The Ferry Home

There were plenty to reflect. And one of them was how fast my children has grown. They are their own men now. And I must make it a point to spend some time on holidays twice a year.

I had a good time with them although they had their diva moments of course. Just the four of us out in the sea was great fun.

The front compartment was quite fullBest not to leave the camera bag unattended!It was tiring though especially when I was still carrying my rhomboid spasm. The ultrasound session at the physio certainly had helped tremendously but it was something I could do without. I had to take the Arcoxia this morning to make sure that I can drive later.

They would be back to school tomorrow while I had to do my taxes for last year's submission. It would be a long night... But it was worth it!

Kuala Kedah Jetty

We could only manage the noon ferry, and compounded by this being a Saturday, it seemed to be the most popular trip. The next one after would be at 1.30, and that may be too late for us if we want to enjoy today at Langkawi.

We set off from the hotel at around 10, after everybody had a hefty breakfast. It was only a 15 minutes drive to the jetty but getting the MOV parked - there were no formal roofed parking space here - was tricky. Finally, we saw somebody waving at the side of the road with a sign saying “Parking Berbumbung”. We literally parked next to his house. And yes, it was covered and it was right opposite the road from the ferry terminal.

Problem solved. But we missed the 10.45 ferry. Initially we thought that the ferry will depart every hour at the half hour. Apparently it had been changed - and of course with no prior details. So, for the past hour, we have been enjoying our ice creams in the terminal, the crowd was building up and the ferry had just moored.

We should be off in the next 20 minutes. Time to drag the bags! Langkawi, here we come!

The Ferry Ride

Back when I was a young boy, a trip to Penang from Kepala Batas would mean a trip on the ferry. The First Penang Bridge was only opened in 1985, and since then the ferry was reserved for those who prefer to take a motorcycle or cross by foot. But a tragedy in 1989 when a section of the old Butterworth Jetty fell down due to overcrowding made the ferry ride less popular.

Nowadays, almost everyone - unless you're making the journey on foot - would be using the bridge. We now have two bridges, but traffic was still a problem especially getting on and off the bridge.

When I was in primary school, my parents tended to take us across to Penang on foot as he was not keen to find parking spot and wading through the heavy traffic. We would take either the bus or a taxi from Kepala Batas - still a tiny town then - to Butterworth Jetty. Walk across into the ferry, enjoy the 20 minutes ride before alighting in Georgetown and took another bus to the shopping malls.

On our last trip to Penang, I took my boys on the ferry again. I suspect that there was only a small number of ferry still in service at the wait at the jetty was quite long. The ride took about 15 minutes, and all of us actually got out from our van to enjoy the crossing. It was nice to feel the wind brushing our space, and not to mention the smell of diesel ..... memories ....

Definitely worth a ride if you were not on a rush. Since we took the trip from Georgetown to Butterworth, I was not sure how much the cost of the crossing. You'd have to pay for a single way from the mainland. Not sure how patient I would be if I was short for time.