Sibu-Kuching Car Trip

Went to Kuching last Wednesday. Want to renew my grandama's maid's passport. So have to go during workdays. Wednesday was the 3rd day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri but the consulate was still on holiday. So we, my parents, maid and me went there on Wednesday.
At first mom wants to take the bus, but I wanted to drive. So we finally used the car.
We started of at around 9.30 am. Stopped at Debak(6 km from main road) for lunch. Then continued to Betong using the Layar/Bebangai shortcut (8 km from main road). Visited Azizah then persuaded to go to Rashidah and finally to Johan's house for raya. Then visited my former teacher, now a Pemancha.

Finally we left Betong at 4 pm. Before that have a look around town. Then went back to my old school. Everything changed. There are no more ponds in my old school. What a pity. Some of my best memories are from there.

Stopped at Lachau for a break. Then continue our way to Kuching. Reach my aunts house around 8 and have dinner there.

Mukah to Sibu

Reach home around 9pm yesterday. Started our journey at 5pm from Mukah. We hope to go over the treacherous road before dark. But we did not make it. It was raining and the road became more difficult to drive. Saw a snake. The Ibans called it Ripong. Its looks like a python, but it is much much shorter and fatter. The snake should be larger than my thigh but about 1 meters long. They said that the snake is delicious.
Plan to stop and take the snake but our car was full.

Then there was something got stuck on the wiper. At first I thought it was a leaf. but it was moving so I thought it was a moth. When the wiper stops moving, only then I saw that it was a bat. Luckily the bat was not dead and it flew away when the wiper was stopped.

Anyway I bought some umai back home to Sibu. RM 10 per container. Then plus another RM 3 for the sambal. Also bought some keropok and tabaloi.

After taking my bath and dinner, I went back to sleep. Slept for 12 hours straight.
Never felt so tired in my life. Today also a bit tired. Luckily felt a bit better after my badminton game.

Mukah Workshop trip

Went to Mukah today with a friend. The trip took almost 4 hours. The road to Selangau is ok. Just that it is a 2-lane 2 way road. So if any car is slow, there would be miles of car behind. No wonder there are lots of accidents happening on that road!!

Who is to blame for all the deaths?

Anyway the trip from the Selangau junction to Mukah town is even worse. The road are full of potholes and rocks, and a lot are bigger than bricks. Can't go more than 40kmph. For a car, can't use more than the third gear. Saw some coals on the grounds too. Visibility on some part of the road are less than 5 meters because of the dust.

We started our journey from Sibu around 2.30 and reach Mukah town at around 7 p.m.

Sarikei and Bintangor Trip

Went to those 2 towns yesterday. To send wedding invitation. Not mine, but my cousin. =) Went to Sarikei first and have kampua for breakfast there. Then went to the market to buy some fish and prawns.

After that we went to Bintangor to buy pork leg.

Pass through my old kindy. Then I saw the funniest sign ever! Sorry but I dont have a picture of it. It is a notice:

"Dilarang menembak ke talian Sesco!"

Translated to English, it means "Do not shoot at the power lines!"

I guess that the people there had too much free time to shoot at anything.

Anyway while I was blogging this, there was a mouse in my kitchen. Just a small one though. Caught it by the tail and gave to my dog.

Weekends Trip

Last week I went to swim in Damai Lagoon, Kuching. Today and yesterday went swimming in Bintulu, Similajau National Park. Both the beaches are nice. The beach at Damai is clearer, with lots of people. I can see a school of shark or maybe fishes in the water. Not sure. I tried to swim closer but the fishes are faster. :)

But in Similajau National Park, not many people were there. But there are jellyfishes. I accidently touched one while swimming. Luckily it did not sting me. Or maybe it was still a baby jellyfish. Smaller than the palm of my hand. The beach there is nice. Coarse sands with lots of seashells though small...

How I wish I have an underwater camera...

Refund (2)

Remember my last post about my canceled trip? Well I was thinking of how to get my refund back.
I've mentioned how Airasia had refunded my flight ticket. Actually they did not refund the flight ticket, they just refund me back for all the airport taxes, managment fees, the nasi lemak I ordered and the baggage handling fee. Which is quite ok condsidering that if my flight ticket is the RM0 fare, I would get all my money back. But alas, I booked a last minute flight to Bali so I guess it is ok.

Actually it was not a refund. They just gave me a credit so that I can use it to buy a ticket within this 3 months. The due date is 11 Feb 2009. Must remember to use it by then!! Hahaha...

About the trip back from Bali, it is a very nice surprise for me. Just now when I was going to settle my credit card bill, I found out that I couldn't pay the statement's balance. The error message was "Amount Exceeded Outstanding Balance"

After checking my account details, I found out that Lionair had credited IDR 599 000 into my account. The flight costs IDR 799 000.

11-Nov-2008 WWW.LIONAIR.CO.ID JAKARTA PUSATID IDR799,000.00 = RM252.23
26-Nov-2008 WWW.LIONAIR.CO.ID JAKARTA PUSATID IDR599,000.00 = RM176.06(Credit! :)

I was already worried on how to call the office to get the refund. Cause there is no Lionair office in Sarawak. In their website, they gave you a few numbers to call, all Indonesion numbers, without the country code. So I ask around and seems like nobody knows. Then during my trip to Melaka, I asked the hotel which I stayed in and they told me the code.
It is +62 and the numbers are:
+6202163798000 or +6208041778899.
When I called the numbers, they asked me to call their office in KL (03-27139911).
I called the number and guess what? The number is not in service!

Don't know what to do anymore and just now I saw that there is a credit in my account! Good job Lionair!

Oh yes.. Forgot to mention that I went to their website http://www.lionair.co.id to cancel my flight.

And thanks sis! For lending me your phone to call. My phone can't call international number. =)

Refund!

