As you know, the festive Hari Raya season came and went.
For the first time this year, I was caught in the race back home. The exodus as they call it adds to the style and sounds sexy about this phenomenon of returning home to celebrate the festive season with family and friends.
I left KL on Saturday before Hari Raya. I anticipated that the roads would be swamming with cars as most people would want to get out of the city at that time to prepare for Raya. It was true. A rather heavy and unussual traffic flow could be seen heading out of town with mostly cars.
I left Subang, where my brother lives, at around 5.30 am that day.
It was still very dark at that time. With the heavier traffic than ussual, I took a slower but still fun drive in my Myvi heading back to Penang.
It was very interesting to see how people packed their cars with families and I bet their excitement of getting to their destinations.
I saw cars like Kancils and Proton Sagas that were packed with like 6 family members, drivers with the 'kopiah', rear dashboard of cars filled with plastic bags, pillows, biscuit tins and kids. I bet it was a struggle for the drivers to keep awake to drive as they could not drink, eat or smoke to keep them awake as it was the last few days of the fasting month.
In contrary, I saw this huge Mercedes S-Class speed by followed by a Toyota Estima in pursuit cruising together. It must have been a wealthy family going back home to celebrate Hari Raya.
What a big difference in terms of ways on how people return home to celebrate something that they believe in together.
I guess for some, Hari Raya will be celebrated on a low scale, while others go way out to outdo themselves with a feast. This time around considering the economy and fluctuating petrol price, Hari Raya would be a little simpler for some. It cannot be denied that the rakyat is feeling the pinch of this. Nonetheless, it is indeed a celebration and certain levels of happiness should be felt by all. :)
An interesting comment by a close friend, going back home is a chance to show to your family members and your friends on how well you did in life in the big city. One way would be to drive back home in new cars. I felt that this was true as I noticed so many newly registered W plate cars @ Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur registered cars. My friend did say that for some who were less fortunate this year, they would rent nice cars from their friends or second hand dealers for the holidays season to take back home to show them off as a symbol of wealth attaintment.
This balik kampung exodus is also a time to be careful on all roads due to the high volume of traffic. Everyone is going somewhere and wants to get there in time so there could be a feeling of rush. The amount of deaths due to road accidents during this time is pretty high although the police have launched their annual nationwide special operations to cripple this influx.
Safety of passengers should always be a priority. Drivers should be well prepared before sitting at the wheel. Cars also should be thoroughly checked to ensure they are road-worthy and safe on roads.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Muslim readers Selamat Hari Raya and maaf zahir dan batin.
Khas buat budak2 MMU and member2 lame especially budak2 Putat, tiap2 Raya is a time for me to remember you guys and to treasure our friendships together. ;)
