Traffic jam? No problem because people are more excited to balik kampung
KOTA BHARU - Holidaymakers who work outside of their hometowns are thrilled to travel back home although they are fully aware of the fact that they would be spending extra hours on the road to reach their respective destinations.
Syahmi Awazhar, 27, who resides in Pajam, Nilai said he was excited to celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha at his wife’s hometown in Kelantan despite a 10-hour drive.
“The journey from Nilai to Kota Bharu usually takes up to eight hours, but since people are excited to go back home for the Aidiladha celebration, I had to drive an extra two hours.
“We departed from our house as early as 3am to avoid the traffic, but there were still so many cars on the road, but I do not mind because I am very excited to see my family in Kelantan,” he told Sinar Daily.
He also said preparations for the Aidiladha celebration this year was rather calm and not as hectic as he thought it would be as everything had been prepared beforehand.
Meanwhile, Amanina Azman, 25, said she managed to avoid the heavy traffic as she arrived at her grandmother’s house just before the traffic got worse.
“It would usually take me over three hours to reach my grandmother’s house, so I got out earlier to avoid the traffic,” she said.
She said her grandmother had already made preparations for the celebration tomorrow (July 10) and cooked the all-time favourite raya dishes such as the chicken rendang, ketupat and nasi impit.
“The dish that we look forward to during raya is her signature dish ‘masak cabai daging’,” she said.
Asked if this year’s Hari Raya Aidiladha celebration was different compared to the previous years, Amanina said it would be much more exciting this year as she would get to meet her extended relatives.
“The celebration would be more or less the same with the previous years, but this time, we would get to meet new family members like the newborn babies and the newlyweds. We are always excited to meet each other,” she said.
Meanwhile, Jannah Risma, 25 who is staying in Kuantan, Pahang, said she did not mind having to drive in the heavy traffic as she was more excited to get to see her family members.
“I am staying in Kuantan and I'm going back to Temerloh. The journey would usually be about an hour, but I think this time it is going to take me at least two or three hours to reach my hometown considering the amount of cars that are currently on the road today.
“But I am still thrilled because I would get to gather with my family since some of us were not able to see each other during the previous Hari Raya Aidilfitri,” she said.
As for the preparation, she said this year, it would be done moderately.
Homecooked meals would be prepared, but there would be no new raya clothes.
"It would feel a bit different this year as my younger sister would not be able to come back home as she is sitting for an exam," she said.
