Detour Out of A Jam

Star Q 

i.  Pindang Serani Ikan Senangin

ii.  Pre-Reading

iii.  Majlis Iftaar dan Terawih

Image sourced from Google

I remember not too many years ago, whenever I went back to my home town to celebrate Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, my journeys on the road from where I am teaching homewards were always pleasant and more often than not, very smooth.

Such is not the case when I went back for the celebration recently.  Travelling north to Kuala Lumpur, I was met with a considerable amount of traffic on the highway, which lead me to wonder where all those people were going.  I presume, like myself, they were all going back to their home town in Kuala Lumpur.  But, that many?

The same situation occurred on the day of Hari Raya itself when all non-KLites would have gone back to their respective home towns for the celebration.  But on the very day itself,  KL was as busy with traffic as ever, as if it was not Hari Raya holiday!

It was no different three days later when I was heading south to my in-laws place.  The traffic was practically crawling at a snail's pace right after the Bangi exit!  My thigh muscles were beginning to sore because of all the time balancing the clutch and gear!  I knew that the traffic would continue to crawl right until the Port Dickson exit, so I took a detour before the Nilai exit.

The detour took me out of the crawling traffic into the small inland roads of villages and small towns which I was unfamiliar to.  Nevertheless, I was contented because there was practically no traffic jam and every one was driving their vehicles smoothly.

I finally reached my in-laws about an hour later.  I really didn't mind because I realised that it would have taken me the same time on the highway even if there was no traffic jam.  I also didn't mind because, along the detour, I got to see a few places that I have never been to before.