Thursday, October 16, 2014

Pemergian Emak Tersayang


Buat Emak tersayang,

Sudah hampir 10 hari mak dijemput mengadap Ilahi.
Tanggal 5 Oktober 2014, iaitu 1 bulan sebelum harijadi mak dan di kala seluruh umat Islam menyambut Hari Raya Aidiladha...mak meninggalkan kami.
Namun, aku masih terasa-terasa kehadiran mak di sisi.Seolah-olah mak masih hidup. Seolah-plah mak menjalani kehidupan seperti biasa di rumah bersama Abah. Bezanya cuma, apabila aku menelefon Abah pada waktu sebegini, hanya Abah yg akan menjawab telefon dan mak masih tidur di katil belakang.Mana tidaknya, setelah aku berpindah ke KL pada awal bulan Ogos, aku amat jarang dapat pulang ke rumah bertemu mak dan Abah. Kadang2,setiap kali aku menelefon, mak tidur awal, Abah kata mak penat. Jadi, seolah-olah sudah menjadi rutin mak tidur awal dan sekiranya mak bangun, mak tidak gemar bercakap di telefon. Dia lebih suka melayan perasaan sendiri. Sedih rasanya bila perasaan rindu pada mak terpaksa dibiarkan hanyut begitu sahaja kerana aku tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa dan tidak mampu berbual dengan mak seperti dahulu.

Hepatis C- penyakit hati yang dihidapi oleh mak telah membawa mak pergi jauh dari dunia realiti. Penyakit yang tiada ubat/vaksin, penyakit yang menghancurkan hari-hari bahagia mak. Mak tidak pernah tau yg dia mempunyai penyakit ini sehinggalah mak menjalani pemeriksaan doktor pada tahun 2009. Semuanya terjadi kerana pemindahan darah yang tidak melalui ujian saringan sekitar tahun 1980'an -  mak  kekurangan darah ketika sedang hamil pada waktu itu dan mak terpaksa menerima bekalan darah daripada orang lain. Tiada siapa yg sangka, darah yang diterima itu telah tercemar dengan kuman hepatitis C.

Tahun 2008/2009- mak masih kuat. Mak masih mampu menjalankan tugas harian sebagai guru sekolah dan sebgai ibu - memasak, mengemas rumah, membasuh baju etc. Semuanya dilakukan dengan sempurna. Dari kecil, begitulah mak. Sungguh hebat tenaga yang Allah berikan pada mak. Aku masih ingat ketika aku masih darjah 4, mak sibuk membuat kuih raya untuk jualan kpd rakan guru di sekolahnya pada Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Mak memang minat dan pandai memasak. Semuanya mak lakukan untuk mendapat wang tambahan membesarkan kami 5 beradik. Selain kuih raya, mak juga rajin membuat kuih karipap bersama Abah (seperti karipap segera), ban bilis, kek prun etc  untuk terus menambah wang saku persekolahan kami. Mak mengajar di sekolah pada sesi petang, jadi, mak akan gunakan waktu pagi sepenuhnya untuk memasak makan tengah hari dan mengemas rumah. Apabila kami pulang dari sekolah, makanan pasti tersedia di atas meja dan pada zaman kecilku, aku tidak pernah kenal 'lauk bungkus'. Semuanya lauk mak.

Selepas pulang mengajar dari sekolah sekitar 7mlm, kerja mak masih belum selesai. Mak akan meneruskan misi memasak  nasi lemak & bihun goreng untuk dijual di asrama sekolah Abah. Mak bekerja tanpa henti sehingga larut malam. Dan apabila jualan laris, mak akan tersenyum gembira. Itulah hasil titik peluh mak. Dan masih segar di ingatan, laptop pertamaku pada tahun 2007 adalah hasil jualan kuih raya mak. Terima kasih, mak!

Setelah mak menjalani rawatan pada tahun 2010, mak kerap murung di rumah. Menurut doktor, itu adalah kesan sampingan ubat yang mak makan. Ketika mak murung dan marah2, Abahlah yang akan melayan, berjenaka dan menghiburkan hati mak.

Jun, 2014 adalah petanda kesihatan mak makin merosot. Mak mula murung dan kerap lupa. Mak akan tidur lama kerana penat. Setiap kali bangun, mak akan merungut sakit, sakit dan penat. Mak mula 'moody' dan mula lupa waktu dan hari. Walaupun mak jadi begitu, dia masih mahu melakukan segalanya sendiri. Mak tidak suka kita memegangnya berjalan, tidak suka dibantu  dan sebagainya. Mungkin kerana dia masih percaya pada kudrat yg ada - namun, takdir Allah swt mengatasi segala-galanya. Segagah mana mak cuba berdikari, mak rebah. Mak tidak mampu untuk mengambil pinggan di dapur - tangannya lemah. Pinggan jatuh. Betapa sedih aku mengetahui mak makin lemah.

Julai 2014- Bulan puasa mak tidak mampu berpuasa. Kami akan masakkan utk mak...tapi mak mula merungut makanan yg dimakan olehnya tidak sedap kerana tawar dan tiada garam. Apakan daya; demi kesihatan mak, menu tanpa garam yg disaran doktor perlu dipatuhi. Hari pertama Aidilfitri tahun ini, aku tidak dapat beraya bersama mak kerana beraya di rumah mertua di Kuantan. Rindunya pada mak hanya Tuhan sahaja yang tahu. Adik2 watsapp gambar raya kepadaku. Sedih dan sebak melihat raut wajah mak yang tersenyum dalam gambar, tetapi badan mak sangat2 kurus dan terlampau susut!

