Feature

A Memorable Journey to Malaysia

Fariha Shafi

IT was midnight. The milieu inside Zia International Airport was vibrant with flight timings flashing on the boards all over the airport. Everything declared peace except for the horn like sounds emitted by pulling trolleys. I looked at the energetic faces scattered around me: a Bangladeshi family, some foreigners smoking cigarettes, an old business man busy with his laptop and a Korean girl sleeping under her jacket. I looked further to see my mom settling with the passports, Anika talking to her friend and my elder sister tuning to the ipod.

I tried pulling a soft pillow under my head and get a good one-hour of sleep, but it didn't work. I located a bookshop and bought two books to read on my journey, which cost me way too high. We ate ice creams and conversed about the adventures that we were going to enjoy. Finally we got on the plane. The last thing I remember was being nauseous by the dinner they served on the flight. When I woke up from my deep sleep our plane had hit the ground. I could see tractors, the huge Malayan airport and brown mountains with palm and banyan trees. Once we got down from the plane, a man from our travel agency found us. And then we were on our way to the Corus Hotel. Corus is a place with indescribable beauty. A five-minute walk from it is the pearl of Malaysia: The Petronas Tower. It appeared unbelievably colossal to me.

Sunway Lagoon, spanning over 80 acres is an attractive theme-park boasting of fun rides and water rides. Once you are there, you would never want to come back. Then we visited the infamous Putrajaya, an astonishingly built city, which is the residence for the administrating government of Malaysia. It is situated in the heart of Multimedia Supper Corridor (MSC) and is named after the first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra-al-Hij in memorial to his contribution to the country's independence. Putrajaya boasts Malaysia's latest communication and infrastructure technologies and it is a must see for everyone.

The most exciting experience for me was walking through the Petaling streets and shopping in the super-stores. We did some more sightseeing and bought gifts for everybody. I collected Malaysia's general sandals, and their kata, and a flying dragon, which Malaysians believe bring success to endeavours in life. I took pictures of every single road, subway, highway and the smiling crowd of that country. The thing that caught my attention is every time we passed one road there were polls carried out by women. In the shopping centres, most of the customer managers were women in scarves and suit. Malaysia is a Muslim country. That's why three quarter of the women wear a hijabh and live liberated lives. Women walk home from work alone and at any hour of the day, without fear of being robbed and assaulted.

It was time to come back home. I felt sad but as I chewed the nuts I felt I miss alubhorta and daal. There is no place like your own country.