The disrtuption of my plan causes me to seek for refund for my flight from Johor to Bali(Denpasar) and Bali to Singapore on the 17 Nov(Take off :0030 ETA 0300 ). Yes!! Midnight and arrive early in the morning. Never been to Changi Airport, so I decided to see what there is to see early in the morning there. I've planned to take the earliest MRT from Changi to Kranji, which is 6.00 am. Meaning I have 2 hour plus at the airport.

Everthing gone in smoke... Now I need to plan how to get my refund from the airlines. The refund from Airasia was surprisingly fast.

http://www.lionair.co.id/travelinfo_reservations.htm

Blacklisted, Barred from leaving the country!!!

I was prevented from going out of the country on the 14th. By the immigration Department. The first question they asked me:

Immigration: Do you have any letter?

Me: huh???? What do you mean?
Immigration: Do you have income tax?
Me: No. (Thinking to myself, I don't even qualify to be taxed)
Immigration: Wait ar.. Let me ask somebody first.
Then he went and ask somebody. I guess must be his superior.

Immigration: Do you have any outstanding loan? MARA?
Me: No, but ptpn?
Immigration: That must be it... You go back and settle you loan first. Right now I''ll go and help you unload first. Then we went to the check in counter to get my luggage back.

WTF!! I never got any letters from PTPTN and now I'm blacklisted??
I know I should have settle my loan but they never sent me any letter to tell me how to settle my loans. Anyway, I've been to their website to check and my name is not listed. Now after I went back to check, my name appeared again. *&^^%


Then I emailed them at penyata@ptptn.gov.my requesting for details. Then there was this reply from siti_aishah@ptptn.gov.my which is surprisingly quite fast and polite asking me to go to www.ptptn.gov.my and click on eFES to check my details.

Quite efficient.

One night in Skudai.

Yesterday reach Senai Airport... The flight was ok except for some minor turbulence. But one thing I don't like is the pain in the air when the plane was descending.

Then my sister picked me up and went to their apartment in Desa Skudai. Traffic was terrible compared to Sibu. :) But not as bad as in KL. We have dinner at around 8 plus. Not bad la the food.

Today my flight to Bali is 1330. Wanna go for breakfast now.

Selamat Hari Raya

Just want to wish all my friends a Happy Eid Mubarak.

Went visiting today. Started at 10 to an open house beside a mosque near SK Deshon.
First house, Mohd Lee at Kampung Jeriah. Quite far away from Sibu town. It is just a small kampung house. Built by himself I think. There is no ceiling, just newly built zink roof. Somehow makes me think of a story in the Bible. About a story of an old lady who gave a few copper coins. Meaning those who have not much but are willing to give their all.

Luckily his house is in the kampung. With a lot of animals and plants. Chicken, ducks, fishes, bidin, jagung, noni, breadfruit, durian, ubi, etc.

Then we went to Kak Siti's house nearby. A new double-story terrace house. And then go to Siti Azzyati's place in Sungai Bidut. Got lost along the way. There is one road there with lots of lane with the name Hock Seng, Hock Chung, Hock this and Hock that until I went Hock Chuan!!! Chinese kampung.

After that we went to Cikgu Azman's house in Bandung. The last house is Hajah Maria, Lot 63 Kampung ...

Then went to my school teacher's house with Madam Kong and family.

Waiting at KIA Part 2

Just back from 7th Mile. Had "yong yin"... Can't exactly sure how to pronounce it. Its actually a type of drink = coffee + tea + milk. Very nice. Then Kuching kolo mee. Haven't had authentic Kuching Kolo Mee for a very long time already. Can't remember when I last went to Kuching. Maybe a few years back.. Kuching changed quite a lot.

Went with Pei Ye, Su Ting and Thian Lin. All beautiful ladies. Pity I don't have a camera. If not I'll post their pictures here. Haha...

Now back at the airport. Using the free Wifi from MarryBrown in the departure hall.
Then there is the dlink by dunno who.

Outside there are 2 services..

But have to go.
Battery weak.

Waiting at KIA

Now at Kuching International Airport. The wifi services here are much better. 11g instead of 11b in KLIA. One would expect that a world class airport would have world class connection, but somehow Kuching is much better. Or maybe at KLIA I'm just waiting for the domestic flight. Not sure if it is the same if I'm going for international flights. Just now my gate was 11B at KLIA. Now for my flight to Sibu, I'm waiting at Gate 4 for my 1555 flight which takes around 30 minutes from Kch to Sibu.

Now is 12.pm. I think wanna go out with my friend. Will update later.

Waiting at KLIA.

Now at the KLIA. Waiting for my flight to Kuching at 1005. Boarding time should be 0935, about a few minutes from now. This morning took the Start Shuttle from Ipoh to KLIA. Then have breakfast at McD. Then just shopping around the KLIA.

Now got a group of young cadets/police going the same flight.
Calling now...Update my blog later...

Better go.

Going to Ipoh

My flight is at 1155. Which is just nice for me cos I can have my usual laksa after the church service. The flight is from Sibu to KLIA, MH which takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. Then Mr Wong and I took a bus service from KLIA to Ipoh. The cost per person RM 42.00. If you buy both ways, then it would be RM 80.00. But we are not sure how/when we are going back. Anyway the trip from KLIA to Ipoh took about 3 hours plus with just one 10-minutes stop.

After that we took a taxi from the stop to the hotel. The cost per taxi = RM 20.00.
After we checked in and took our bath, we went for dinner/ buka puasa at 7.13 pm.
The food are quite nice. Lots of sweet things. :)

Then we and 6 Sabahan teachers took 3 cabs to Jusco. We spent 2 hours there just walking around. The cost from our hotel to Jusco = RM 10.00 per taxi.