Ogos 2014 - Masih lagi bulan raya, tapi aku tidak merasakan apa2. semuanya tidak bermakna apabila mak mula meracau2 pada waktu malam dan mula tidak sedarkan diri.  Mak dihantar ke hospital beberapa kali dan kami mengambil alih tugas menjaga mak di hospital. Aku yg berada di KL menangis setiap hari mengenangkan mak. Ketika berkesempatan menjaga mak di Hospital Ipoh, aku bawa mak mandi dengan menaiki kerusi roda. Mak sangat comel. Mak sangat gembira walaupun sakit. Mak kata, "kesian k.ngah kena tolak dan angkat mak". Aku hanya menahan sebak. Aku terpaksa angkat mak perlahan2 untuk duduk di atas "tandas duduk". Pada waktu itu, mak masih boleh berjalan tetapi lemah. Mak hanya duduk tunggu dimandikan. Kemudian, sesi menyapu krim panas "Anugerah" untuk mak di bilik mandi sebelum memakai baju. Teringat mak tersenyum dan beritahu, "K.ngah rajin pakaikan mak Anugerah. Orang lain tak nak pakaikan". Aku hanya menggosok2 mak. Puas rasanya dapat mandikan dan pakaikan baju mak.

Sept 2014 - Keadaan mak makin merosot. Mak terus meracau tak kenal tempat. Kadang2 mak ok, kadang2 tidak. Mungkin toksin dalam badan mak terlampau tinggi kerana hati mak tidak dapat memproses makanan dengan baik. Akibatnya, ia menggangu fungsi sistem badan lemah. Mak akan terus dibawa ke hospital sekiaranya keadaannya makin lemah. Sewaktu aku di KL, aku sentiasa teringatkan mak. Setiap kali telefon Abah, abah akan beritahu yang mak tidur. Seingatku, jarang sekali aku dapat berbual dengan mak. Setiap kali mak dalam keadaan baik walaupun sekejap, aku akan ambil peluang bercakap dengannya. Teringat mak beritahu dalam telefon, "K,ngah, mak lapar. Depa masak tak sedap.  mak nak makan cucur sayur. K,ngah buat cucur sayur sedap." Sedihnya dengar. Aku beritahu mak, aku janji balik nanti akan masakkan mak cucur sayur.

Terima kasih Abah, abg dan adik2 yang rajin jaga dan masakkan utk mak. Dan yang paling penting, sanggup tahan karenah mak yang kadangkala mengamuk dan menjerit. Aku sedih kerana tak mampu utk berada di samping mak setiap masa kerana kekangan tugas di KL. Adik bongsuku sentiasa 'available' menjaga mak sehingga dia melanjutkan pelajaran di UTM, Johor. Dia yg dahulunya agak manja kini menjadi lebih kuat, Hikmah di sebalik kesusahan menjaga mak, semuanya adik beradaik kini mampu berdikari! Abah kini mampu memasak, membasuh dan mengambil tugas mak seorang diri, Ketika mak meracau waktu mlm, Abah juga yg tak tidur mlm jaga mak - Abah tolong mak solat dan suap mak makan - Abah sgt hebat. Terima kasih Abah!

21 Sept 2014- Mak keluar dari Hospital Taiping setelah 1minggu di wad. Aku pulang dengan bas dari KL. Aku hanya bersama mak 2 hari,  pada petang Sabtu sehingga petang Ahad. Waktu itu, mak makin sembuh dan boleh bercakap. Aku gembira dapat masak cucur sayur utk mak, tolak mak jalan2 dgn kerusi roda sehingga depan pintu rumah. Asalnya, mak nak keluar ambil angin tapi mak kata mata tak dapat buka mata dan tak larat nak keluar. Hari  terakhirku di rumah iaitu ahad, aku dan Abah mandikan mak. Mak menjerit2 sejuk walaupun sebelum itu air suam digunakan. Pada hari tersebut, mak tak larat bangun sebab tubuh mak makin lemah. Sebelum aku naik bas pada 5.30 petang, aku peluk dan cium mak. Aku tanya mak, "Mak sayang K,ngah tak?",  mak tidak mampu bercakap, mak hanya mengangguk-angguk. Mak sangat comel.

27 Sept 2014 - Aku berada di KL dan mengenangkan mak. Hajat untuk balik ke KK melawat mak apabila tibanya Raya Haji. Rupanya, mak terpaksa dikejarkan ke hospital semula kerana tidak bangun2 dari tidur.  Dalam solat, aku tak habis2 mendoakan kesihatan mak. Biarlah Allah sembuhkan mak dan panjangkan umur mak. Aku juga berdoa, sekiranya tiba masanya mak akan 'pergi' satu hari nanti, biarlah aku ada di samping mak dan biarlah aku menjadi orang terakhir menjaga mak.

4 Oktober 2014- Adik bongsuku yg menjaga mak di hospital, mengadu badannya gatal-gatal kerana alahan di asrama UTM. Jadi, aku akan mengambil alih tugasnya menjaga mak pada hari sebelum raya Haji. Mak masih meracau. Aku cuba bercakap dengannya,tapi aku tidak faham satu butir bicaranya. Aku menyuapnya bubur ayam tapi mak makan sgt sedikit. Aku juga memberi ubat utk buang air besar seperti yg diarahkan doktor. Hati terasa sedih. Kaki mak sudah bengkak. Tangan mak juga bengkak dan lebam2 merah. Setiap kali aku menyentuh mak, teringat2 perasaan ketika menyapunya krim Anugerah. Bila kusentuh kali ini, mak tidak bergerak2. Kakinya sudah kaku sejuk tidak seperti dulu. Aku mengalirkan air mata. Manakan tidak - Aku berada bersama mak tetapi mak tidak boleh bercakap langsung denganku. Rasa rindu sgt pada mak.

