus, she started to pull out a microphone which started the whole bus smiling. Stifling a giggle, I braced for what I was about to experience - hearing a coarse voice coming out from that soft Thai silk dress. But to my amusement, it was nothing of what I had expected. Nothing at all. Instead, I only heard a flamingo-like voice telling us all what we could see and do in Phuket.

We arrived Phuket at about 7.00pm. We were brought around the town soon after we had checked into the hotel.

Great accommodations with some of the finest resort hotels, beautiful beaches, (just right for leisure activities such as diving, game fishing, elephant riding and sailing) and the local islands make Phuket Island one of Asia's most popular holiday resorts. Phuket has so much to offer and has all the ingredients for a perfect holiday. This much is sooooo true!

Night-time in Phuket meant party time! I could see the wild side of the world famous Soi Bangla Road near Patong Beach have obviously kept the visitors entertained until dawn. Most bars had themes or private shows, this, the perfect stage to have a good time. Rumours had it that in Phuket you could see almost anything. Trust me, you would never ever be able to see naked chicks dancing around the town like they always said. But… there were private places where you could see them wearing nothing at all. Ask your tour guide! As for our tourist guide, Mei Mei, she brought us to a secluded pub where they stored naked Thai girls for some good shows. Hmmm… with enough cash in our pockets, we headed for a quiet attic of a pub where the naked ladies dance. After paying 100 baht to a burly man who stood guard at the doorway, we were led into a small hall by an old lady (ibu ayam). A small stage was set up at the center of the hall. We gathered ourselves around the stage as close as we could, hoping that we could get a clearer and closer view of the girls. The erotic show was not erotic after all, but nevertheless, we were quite impressed with their daring acts.

One of the most popular sports in Thailand, and now gaining world renown, is the martial art of Muay Thai. For tourists in the Patong Beach area, nightly displays of Thai Boxing are carried out in a specially built stadium on Soi Bangla. If you don’t mind the violence, a Thai boxing match is worth attending for. The pure spectacle, the wild musical accompaniment, the ceremonial beginning of each match and the frenzied betting around the stadium will definitely amaze you. For all of you who don’t know, let me share with you what I recollected from the event. As the boxers entered the ring, I saw them perform a special pre-fight dance known as the "ram muay". During the dance, they wore a headband given by their trainer believed to be a sacred talisman earned after many years of dedication to the art. The dance started with "wai khru" -- each boxer kneeling and bowing three times, a show of respect to his teacher. With the ceremonies completed, the fight began. Each fight consisted of five rounds of three minutes each. Accompanying the fight was music stimulated by action in the ring, rising and falling as the boxers battle it out. All surfaces of the body were considered fair targets, and any part of the body except the head may be used to strike an opponent (Wow… this is cool, man!). Common blows included high kicks to the neck, elbow thrusts to the face and head, knee hooks to the ribs, and low crescent kicks to the calf. And oh my, a contestant could even grasp an opponent’s head between his hands and pull it down to meet an upward knee thrust. Punching was considered the weakest of all blows and kicking merely a way to ‘soften up’ one’s opponent; most matches ended with a knee or elbow strike.

The next day, we were given a ride on a small boat to perhaps the most beautiful scenery in South East Asia. Phang-gna Bay, pristine and clean, was the location of the filming of the James Bond classic "The Man With The Golden Gun". It was definitely the place to sun-bathe and get tanned. During the past few years, it has become one of Phuket’s most famous attractions thanks to the plethora of sea kayaking enthusiasts. So pre-occupied was I in picking up dead corals scattered on the white sandy shore, I didn’t realize the rest had already boarded the boat. With a hand full of precious corals I marched towards the waiting boat while Mei Mei hysterically urging me to walk faster. The island was too captivating to let go… let alone, letting it go so swiftly. Upon reaching the Patong town again, we stopped at The World’s Largest Gem Store. It was spectacular! We also stopped to some shops that sold Thai silks and crafts.

The visit was simply memorable. I could not find any word to describe how wonderful Phuket was. The immense difference of cultures simply brightened the trip. The only thing that I missed which I shouldn’t have was the visit to their culture village, The Fantasea. Hmmm… I shouldn’t have missed this one.