Penang Trip-Test Run 1 Date : 27.3.2010

I’m rather excited with the test run. Thus, I just slept for 3 and a half hour the night before. I’m tense. What worried me the most is if the trip didn’t follow the exact plan. But, it ended up everything run through very smoothly.

Oh ya. Almost forgot. I’ve joined one of the activities in the Chinese society of USM and I’m running the Penang trip for the newbie.

In order to estimate the exact time of the time flow, I borrowed car from my course mate. At first, I planned to rent a car instead, but when it came to budget, it will be over budget. So, I tried my luck and ask. Finally, I managed to lend one. Problem one solved.

Getting car is a matter, driving car is another. I can’t drive. I can’t trust me myself driving skills. So I can’t risk my team mate life just like that. So I ask for volunteer to drive the car. Luckily, Nic can drive. Thanks god. Another headache being knocked down.

I too was lucky to have the three of them as my team mate. They are very attentive, careful and off course, they help to realize my stress too by making me laugh. Ha..

Here goes the test run. I ask WH to record down whatever thing that came to my mind. After 2 meeting with them, I finally gave up doing the recording and thinking together. So here came rescue ranger no 2.

I used to see thing very fast when I’m visiting. You could categories it as ‘glance through’ instead of ‘see’. I’m more attracted to story instead of wall picture and stuff like that. I won’t even bother to see whether there is any different or look into the description as written on the wall. It so coincident that another girl, jessie of the team is from editor group. It’s so amazing. She’s so attentive. She would have looked into some small detail that you might have miss out. She’s great. And I’m very grateful to have the chance to work with them.

Well, what are my contribution then? Almost everything was divided among them. I’m the big boss then. Ha. I’ll try to notice whatever things that is very important and stuff like that. Maybe my progress is running to fast, now, I felt that almost everything is settled. We would just need to reconfirm during June.

Ok ok. Let begin the test run trip. We first went to Kek Lok Si temple. Since, we arrived earlier than we have planned, we decided to have our breakfast first. We then climbed the leader and up we go. By the time we reach there, I’m gasping and taking time to catch my breath. I’m starting to wonder, am I that old now? Ha. I saw a wishing tree on the main hall there. So we each bought one and wrote our parent name on it. Time is chasing after us. We need to go to the guan yin statue and the pagoda within the time planned. It’s nice and view catching at the guan yin statue there. It’s obvious that they spend a lot on that place. When we were on the way down in the cabel car, we are jammed there. Panic. But soon, it’s fixed. We then go to the pagoda side. We climbed up the pagoda and took some picture. Then we are running down to fetch the car. We are racing with time.

Next, we are going to ‘Khoo Kongsi’. The one dollar entrance fee is worthwhile paying. They had renovated the place there. It’s grand. We met a trishaw man sitting down there resting. So we try to approached the old man and ask him some stories and history about the place where we are standing at that time. He’s stories and time is very much appreciated. Somehow, I saw a foreigner visitor, she is very familiar. I then remembered that I saw her in the Kek Lok Si’s pagoda this very morning. We first went in the museum in ‘Khoo Kongsi’. It’s located at the basement of the temple. They have renovated it and placed some information for the visitor to better understand the meaning of the wall picture and other element in the temple. Again, we are lucky to hear a local tour guide explaining the meaning of the display in the museum. Now I understand what those generation chart is telling me. I intended to follow, but I knew that she don’t really welcome us, so I stopped and start reading some wall information which attract my attention. Meanwhile, Nic too is a smart person and taking picture of the information selectively so that he can read when he’s free. Jessie and WH is reading the information instead. They really read through every single detail. I’m running here and there like monkey. Lolz.. you can say that I’m exploring the place first la. Ha. They also have a mock kitchen there in the basement. There are also mock people sitting in the kitchen table. It scared me at first. It really looked so real. We later see the structure in the temple.

We moved on. Now, this is the most terrible part of the trip. We are searching for a place which can fit in 44 people for lunch. I knew that there is a food court in birch road. So we walk there. But at the junction there, I had forgotten whether to turn left or right. The bank security misleads us. We had turned right instead of turn left. Damn him. We are so exhausted. So we decided that one that day, we will ask the bus driver to drive us there instead of walking there.

According to the plan, we should go to guan yin temple. But when we bypass the Penang Peranakan Mansion, they just simply asking the price and they are telling us that they are offering us RM5 just that day only and for us only. So, the other three is so tempted to go inside for a visit. I then ask that Myanmar boy again to explain to us, I had been there once. So, we just joined in the group and he explained to us what those thing mean. You could see those kitchen ware. Different occasion used dining hall and etc. actually the main reason they are so attracted is because it had been the filming site for ‘Little Nyonya’ and two other movie and drama series. We planned to schedule it inside our trip, but we are considering whether we can bargain a RM5 entrance. Money is a factor. This is because we have a series of activity that we want these newbie to participate and if the trip alone had spend them so much, they won’t be attracted to participate in other activity.

Since we go to the mansion, we need to rush our time to the temple, stop there for a while and walked cross the St. George Church and when to state museum. Nic seem to be rather tired and uninterested to be in the museum. But, I need to motivate them. Coincident, I met a foreigner tourist again who I met in the Kaling Kapitan Masjid while we are on the way to search for lunch. I then chat with him for a while and go on and find thing which can attract my attention. Again, Jessie is reading these information on the wall thoroughly. So glad to have her. I took some photo on the wall info without letting the guard notice. Ha..

Nex, we went to the burmist Buddhist temple. I thought that is the sleeping Buddha. So, all of us are wondering where is the Buddha sleeping? Which hall? Again, I saw a tour guide there. So I just simply ask whether this is the sleeping Buddha. The answer is, we went in the wrong side. This is not the place and that is why we can’t see any Buddha sleeping lo. Ha. However, the place is very interesting.

We then cross the road and reach the sleeping Buddha there. There we go, the sleeping Buddha statue is in the main hall. Now, we see It.

Next, we decide to go to Botanical Garden. But after observing it, we decide to follow back the original plan, which is taking them to Gurney Plaza. However, we will let them take their dinner first and let them shop. So they can pandai pandai plan their time lo. Time management is very important ma. Ha.

We then go to Esplanade as the plan goes. It is so coincident that, today is Earth hour day. So we join in and light the candle. But, we just stopped there for around half hour. but lao lang eh, earth hour, yet they use so many plastic cup. plus, they are wasting candle lo. haiz.. it make no sense leh. we then decided to go to other place as we need to reflect back whether our plan is workable or not. So we went to Tan Jetty and sit in the edge of the bridge. This is an unforgettable memory. I like it. We then discuss. So, there will be slight modification of the original plan.

There is so many coincident in this trip. As a roundup, I do enjoy this trip but I’m very exhausted as well. But I’m glad too to have Nic, Jessie and WH as my team mate.