5 Oktober 2014- Pagi raya haji, aku di hospital. Abah telefon, memberitahuku dia akan ke hospital setelah selesai solat raya dan selesai upacara korban. Pada hari itu, mak nampak lain mcam. Adikku,H.O. di Taiping mengatakan mak sudah nampak tenat. Seterusnya, mak diberikan bantuan pernafasan. Kami memaklumkan hal ini kepada Abah, adik beradik dan sanak saudara... Abah tidak jadi ke upacara korban....semuanya hadir menziarahi mak dan mula membaca Surah Yassin. Pakcikku meminta kami adik beradik2 mengajar mak mengucap syahadah. Terasa sgt sayu pada ketika itu.

Allah memakbulkan doaku utk bersama mak buat kali terakhir. Ya Allah- betapa Kau Maha Mendengar!

Mak menghembuskan nafasnya yg terakhir pada waktu Asar. Terasa tidak percaya mak sudah tiada. Perasaanku bercampur baur. Sedih kerana mak pergi, tetapi lega kerana penderitaan mak kini berakhir. Aku hanya mampu memeluk Abah, adik2ku etc.

Tabahlah wahai hati.
Semuanya ketentuanNya.
Semua yg hidup itu akan mati. Itu janji Allah swt (Allah swt tidak akan memungkiri janji).
Setiap yg susah itu, akan disertai kemudahan.
Nikmat mana yg kamu ingin dustakan?

Al-fatihah Mak.
Ini giliran mak, giliran K.ngah dan yg lain pun akan menyusul kemudian.
K,ngah sayang mak. K.,ngah redha, Mak.
Insyallah syurga mak di sana.
Selagi hayat dikandung badan,selagi itulah K.ngah akan mendoakan kesejahteraan mak di sana.
Rindu pada mak lebih dari segala-galanya.
Hanya doa utk mak - tenanglah mak di sana.


Yang merinduimu,
K.ngah.







Monday, May 13, 2013

Tips Melancong ke Perth, Australia

Assalamualaikum,

Dah lama blog ni tak terusik... biasalah pasal bloggernye sgt bz..hehe. Alright, kali ni i nak update berkenaan trip ke Perth last month. Walaupun 5hari 4 malam (18-22 April 2013) and sgt kejap, tapi sempat juga la nak melayan jiwang msa berada di sana.

Why Perth??

First of all, let me get things straight. I mmg nak pergi Australia ni dah lama. al-maklumlah, aussie antara negara org putih yg agak dekat dgn malaysia selain new zealand. nak pulak, my younger sister baru2 ni enroll ke university di adelaide.. tapi yg tak bestnye, there is no air asia flight yg go direct to adelaide. so, atas nasihat parents yg marah i kacau my sister yg baru nak adapt dgn her first year study, i pun pilih la the western part of australia which is Perth. at least, belanjanya tidaklah semahal melbourne or sydney (ni sumber dari mulut orang la)..coz perth is more like country side..

Then, my collegue plak mmg baru balik dari sana and bgtau Perth antara tempat wajib utk visit if you plan to go to aussie. So, booking la flight ticket utk 3 orang, my dad, me and my sister (total around rm3.5k.... mmg tak dapat harga promotion coz kitorang book pun dah last min)



1st day (18 april)

So, first day ni i naik bus from ipoh to LCCT with my dad and sister yg tgh bercuti tunggu posting houseman. Bus gerak dalam 1pagi and kitorang sampai dalam 4pagi++. Sampai sana mmg breakfast mcm bersahur psl nak lapik perut dlm flight nnti. Our flight is at 8.50am.

Actually, masa perjalanan dari KL-Perth dalam 5jam. for ur info, waktu malaysia dgn perth sama. so, takda masalah nak tukar2 waktu jam kat tgn ni. cumanya, waktu tu tgh permulaan musim luruh (autumn)so..waktu siang agak singkat...and maghrib masuk agak awal.

Bila sampai sana, waktu dah pukul 2pm++. Then, kitorang decided naik Bus Shuttle a.k.a Perth Connect. http://www.perthairportconnect.com.au/  Ada kaunter bus di luar main entrance airport. Bus ni ala2 van... tapi luggage cabin mcm gerabak keretapi la lebih kurang. harga tiket ke bandar dlm 15aud/per person by shuttle.. if korang melancong sorang, sebenarnya mmg jimat if naik bus shuttle. pasal harga dia fix...berbanding taxi. Taxi kat sini ikut meter, lebeh kurang 40aud if nak ke bandar dari aiport.tapi depends kalau jam etc.tapi if ramai2..elok la naik taxi...psl harga akan jadi lebeh kurang aje.

Naik bus shuttle ni mmg bgi peluang kitorang meronda2 di sekeliling bandar coz dia akan hantar semua penumpang betul2 di depan hotel kita menginap. So, if korang betul2 nak jimat msa, elok la amik taxi. if u mmg nak budget and tak kisah ttg masa, u can actually take a public bus no.37. if tak silap, mat salleh yg bgtau i aritu..harga utk 1tiket dewasa tak sampai 10ringgit duit kita.tapi mmg mmg leceh psl kena naik bas shuttle dari international airport ke domestic airport pasal public bus tunggu di domestic airport.

