Penang Ahoy!

Idlan getting settled inEverytime I was invited to Penang for a talk, either as a speaker or just sitting in to listen, it was an opportunity to balik kampung - return home. Such opportunity came last weekend. One of the pharmaceutical company invited me to Penang, and I decided to drive the troupe along.

Morning sunrise from our roomThe main bathroom complete with jacuzzi, attached to the master bedroomI left work right after clinic last Friday, leaving KL just after 3.30 pm. Everybody was already full, so we drove on none-stop. We reached Prai at about 6.45 , crossed the Penang Bridge but only arrived at the hotel to check in just after 8, such was the traffic in Penang. It seemed that everybody was rushing around, either for food, or to reach home as on the night, Brazil were playing the Dutch - Dutch won despite Brazil dominating the first half.

The main living and dining area - I was about to unpack the WiiThe room we checked in was a two-bedroom suite, and the boys were really excited. The attached bathroom had a jacuzzi and a separate shower, hence the first order of business was a quick dip in the tub, while Puan Anita putting the room service order in. The boys were still running around until the end of the football match - which was around midnight. They were full of beans. It was not helped by the fact that the boys were asleep in the car on the drive up.

The suite we stayed in. Up on the 29th floor!We stayed at Gurney Hotel. The room was spacious. It has a main bedroom, with the jacuzzi. The other room was for the maid. She has another bathroom to use. There was a combined dining and living area, plus a small kitchenette. This was the second time we stayed here, the first being a couple of years ago. We specifically asked for this room even though the talk was actually held at the much newer and chic G Hotel, 15 minutes walk away. The round-the-clock room service was good. The best thing was the in-room breakfast. The boys just woke up, ran around and was ready for breakfast. No need to head for shower first. The added bonus was, football was shown live in the rooms.

I will talk about the hotel, and its services and swimming pool on a later entry. The slideshow of the photos taken during the trip can be seen here.

The Journey to Sungai Petani - Cuti Raya Day 6

On the way to Sg Petani 1, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

Woke up early this morning to get everything set up for the trip. Got the car ready, got everything hauled in, but only one thing missing. Well two actually - Idlan and Irfan! They are still asleep!

Wake up!All packed up!We had a tough time getting them ready and all set to go. They went to sleep just before midnight last night as they were so excited. We finally managed to set off at 9.30. We went over to pick up Dadi (my Mum). She was coming along with us, with Julia, my sister bringing my Dad the next day.

The traffic was light and we were all but cruising. We did not actually stop as all the R&R are full. We reached our destination at 2pm and was already in our room by 2.30. Time for lunch then.

View along the wayI hate to go all environmental on everyone but when I was young, the hill was whole. Unfortunately the money men have other ideas.We went over to my Auntie - Teh's house for lunch. All was done by 4 when we managed even to do some shopping at Tesco. Then we realised that Irfan had a temperature. We stayed in an rest in the evening.

I managed to explore the resort during my late afternoon walk. The resort has been on the map for almost 20 years. I remember staying here once back in 99, but not much else. The resort is actually pretty basic although it claimed to be much grander. There are a few cafes a full-sized 18-hole golf course complete with an academy and driving range. On the website, they advertised 'chip-and-putt'. This has however been turned into a member only practice area. Idlan was disappointed.

Finally arrived at the destinationThere are of course facilities for weddings and conferences, gym, swimming pool and squash courts. All available for us as guests. The pool was particularly nice, with separate areas for children and changing facilities. As Irfan is having a temperature, we decided to give this a miss for the day.

We checked in, then Idlan and Irfan checked out the roomI went to one of the local Mamak restaurant with my mum to get some take-out later that night while the boys stayed in. To our surprised, all the cooks were Indonesian. I had my Mee Mamak prepared by one, and I wonder if it was any less authentic?

Time to Head Home

Well things definitely was not going to plan yesterday. During breakfast, they ran out of food and we had to wait long for our order. Then during lunch, the usual place where we had lunch don't serve buffet anymore. My poor Mum had to endure all that plus the screaming kids.

That did not stop the shopping spirit though. We shopped in the afternoon, then we hit the pasar malam in the late after noon. Since the boys went to sleep I went to the beach alone, then back for some more shopping at night. This time at a night market. The good news is good old ManYoo won at a canter at Middlesborough. We are all set to win the league now!

I went out early this morning to buy some breakfast. It was raining most of the night, but it is bright sunshine this morning. I finished sorting out the pics but due to bandwidth issue, I'll post it later when I reach KL.

Cuti-Cuti Malaysia

Irfan running around in front of the chalet at Bukit Merah ResortIt was another breeze driving into UMMC this morning despite the downpour. I wished that the school holiday is every week at this rate. Cut down my driving time from close to an hour to half of that, despite leaving home later. I'm certainly not complaining. This story about holidays brought back memories about my own previous breaks, not the freebies the pharmaceutical companies give for 'meetings', but the one I fork out money for with the family on tow.

There is a trend forming. I used to hate going for holidays in Malaysia as a Malay. The experiences certainly has not been kind. June 2006, during a quick break to Port Dickson, we stopped over for lunch at one of the five-star hotels. Drove the car into the driveway at the main entrance, stopped over to drop my two boys, my wife Anita and my mother-in-law. The two doormen just stood there while my mother-in-law clamber off, and my wife dragging down my boys. They did not even bat an eyelid. Another car pulled over behind us with a Mat Salleh couple in slippers. Usian Bolt would have cringed at the speed the two stooges raced to open their door. To add insult to injury, they even picked up the luggage and opened the door for them. My mother-in-law being a Mak Datin did not take it lightly. She was livid. We didn't bother staying, we promptly left for another joint.

There was another incident in a hotel in Penang, sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. I went to check in with the rest of the party, mainly Chinese doctors (my family was not with me). I noticed that they were eager to serve me first but probably changed their mind when I opened my mouth. They must have thought that I was a Middle Eastern type, until I started speaking in proper Penang accent!

By last year, it has gone a lot better. Maybe because the flock of foreigners with cash were thinning out. I have to mention two places that looked after us very well despite being Malaysians. I actually wrote on Kementerian website to give kudos to the two venues. They were Bukit Merah Resort and Eastern Pavillion in Cherating. The Gurney in Penang was also excellent. We were not asking for much, just to be treated fairly. Try this. Stand in front of the counter in a hotel lobby, next to a Mat Salleh. Who will person behind the counter serve first? I can bet RM50 that it's not going to be you, unless you happen to be a Leng Chai or something! If the Ministry want to make the Cuti-cuti Malaysia a success, they have to address these issues. It may appear small, but these are the things that can spoil a good holiday!

For those going cuti-cuti Malaysia, props to all of you. I might be heading to Putrajaya one of these weekends. The Pullman Hotel certainly look nice on the website.

Cherating