At 6.05am , 25th April, 2022, the biological clock alarm in my head sounded triggering my eyes to be opened wide with my brain knocking senses to the rest of the veins and muscle lines to twitch and ensured that I am awake. Not surprising, my buddy, Santokh was awake too that morning. To him, it was about the right time to wake up each morning. I applaud him for being steadfastly consistent on that. For me, sometimes, my brain cables could have been a tangled mess which would short-circuit from time to time causing spasms and pulling of the blanket over the head to continue sleeping for longer hours. Other than that, I believe that my Hainanese heritage plays a big part for me to wake up early or get short circuit in the brains from time to time! Whichever it is , I am just being blessed to be alive and kicking hard!
After cleaning up and ensuring that everything was in order, Santokh and I proceeded to Ragu’s house for breakfast. We were told to be there at 8.00am sharp or we would lose of breakfast privilege for the day. The privilege was sweet apom cooked by Mdm Villasini! Wow! That’s awfully hard to me and so, we ensured that we were on time for breakfast ,man! I must admit in all honesty that it was such a privilege to get such a wonderful breakfast from Mdm. Villasini, Ragu’s wife. As usual, the King of House was still in preparation in his own throne in the house and we waited anxiously for him to be coronated in his own splendors. He didn’t disappoint us either as he asked his royal subject , us , Santokh and myself to join him at the breakfast table. The sweet apom accompanied by the sweet coconut sauce were a royal joy. I am not kidding you at all when I say that this was the best apom I’ve ever tasted. This was home made and specially prepared by Mdm.Villasini. I am not trying to be funny or do a jack-up of compliments but I truly say that this is good sweet apom indeed.
To confirm this, I had 3 pieces of the sweet apom that morning. I stopped because the diabetic indication needle would hit roof high if I were to continue eating. Look, what is sweet apom without it being sweet, right? BTW, the texture around the rind was crispy while the center mount was soft and lovely. That’s a damn good sweet apom,man! The accompanying sauce of diluted coconut santan, spices and sugar make this one sweet goodness for champion’s breakfast. Thank you, Mdm Villasini for the excellent breakfast. Oh! I forgot to mention that she served us lovely Masala tea again that morning and I would die satisfied with the combo of sweet apom and the Masala tea, man! I guess, I am one super lucky, honored and super satisfied bloke who had tasted the best Masala tea and tea concoction made by Jane ( Santokh’s wife ), Indra Ramesh, Jini and Mdm.Villasini. Those are the best tea servings I’ve ever had in my life! Thank you , Jane, Indra, Jini and Mdm Villasini!
Stomach filled to the brim together with nice cuppers of Masala tea, we were off to Kuala Kedah to catch the ferry to Langkawi. As usual, Ragu bid his wife farewell and hugged her. That was an awesome sight. I felt a little squirmish ( I don’t know why but I am an idiot coz I did the same as I hugged SLing when I left the house about 5 days ago! ) when I saw Santokh hugging his wife, Jane that morning when he bade farewell to her. Now, Ragu was doing the same. Yeah, we , Asian, had been said to have shown less affection towards our loved ones but by the look of things, this show of affection is still pretty much alive and spontaneous. To be honest, I love that scene and I believe that we should do that more often. It is very good for our relationship with our loved ones and a show of affection doesn’t cost a dime but builds the relationship. Agree? This passionate showing of love to our loved ones ought to be encouraged and supported. I , for one does the same to Soon Ling and our children whenever I could or when I am going for a trip or when they are going out for something. It is not just an outwardly expression but an inner expression of love too. Try it . You may have surprising result and effects – You may get a stare or quizzed faces at times ; but good positives reactions, I promise you!