And if you really wanna spend more than 1week kat sini, better sewa kereta terus, sangat berbaloi2... coz di perth, travelling to one place to another is very far. asalkan u tak pakai lesen terbang, u can just ask the infomartion counter at the airport for a rental car.

Selepas meronda2 dgn shuttle bus, kitorang sampai di Hotel Emperor's Crown agak lewat petang. Hotel ni terletak di Northbridge...near Art Museum.

Near Art Museum, Northbridge

So, agak jauh dari pusat bandar, tapi very peaceful place. Yg best hotel ni, it is just 5min-walk to Perth Railway Station. if nak jln ke pusat bandar pon... though it looks far, tapi jln kaki tak terasa sgt pun. We all sampai lewat di hotel pasal driver shuttle bus ni dok antaq orang yg dok betul2 tgh bandar. rasanya i dah kenal dah setiap nama street yg dia dah lalu. Masa tu my dad dah nampak penat dah..siannye. then, bila dah sampai tu, mmg semua terjelepok atas katil la.

Malam tu, my long-lost friend contact and invite kitorang mkn dinner kat rumah dia. Kwn i ni mmg dah 2tahun dok perth dgn husband n anak2. her husband kerja kat one of the banks in perth. Dapat la juga merasa nasi mlm tu..cumanya nasi tu nasi arab yg dibeli oleh husband nya di luar. pasal dia pun contact last minute, kitorang pun takda la plan nak minta dia bawakan jln2...coz it was school holiday and her family dah plan another family trip the next day to the other part of Australia.

Day 2

Mission hari ke-2 ialah nak melawat Caversham Wildlife Park di Whiteman's Park
http://www.whitemanpark.com.au/attractions/caversham-wildlife-park.aspx
The best spotting place for kangaroos...if korang betul2 nak tgk kangaroo yg meliar... this is the best place. coz tempat ni ala2 ladang penternakan (Farm) utk koala bears, kangaroos dan haiwan2 lain.  Cara nak pergi ialah naik train ke Bassedean, dan dari sana..ambik bus ke Ellen Brook (no.bus samada 36 atau 37...yg ni ada tertulis kat bus stop). If tak sure, sebelum naik..leh tanya driver bus.

Bus stop near Bassadean Railway Station:
Kawan baru dari UK


Bila dah sampai n turun dari bus n nampak pintu gerbang Whiteman Park, dont expect leh jln kaki.hehee.. coz, nak jalan masuk ke dalam sgt2 jauh. tempat dia pulak ala2 tanah tandus gitu.
The main gate 

So, sementara berehat jap...nasib baik ada 2org budak korea pun baru sampai and dia telefon driver van dari kaunter kat dalam Whiteman park utk ambilkan kitorang. No. telefon ada tertera kat tempat duduk tepi pintu gerbang tu. So, kitorang bersama students korea tu pon naik la van and berkenalan dgn bus driver yg agak kelakar dan loyar buruk named Mr David.

Sesi menunggu Mr David dgn kawan baru dari Korea



Caversham Wildlife Park (dalam Whiteman park)..Tiket utk dewasa ialah 24aud.

Kat sini yg bestnya dapat tgk binatang yg jarang ada di malaysia. Ada kangaroo, koala bear...and Ada juga binatang2 lain seperti kambing, ayam, Llama, arnab, lembu etc.. tapi yg best nye, kandang diorang sgt bersih and pekerja2 kat sini sgt friendly. Diorang akan sedaya upaya explain all the info we wanted to know.



Melepak jap di padang luas terbentang

Bermain2 dgn kangaroo terutamanya ALbino...
One of my students said, they go for white creatures! Haha.

Beramah mesra bersama keluarga yg hilang :p

Albino tetap menemaniku

The real Kangaroo's pocket..
mcm lubang jer. Anak kangaroo tgh sedap tidur
dalam kantung tu.. siap kaki pun terjulur keluar

Bersama kawan baru dari UK


Disebabkan terlampau seronok bermain dgn kangaroo... my sister and i terlepas the Farm Show and Molly show..haha. coz actually, during the show, we can actually feed the buffalo, Llamas etc..and ada juga sheep shearing.. haish, melepas tgk pekerja diorang cukur bulu kambing biri2... Diorang buat show ni 3 kali dalam satu hari...if dah lepas 10am show,,nak tunngu 1pm dan 3.30pm tu agak penat gak la...

So we decided to leave..

The next destination is Margaret Chocolate Factory. So, masa Mr David nak antar kitorang dgn van dia, i tanya dia samada kilang coklat tu dekat atau jauh. I cakap, i teringin nak pergi...and mcm ne caranya nak pergi, samada naik bus atau taxi...or boleh jln kaki. Dia beriya dok kata jauh and bagitau takda transport nak pi. So, i kata takpe la..mgkin dah takda rezki. Suddenly dia tanya i, "Does chocolate make you happy?"... i jwab la, "yes, very much. i love chocs".. then, dia xcakap apa2 n teruskan memandu. suddenly, i pelik dia suruh my dad yg dok sebelah dia fasten the seatbelt. then, dia dok menyembang tanya my dad pasal Tun Mahathir etc. He kept on driving and i dah rasa pelik... i ingat dia nak antar kitorang ke bus stop atau railway station terdekat..haha.. He was supposed to drop us kat pintu gerbang yg kitorang mula2 sampai, tapi lain plak jadinya. i pun tanya la kita ni nak ke mana. Dia gelak2 and suddenly dia belok and i ternampak sign board "Margaret Chocolate Factory".. Haha..bertuah punya mat salleh tua. dia hantar i ke kilang coklat rupanya. Dreams come true!!
Tak semua rupanya dapat peluang datang ke tempat ni except u drive sndiri dgn kereta sewa.

