Holidays

Hello,
It has been far too long since my last post. I promised myself I'd become a serious blogger but somehow I never find the time, between work, family and friends. Which made me realise, sometimes I need time for myself.

As I look back I realise that I have actually been on quite a few holidays since December last year. Although each was meant to be a relaxing one, I came home feeling tired but happy.

The first holiday was to my homeland Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in November last year. Although I was born there, my parents brought me back to homeland just months after leaving me with no memories of the land below the wind.Heading back there was both nostalgic and emotional... For weeks I could only think of my forthcoming holiday. Sabah is magnificient, I think it takes months and years to discover some of the hidden treasures this beautiful land has to offer. Thanks to my friend Gopi who is working at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, my friend Fazleena and I were given a glimpse of the place during the three days we were there.

A glimpse of Kota Kinabalu from the sky 

The Beautiful Beaches of Sabah

Kavadi

Next on the card was a little Penang trip I took with Gopi, his family and our friend Vimel from Aussie Land. The trip was a holy one to say the least as we planned it to coincide with the Thaipusam Festival that is quite the buzz in Penang. I must say it was a little dissapointing after all the hype associated with the celebrations in Penang. Even Gopi's father a hardcore Penangite said the festival lacked lustre this year. 

Nonetheless, we headed on, sampling famous cuisines along the way. Stopping every few hours to eat and explore new gastronomic delights. After years of traveling to Penang, Vimel and I finally made it up Penang hill and we pleasantly surprised by the view. Its Cameron Highlands in a smaller package. Nestled on top of the hill were a Mosque and another Subramaniam Temple.  Both structures have been built with much care over the years, providing residents and tourists a glimpse of the rich Malaysian heritage. 

Our main task in Penang was sampling the food

The beautiful Subramaniam temple up on Penang Hill

My final holiday as of March this year was a sojourn cum business trip I took with my aunts to Hyderabad city in India. Hyderabad a bustling city the state of Andra Pradesh is a largely Muslim populated town but getting around is a breeze as most of them speak Hindi and English. We were also lucky as one of my aunts live in Hyderabad so she took us around making traveling a breeze. The heat in the dessert like town was really unbearable and most women were forced to cover their mouth and face with shawls and for a touch of sophistication, many wore sunshades to beat out the glare and look cool doing it. Shopping there might not be for everyone but if you look close enough you might find a thing or two at the General Bazaar. I must admit throughout my one week sojourn, I enjoyed my auto rides more than anything (well besides my aunt's cooking). Since there were four of us at least at any one time, I was forced to sit on my aunt's lap or next to the auto driver. If I was given the chance I would have definitely loved to try my hand at driving the auto. However I must admit, only the bravest, fittest and fearless of all drivers should try driving around in Hyderabad, the land with no traffic rules. 

Auto ride

U will definitely find eager salesmen like this one showing off the sarees

This is how  you go out in Hyderabad... :)

All in all, I must say, each holiday has been a blessing. Bringing with it, new experiences, friends and memories. Although my time may be occupied by other more pressing things. These little short holidays make it all worthwhile. :)