Waking up from the sentimental occasion, we hopped onto my trusty lorry and headed straight to Kuala Kedah. Along the way, we talked and laughed over a lot of matters. Truly, it was like three Bujang Lapok doing their travel on four wheels! What a time we had - laughing, serious moments and even crazy idiotic moments! Soon, as we inched our way to Kuala Kedah, I could see that the landscape of our surrounding changed from small towns to kampong settings to further development. Though we cannot stop development and modernization, kampong settings and simple lifestyle always tugs my heart strings. Maybe, just maybe, I am still a simple kampong boy and a simpleton in heart, mind and soul. I guess, I could associate with some of the things I saw like fruited coconut trees, lush green paddy fields ( planting & sprouting season ), kids in ragged clothes running in the red earth paths, paddy bunds and waterways and older folks chewing on tobacco. What a sight indeed! I slowly relapsed into the comatose state of the earlier says in life with the kampong folks. What beautiful days they were, right?
We finally arrived at Kuala Kedah at about 10.00am that morning. After some calls by Ragu, we met up with Faiz and parked my trusty old birdie at a nearby shack for overnight parking while we are enjoying ourselves in Langkawi. Faiz and one nice looking chick sent the three of us – laterally challenged nice looking dudes to the jetty. After unstuffing our stuff, we put out the baptism fire of water at the bathroom of the jetty as we have had some really nice tea earlier. At first, the waiting area at the Kuala Kedah jetty seemed rather empty and slow which seemed good to us. However, by the time the clock struck 11.00am, there was a sea of people trying to jostled their way into the ferry to Langkawi. I must say, Santokh was truly the coolest Punjabi dude when he asked both Ragu and I to sit down and just take it easy and let these fellas rush in. He informed us that the seats for our travel had been allocated and there was no point in joining the mad rush to get into the ferry which was simple and logical indeed. So, we watched with much amusement as some “kiasi, kiasu and kiabor” fellas and ladies too rushed their way to the ferry. We walked slowly but steadily as we inched our way into the ferry and enjoyed a good nap as the ferry sailed towards Langkawi.
We decided to get our stuff of light food and drinks to sustain our stay for the next 3 days. We even made our trip to get our potent stuff…..no lar…….not ubat kuat spring la……We are definitely not that kind of fellas. We got ourself a bottle of Jameson and some Budweiser for our “ thinking and reflection” or rather the “brainstorming” session la. Again, I took up the role of driver for our Budak Kahwin Terlajak group. I guess, these guys trusted me with their lives and so, I am going to do my best to ensure that we get out of the island unscathed, alive and even more handsome with our tan and personalities! Off we go to our accommodation for the day, Labu Labi Resort. I must say that I love our accommodation a lot. Clean, nice and simple. Once you stepped out of the door of your room, the beach beckons you to caress its lush fine sand, twirl with its invigorating breeze and fall in love with its evening sunset. Yeah, man….it was that good though the sun can be a bitch at times for over playing its rays. Other than that, it is a damn fine beachfront resort and with Scarborough Café beside you can be sure of a good view! I mean, good food, good café, nostalgic feel and colorful personalities. We quickly settle down in our rooms, picked our beds and got ready to take a walk along the beach. It was a good walk and soon, we were getting ready for dinner. After washing up, we headed to the resort café and ate our dinner that night. The three of us shared our dinner of nasi goreng kampong, keuh teow and mee goreng and eggs omelet. Naga, Subra and Ramesh joined us for dinner and nightcap with us as we talked on all range of matter ranging from education, politics, economy and the ailing state of our country. We had our share of laughter and pain but it was all done in good spirit and with spirited spirits ( a good bottle of Jameson doesn’t hurt anybody though! ) too if you get what I mean.
We ended the night in a good note and the sporadic pelting rain helped hastened our journey to sleep wonderland. The cool air conditioning and the pelting sounds of rain helped buoyed and cradled us to our much needed sleep. However, somehow, some Budweiser managed to get into our blood streams and vessels before we could switch off the lights. I wouldn’t know nor care less becoz I was on the trip to the Great Wall of China when my head hits the pillow. It was early lights out for me. I do look forward for another great day ahead as we explore Langkawi the next day. What a day we have had- staring on the high with a great breakfast and ending in a cozy sleep amidst the sounds of pelting rain and real nice coldness of the room. This is the fun and joy that I’ve hope. Seeing the two fellas on my left and right side of the bed, I must say……….. it is a damn good day indeed! Orchestra of snores starts……
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