Mr David and Dad

Atas budi Mr David, akhirnya, tiba juga kitorang di Margaret River Chocolate Factory! Ni dia signboard diaa.... open 7days. 9am-5pm.

Margaret Chocolate Factory

Margaret chocolate factory ni terletak di Swan Valley.. http://www.chocolatefactory.com.au/
Kat sini juga terdapat ladang anggur, cherry dan sebgainya. Tapi since sekarang musim luruh, anggur semua belum berbuah lagi. Margaret river kat Swan valley ni mmg famous dgn pengeluaran wine. So, bila sampai di kilang coklat ni, kitorang pun hanya bergambar je la.. tak berani plak nak beli coklat kot2 dia letak wine/alkohol.

Ladang anggur kat belakang kilang coklat


Jom promote Coklat free!

Biskut2 coklat yg beraneka jenis


Sini mmg ada free choc tasting!! Sgt teruja tgk byk sgt coklat... tapi apakan daya, sabar je la. tak tau Halal atau tidak. So, i sempat duduk di cafe utk minum susu coklat yg mmg sgt sedap. Mula2 teragak2 juga nk beli..tapi bila tanya pekerja tu and dia bgtau tak ada animal base, i pon beli la 1liter and kitorang minum bertiga. that was actually our lunch..hehe :)

Susu coklat ni harga dalam 4dollar sebotol


Susu coklat di Margaret Chocolate Factory


Then, bila nak balik tu, siap mintak tlg pekerja kat situ tlg teponkan taxi..haha.
punye la baik pekerja dia.. layan kitorang dgn penuh hormat and tak lekang2 senyum.

kitorang mintak taxi hantar semula kitorang ke Bassadean railway station utk balik bandar. my dad tak abis2 kata kena balik hotel salin baju coz baju dia dah kena taik kangaroo...so, tak boleh nak solat.ehhehe...so, bila balik hotel, dah rasa sgt penat. selesai jamak zuhur asar, terus kitorang tertdo..bila bangun dah gelap and terus solat maghrib-isyak.

So, kitorang continue sleeping. Nampaknya hari ke-2 sempat pergi dua tempat aje.haha.



Day 3

Hari ni misi utk ke Fremantle. Hari ni juga mak kat malaysia call suruh antar barang2 my sister ke Adelaide. kitorang mmg dah bawa barang2 seperti sup bunjut, rempah kari n kurma etc. dari malaysia nak bagi pada my sister yg study adelaide tu. knonnya dia nak jmpa kitorang kat sini...tup2...tak jadi dtg psal tiket mahal. so, terpaksa la kitorang mencari pos office plak. So, coz taknak membazir masa utk trabel, kitorang plan post barang2 my sister ni after we come back from Fremantle.hehe.

Since destinasi nak ke Fremantle, for ur info...prgi ke Fremantle ni ada dua cara. Boleh naik train or taxi, atau naik river cruise/ferry kat Barrack Street. If naik tren, lagi cepat. Ambil masa dalam 20min n lebih murah. If nak berjiwang n berangan2..leh la naik river cruise/ferry yg harga dalam 20aud per person.

So, kitorang pergi dgn naik tren. sebelum tu dah bwa siap2 nasi putih yg dibeli kat restoran malaysia berdekatan. Bab2 mkn di perth ni, restoran halal agak senang nak cari, cuma agak boring psl bnyk makanan ala2 mediterannean mcm turki, lebanese etc. Masakan vietnam, cina, indonesia and malaysia ada juga... tapi harga gila2 mahal. Terkejut beruk i tgk harga kangkung belacan sepinggan lebeh kurang rm38. haha...

bila dah sampai Fremantle, tempat first yg dituju ialah E-Shed Market..tmpat2 souvenir. tempat ni dibuka hari jumaat-ahad sahaja..so, sapa yg teringin nak beli souvenir kat sini, dtg la weekend..hari2 lain ditutup.


Wishing tree at E-Shed Market, Fremantle


Di E-Shed Market, I beli barang2 kat satu tempat nama Aussin. Mmg agak murah berbanding tempat lain..ianya kepunyaan makcik Indonesia. Ada satu lagi tmpat yg nama dia Megabes tapi i tak jumpa tempat ni..yg ni singaporean chinese shop..dengarnya murah dan boleh tawar menawar.

Fremantle Post Office

Notre Dame University, Fremantle

Doing pHd here maybe??


Di Fremantle, tak lengkap if tak pergi merasa Fish n Chip yg famous. Ada dua tempat yg mmg sgt2 popular...iaitu Kaili's Fish n Chip dan juga Cicarello's. Pilih je mana u suka..tapi Kaili's ni ialah local favourite, yg cicarello's lebih kepada tourist fave. i try dua2...i pergi kaili dulu n makan situ..then singgah cicarello utk tapau seafood n chips.. kenyang sgt.


