The continuation of raya stories (with some photos this time)

Salam,

I know, I know......why do I have to write one more entry about raya. It might make other people feel bored reading it. Well, like the others, each raya is different so I just want to record my experience for Aidil Fitri 2011 here.

Wednesday 31st August

We plan just to visit few houses since we would like to receive some guests at home too. We only visited some relatives that live nearby in the morning. Then, after Dzuhur prayer, my siblings and I went to my uncle's house (Ayoh Mi) in Kg. Kota, KB. His wife (Cik Lah) prepared some delicious dishes like Roti Jala, Kuzi Ayam, Bihun Sup and the usual Nasi Impit and Kuah Kacang. Most of us chose Bihun Sup as we were already bored with any dishes made with coconut milk. In the afternoon, we received some guests at home and fortunately we still have some food that we could serve to them. At night, my aunt (Mok Ngoh) whose house is just across the street, organized "sembahyang hajat" for her daughter who is going to continue her study in UTEM. So, all of us were there to help her and also enjoyed her Nasi Beriani. The event after the feast was interesting especially for my daughters since my uncle (Pokcik Mahiri) organized the fire crackers and firework session. The noise was quite loud and all the kids and also adults, enjoyed watching the firework.

Thursday 1st September

We woke up very early since we had to catch the earliest flight from KB to Subang Airport. Our flight was at 8.45 a.m.  It was delayed for 15 minutes. So, we used that time to have a drink at thee cafe while waiting for the flight. By 10 a.m. we managed to arrive in KJ. My parents-in-law and my SIL were getting ready to set off the journey to the north when we arrived home. Since we were also joining them, we had to quickly get ready as well. By 11, we left the house to set off to Ipoh, Perak, Lunas, Kedah and Balik Pulau, Penang. It was a convoy of 2 cars. My in-laws in one car and our family with my SIL on another car. Our first destination was my MIL's sister's house (my hubby's Mak Ngah). She organized an "open house" on the third day of raya. She had been expecting us in the afternoon. However, only by 3 o'clock we arrived at her house. We stayed there for 3 hours before we continued our journey to Kulim, Kedah. My FIL booked 3 rooms at Seri Malaysia Hotel in Kulim because we didn't want to stay in his sister's house and impose some hassles on her  family. We went to her house (my hubby's Mak Andak) after dinner and chatted with her family members until midnight before we called it a day.

Friday 2nd September

Early in the morning, we had breakfast in Seri Malaysia Hotel first. The selection of food for breakfast was quite good because we could choose Nasi Lemak, Nasi Goreng, Kuew Teow Sup, Bubur Nasi, Toast and some fruits. We tried a little bit of each dish before we checked off. The destination for that day were Sg Rusa, Balik Pulau in Penang, Georgetown and maybe Ipoh again. The journey to Sg Rusa, Balik Pulau was an interesting one since I had never been there even though we've been married for almost 8 years! It was my FIL's hometown. He used to stay there when he was growing up. Since he had lost both his parents when he was young, he only had his late elder brother who still lived there. Our plan was to visit his elder brother's wife and children at their original village house. I loved to see the original houses there and the ambiance. It was so quiet and peaceful. My daughters had the chance to meet and play with their second cousins. My FIL decided to stay until Friday prayer because he would like to go to the mosque nearby. He seemed happy to be able to meet some people who could still remember him. By 3.30 p.m. we left that place to go to other destinations. However, after few turns around Penang island, my hubby decided that we had to go back to KJ. So, my in-laws continued their journey and we headed back to the south. The journey back that usually takes about 6 hours became 8 hours due to the heavy traffic that night. We arrived safely home by 11.30 p.m.