Monday, July 26, 2010

Sabrina"s Wedding







Five of us took off from Penang Friday night and drove to Kuala Trengganu to attend my Twin Brother's daughter's wedding. We arrived at K.Tr. at the early hours of the morning and booked into Hotel Sri Malaysia. There is a whole lot nothing to be said about the standard and quality of service as far as this chain of hotels goes but it needs to be mention that the toilet did not work. Nothing is more disgusting and than to stake a crap and leave the toilet bowl full of poop for the next guy to walk into. Nothing is more sacred in the Hospiltality Service industry than to ensure the cleanliness and proper funtion of the basic requirements of a home away from home like the clean bed and bathroom. But...oh well shit happens and i let the manager or whoever he was at the reception counter about how i felt of the service.
Afternoon we headed for the wedding and what a grand event it was as my brother and sister in law went all out with the occaision. The house set by the seaside was a perfect location with the Kapas Island set in the background riding the mirror smooth South China Sea and the weather cooperated wellwith it being just nice and not too hot. After enjoying the good food and meeting sll my brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, the five of us slipped away and headed for Marang to book rooms on Pulau Kapas for the night. I felt uncomfortable being there too long as the guests were starting to take double looks at me mistaking me for the brides's father, I also felt that it was my twin's day and being there was like intruding upon his limelight. My twin was looking well and seemed to relish the moment and so my short and sweet visit was with the hope that all went well for him and his family.
Kapas Island was a pleasant break after the long drive and the dip in the ocean that evening was long overdue yearning to be back in the salt water. The rest of the gang seemed to have a good time and that was good enough for me. We stayed at Mak Cik Gemuk's, one of the group of chalets along the beach at Kapas and had a good dinner of Tom Yam soup with fried vegies and fried chicken, cost me arms and legs but well what can one expect being on an island. We left the island at two pm. the next day afte the gus had their second swim in the late morning, I was too tired to join in but sat and reminaice the past when I first landed on the island where there was not a single building was in existance and my friends and I back then used to have the island to ourselves in the sixties and early seventies. The site infront of the resort area was lined with coral beds and one did not have to go far for a great dive. Those were the days and i again felt so privillaged in this life that i was able to be at the right place at the right time for today there is hardly a live coral in the water across from where i sat and ironically my son was having fun snorkling, chasing after z school of zebra fishes. It is sad to have lost so much in the form of natural beauty and thank God that my children can never imagine what was deprived from them by the so called progress and edevelopment in this modern age. Today we pay a whole lot more for a whole lot less and not know it.
On the way home dropped by a few friends places to say hello including my friends Awi of Awi's Yellow House on Pulau Duyong. The gand loved the place for its rustic beauty and Mr. Yes the drunken English man still runs the place for Awi in his abscence. The Yellow House is still the same as it was five years back when I used to hang out there, more rustic in its surrounding as most of the trees around the chalets have grown to full sizes. Later we took a walk to the boat building yard where traditional yatchs and boats were still being constructed. The boat building facility has been upgraded it seems over the years but the natural surrounding has been kept to give the impression of its former natural beauty. In some ways the Malys when it come to caring for their environment is like the Japanese the fact that nature is not totally removed to make way for development but is maintained as a part of.
We arrived in Penang very early in the morning and after a piece of Roti Canai each at Farouk's we headed home.

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