Kaili's Famous Fish N Chips

Menunggu Fish N Chips 

                                                                   Traditional Fish N Chips

                                                                          Cicarello's

Joe's Fish Shack


Then, bersiaar2 la dlm daerah Fremantle ni n bergambar. If nak bersantai, boleh ke Esplanade Park.. dari Cicarello's leh terus jln kaki. Kat sini kitorang solat di padang Esplanade. Sgt mendamaikan. If bersiar2 kat Fremantle ni, leh naik samada Blue CAT atau Red CAT.yg ni leh check kat bus stop, destinasi masa yg bas2 ni pergi. Kitorang sempat juga singgah di Fremantle market...kat sini ala2 Central Market kat KL...
Byk souvenir, pertunjukan silap mata dan nyanyian dari org2 tempatan. Agak enjoy la juga..


Bila dah agak ptg kitorang balik naik ferry.. mmg selesa and menikmati pemandagan dgn angin sepoi2 bahasa. Ferry ni agak mewah mcm cruise...so, harga dia pun agak mhl la..20aud..utk perjalanan yg singkat.haha. tapi nak merasa punya pasal.

Bila sampai bandar, nak cari post office pun satu hal.nasib baik masa lalu sebelah satu building mahkamah (Children's Court) kat Pier Street, sempat i tegur sorang lelaki bersut hitam persis peguam yg memegang mcm2 dokumen baru kuar dr pintu bangunan tu. Rupa2nya dia lawyer kat situ n mmg nak jln kaki ke post office. dia kata, "Why dont u follow me?" I pun apa lagi...ikut la dia sambil menyembang.My dad and sis pun ikut dari belakang. The lawyer then, dok puji kata i speak very excellent english.hahaa.. i told him i'm an English teacher, then..dia kata patut la... :p



Day 4

Our last day!! Hari ni nak check out... so, mmg kuar lambat sikit dlm 10am. we all tinggalkan luggage kat hotel.huhu... the next destination is King's Park,..antara tempat terindah di bandar Perth.


Nak pergi ke sini, boleh naik Blue CAT dari Barrack Street Jetty.. Tapi on the way ke situ, mcm biasa, we all akan jln depan Art Museum dulu..

Since it was sunday, mmg ramai la family datang bawa anak2 berjln2. What was really cool was... there was a Festival called O-Day Festival (10am-5pm), di Northbridge depan Art Museum tu. mcm2 stall dibuka...smpai nampak gerai murtabak malaysia.hehehe. sini lebih kepada festival utk kanak2... ada kuda ala2 sarkas, and mcm2 art and decoration kita leh take part.sesiapa yg visit most of the stalls and collect all the stamps, akan dapat reward samada magnet atau bag O-Day.

Street Snaps: one of the stall at O-Day Festival,
Northbridge

                                                           Northbridge O-Day Festival 2013

                                                                    The fun decoration

                                                       Baby boy at Northbridge O-Day

Since kitorang kena cepat sbb takut tak sempat ke King's Park, kitorang terpaksa tinggalkan O-Day festival and terus jln ke Barrack Street Jetty.

Sambil menunggu bas, bergambar sekejap di 
 Barrack Street Jetty

Dari Barrack Street Jetty, boleh naik Blue CAT and then turun di Mount Hospital. Tapi lepas tu kena jlan ke depan sikit..and belah kiri akan ada tangga yg ala2 Batu Cave.penat gak la naik... nk sampai king's park punya pasal. sini juga banyak org jogging turun naik tangga.haha.

Inilah tangga yg memenatkan tu. 
Dari atas nampak mcm Tembok Besar China.Haha.


King's Park is the best if nak picnic. Mmg cantik la pemandangan dia. Actually, ramai gila matsalleh yg berpicnic...and buat birthday party... coz kitorang pun dtg hari Ahad, so ramai yg memeriahkan aktiviti.


                                                 Berehat sekejap masa otw ke King's Park

                                                            Dad, my sister and I

                                                         Lambaian Lavender


Subhanallah, so beautiful!

                 
Dad performing solat at King's Park


Balik dari King's Park, kitorang pergi ke Harbour Town utk tgk2 barang kot ada yg berkenan. yg ni kena naik Blue CAT and Red CAT. if korang tak sure,leh tak tgk bus interchange yg ada kt bus stop.

Kat harbour town, barang2 ni byk made in China. takda apa yg best sgt. tutup pun dalam 5.30pm...kedai2 kat perth ni byk yg tutup awal. mlm dah takde apa sgt...so, kitorang mkn n minum di kedai kebab kat Harbour Town... nak kill the time.

Bila balik, sempat lagi singgah Murray Street souvenir shop, utk sambung beli souvenir kot2 ada berkenan. Sempat juga singgah Masjid di William Street utk solat. Kepada sesiapa yg berhajat nak pergi ke masjid ini, lamat masjid ni ialah: 427 Willian St. Perth WA 6000 Australia. +61 8 9328 8535.


Outside: Perth Mosque
Inside: Perth Mosque

Then, kitorang sampai semula di hotel dalam pukul 8pm..so, sempat la guna wifi berbyar kat hotel tu. ..coz 9pm bus shuttle akan ambil and hantar kitorang ke international aiport.

Shuttle bus to International Airport

Sampai airport dalam pukul 10lebeh..apal lagi, cari port yg sesuai utk tdo...zzzzzz...so, kitorang ambil satu row kerusi utk berbaring. risau gak if guide marah, tapi guide yg lalu-lalang kat situ buat tak tau je.haha.. so, kami meneruskan misi berbaring tdo di kerusi.. lagipun, org kat airport tak ramai..so, takda rasa guilty sgt.

First time dapat tidur di airport sebegini rupa. 
Takda sapa nak marah. The bed is mine! haha.


Yg terkezut..bila i bangun, tgk2 setiap row kerusi area tu penuh dgn matsalleh2 yg join kitorang tdo. Semua tdo sebelah menyebelah..and semua pakat amik 1 row, 1orang utk tdo.LOL.

How beautiful.

Day 5

Flight at 6.50am...lepas solat subuh 5am, terus masuk gate menunggu., tak sabar nak balik malaysia psal dah lapo nasi! haha..asyik makan kebab je mmg tak best.

Then, sampai KL dalam 12tgh hari...naik bas Starmart ke Ipoh kul 2pm....n tiba lebeh kurang 6pm pasal driver dia bawa slow giler.


Kesimpulan: Melancong di Perth mmg best....tapi amaran--> kita byk habis masa perjalanan coz dari satu tempat ke tempat lain agak berjauhan. so, sebelum anda pilih transport and hotel mana nak tinggal, better rancang perjalanan tu dulu ok. Selamat melancong!! :)

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Vietnam - an unforgettable trip

Dear readers (if there's any left),

Okay, today i would like to share with you my trip to Vietnam last week. As i have mentioned before, my Vietnamese friend from UIA promised me a tour and a sleepover at her house. Here are a few important things that happened last week:

2nd May (Wed)
My flight to KL from Bayan Lepas airport was scheduled at 11.05pm. So, my friend Nora drove me there. Instead of going together with my Sis Ika.. we planned to meet at LCCT separately since she attended an interview at USM at Kubang kerian, kelantan. Her interview went well (according to her) and at LCCT, we stayed at the food court and slept at the cafe (with sitting position). Damn, my neck kinda hurt but our flight to ho chi minh is at 9.15am in the next morning, so we had no choice to just lepak there.

3rd May (Thursday)

Arrived at Ho Chi Minh, airport. Marim  was waiting for us eagerly (Thanks, buddy!). We made sure to take the Ho chi minh map at the information counter to make our travelling easier. I remembre ppl informed me that going to the city by taxi takes about USD10 or more or less RM30. We made a better choice - taking a bus which only costs RM1! haha. The bus is just like our public bus in Malaysia with convenient seating. Funny that we hav to pay tambang for luggage as well (around RM1) but well.. it is quite saving!

We arrived at the bus station near the Bent Than Market. Bent Than Market is very popular with tourists who'd like to buy all kinds of fabrics, women accessories, pearls, bags, prayer gown etc. Our first plan is to visit the market but we were greeted by a Muslim old man who offered to walk us to the mosque nearby. Crossing the roads at the city is quite challenging - you will never succeed if you wait till there is no cars/motors behind you coz they will never stop running on the road! LOL. Motorbikes are very popular in Vietnam since petrol according to Marim is v-expsnvie and only those who are rich can afford cars.

At the mosque, we met some Malaysian and Indonesian groups. They recommended us some places to go shopping. After performing prayer, a woman whose house nearby offered us some rice since we faced some difficulties to buy white rice for lunch. Though we met some who sell nasi berlauk  by the road, they won't sell rice to us if we dont buy their dishes (which probably the Halal status  is unknown). Actually, i brought along ikan bilis goreng with nuts from Malaysia for our temporary food supply, and also two pieces of Mary Brown chicken from LCCT and they were still in gud condition.So, we ate them with the rice at the small hut behind the mosque. Frankly speaking, i didnt really hav the appetite to eat since there's a smell of cats' shit and dirty plates penetrated my breath. But i tried my best to finish the rice.


Next, we took a taxi to Saigon Backpackers Hotel. It was a nice budget hotel with the twin-sharing RM121 for two nights. We invited Marim to stay together in one room, so we were charged for USD5 per night. I think it is quite cheap... and the receiptionist named Tien is kinda cute ;p

THen, we went to Bent Than Market to start our shopping mission. We bought fabrics for the family with reasonables price including jubah, Vietnamese traditional cloth, T-shirts, souvenirs etc. We sent two cloths to the tailor and they promised to finish sewing them for Mommy in 1day. I gave them my hotel address and the dress will be sent to the hotel by them.


                                                           English cotton: only rm30

Golden fabric for myself

                                                                        For Marym




4th May (Friday)


3rd day in Ho chi minh and i just realized i was broke! I spent around rm500-700 shopping at Bent Than when i myself brought only around RM1k- 1.2k. In the morning, Tien informed us that there will be a tourist guide coming to pick those who had given names for a half-day trip to Chu Chi Tunnel. Since the fee is just around 200,000 VND (around RM30 per person including ticket fee), we volunteered our names. We brought two egg sandwiches made by the Hotel maid since we didnt really have the time for breakfast.




The sandwich bread is similar to the French loaf but in a smaller size - I havnt even seen any bread loaf like Gardenia or Hi-Five in Vietnam. It was the time when i started blaming my sister for being forgetful to bring one from Malaysia.The journey to the place took about 2hour (around 60km from ho chi minh city). We also visited Handycraft shop and spoke to the handicapped people.


Chu Chi Tunnel is a very interesting place to be visited. This is a highly recommeded place for those who love history and those who intended to understand the Vietnam War. I never knew that the nationalism one could have would unite more than 6,000 ppl and soldiers to plan strategies to attack the US army and to build a hidden home. Experiencing to go along the tunnel scares me a little since i found it difficult to breath. So, we went through for only 10 metre and went out for the exit entry, gasping for air. We were also given the opportunity to try the M16 (which i didnt) and tried some free steamed tapioca a.k.a war food.

After visiting Chu Chi Tunnel, the bus dropped us by the War Remnant Museum, where we could read and understand about the Vietnam War. The fee is only RM3 per person. We took pictures at the museum (i wonder why here, they never prohibited camera) and visited the place where victims of the war waiting for death punishment. Skeletons were placed in certain parts to enhance the grotesque mode.

After War Museum, we took a taxi to a mosque nearby. After jamak our zuhur-asar prayer, we went looking for Halal food. Most halal food in vietnam is quite expensive since only exclusive and elite restaurants offer Muslim food. Marim informed us there is a noodle stall behind the mosque which sells halal noodle with gud and reasonable price. The noodle is called Pho - it is like  a laksa or sometimes kuewtiaw with chicken soup. It is around rm.4.50 per bowl +  a glass of jasmine tea. After eating, we took a bus to the bus station and later, walked to our hotel.




At night, we started feeling hungry again. OHh...we were craving for rice! Luckily, we talked to Tien's friend (also a receptionist) and he gave us two bowls of rice for free from the rice cooker at the hotel kitchen. We were so thankful! Ika and i then ate at our hotel room with kicap cap kipas udang we put in a plastic from Malaysia and the ikan bilis as well. If feels like heaven before we packed our things for another adventure to Phang Rang the next morning!

5th May (Saturday)
We checkout from our hotel and took pictures with Tien and others. Tien walked us to the bus stop and the journey to Phang Rang , Marim's hometown took about 6hours from Ho chi minh city. It is not so much about the distance, but they are allowed to speed for about 60km/per hour only due to the incovenience road etc. It was cool to travel by an aircond bus with bed- - which costs only RM30 per person! ;)

Arriving Marim's place at late evening. We were given special tour by motorbikes by her cousins. Hehe. We visited her aunty houses and most of them gave us a very warm welcome. Marim's mom cooked some dinner for us- Thank god i fould rice again!

I slept peacefully, called our parents to tell how lovely Marim's family is.

6th May (Sunday)
We wanted to visit the beach but it was raining. Marim and others only own motorbikes and we have to bear to the limitation of visits we could make when the weather is not wonderful. Marim's mom cooked us lovely breakfast.


I told marim that i'd like to make Malaysian food for her and family - Laksa and Ayam goreng ala KFC. Marim promised me to bring us to the morning market the next day to buy the ingredients. Due to our request, her mom slaughtered the chicken at the farm and kept half of it for us to prepare the cooking.

In the evening, the rain stopped. We visited the Champa Temple/Tower.





Marim's husband, Hasief asked us to visit his sister. Before that, we dropped by a supermarket to buy wheat flour but we couldnt find one. How sad. Later after magrib, we went to a SEAFOOD restaurant near the beach and ate grilled ketam and kupang. Hasief also ordered seafood porridge and we were really fulled that night.


Hasief also suggested us to visit a coffee shop nearby. We drank yoghurt and ika ordered coffee. It was really fun! We talked all night a long - just like we did in UIA! :)

We came back with a happy heart. We slept soundly.. * though i knew Ika wacthed Running Man on my laptop dat night.

7th May (Monday)

We ate nasi goreng cooked by Marim. Going to the market with Marim but we were not able to find fresh sardine for making Laksa. Too bad coz the sardine available is only the ones in the cans. The salads all the vegetables we bought meant for Laksa eventually kept in the refrigerator for other menus.


We then went for Saloon and facial near Marim's village. Washing hair and facial costs only RM2!!! :) We really had fun. Everyone was looking at me and asked where i'm from. Guess i look like an alien to the vietnamese :p

The tailor here only makes baju kurung around RM16 but i told marim it's better for me to do it at Malaysia since only one day left for me to settle things at vietnam. Then, in the afternoon we fried the chicken. We brought it for a picnic at the beach in the evening with Marim's cousins. They love our Malaysian fried chicken.

Later at night, Marim, Hasief and the cousins brought us to try noodle. I kinda not like it very much but it was okay. It is like our Laksa being eaten with budu! WEird, but the family loves it very much. We also went to the same coffee shop and ate coconut ice cream.

It tastes like heaven! it is the best moment ever!

8th May (Tuesday)
It is our last day in Marim's village. We visited her uncles and aunties again. We mostly stayed at home and did our packing to take a bus to Ho CHi Minh again. We took pictures with the whole family before going off to the town.

Hasief and Marim's cousins took us to a beautiful restaurant and we drank yogurt again. That was the best yogurt drink i ever had!

Our bus departs at 9pm. We took the one with bed again. We  said our last goodbyes to Hasief and others. Marim going with us to send us back to the airport.

9th May (Wednesday)
Arriving Ho Chi Minh in the morning and went to the mosque for Subuh prayer. We ate noodle at the same stall again. Then, we went to Ben Than Market to buy Along's T-shirt. Around 7.30am, we took a bus to the airport. Again....spending about RM1 for each of us and also for the luggage.  Before flying off at 10.40am, we ate rice and lauk Marim brought and said our last goodbye to her.

We arrived LCCT at 1.30pm and Penang at 5.45pm.


What a lovely and unforgettable trip!
I owe Marim and her family my hugs and love!