A Fantastic Trip ~ ^.^

         Last semester, we organised a class trip prior to the exam study week. After much planning and discussion, we finally decided on our destinations – which were the Paddy Musuem in Alor Setar and Li Huat Garden in Jitra. Although I live in Kedah since I was born, I have never been to the Paddy Musuem. So this is a much awaited trip.

            

          After much anticipation, it was finally the day of the trip -  27th. April 2012.  Early that morning, my course mates and I gathered at the meeting point in campus, just outside the Munsyi Hall. The rented mini school bus was there waiting for us. The driver cum owner was a Malay man in his early fifties, whom we addressed as ‘pakcik”.  It was kind of a shock for us to see the condition of the bus. It looked old and worn-out. Furthermore it was not air-conditioned. We were kind of disappointed but we did not want this situation to spoil our day. We took our seats and off we went! Wow...what a ride! The bus practically ‘crawled’ along the highway and each time the pakcik driver changed gears, a loud groaning sound could be heard coming from the gearbox. We wondered if we would reach the Paddy Museum. I am certain many of us prayed that the bus would not break down.

The rented mini bus           

              We were greatly relieved when we finally arrived at the Paddy Musuem. This museum is situated at the foot of Gunung Keriang, about 8km away from the city of Alor Setar. The surrounding scenery is one of tranquillity and natural beauty.

This is Gunung Keriang.

           The Paddy Museum was established with the purpose of educating the public on all aspects of paddy cultivation. The fact that it is built in Alor Setar, the state capital of Kedah is significant as this state produces the highest quantity of paddy in Malaysia. Kedah is popularly known as “The Rice Bowl of Malaysia.” The architecture of the museum is unique as it depicts a bundle of paddy stalks. It consists of one main block and six other secondary buildings. The main block covers an area of 1200 square meters and consists of three levels.

            

               We began our museum tour at Level 1. On this level, we were introduced to the history of paddy planting in Kedah. Paddy has been planted in Kedah for many generations. We saw exhibits of traditional and modern cultivation equipment such as “anok”, “renggam” and “kepok” . Apart from the equipment, there were also photographs showing the steps in harvesting and processing paddy.  Among the steps are drying, cleaning, dehusking and husk separation. Looking at the photographs, I realised that this is a tedious and complicated process and for that, we should appreciate the efforts of the paddy farmers.  

            

              We then moved up to Level 2 where big mural paintings are displayed. The paintings depict various agricultural activities. The paintings are creatively produced through a special technique using crystal spray.

        Next, we went up to Level 3. What a fascinating sight greeted us up there. We saw a panoramic view of a traditional malay village nestled at the foot of Gunung Keriang and surrounded by miles and miles of paddy fields. Even more amazing was the fact that this whole view is actually a gigantic mural, 8 meters high and 103 meters in length – truly the biggest and the most beautiful mural in Malaysia.  I am filled with a sense of pride that Malaysians could produce such creative work. The whole of Level 3 is actually a revolving platform fitted with 40 cinema-type seats where visitors could sit and enjoy the view. My friends and I had so much fun posing and taking pictures with the mural as our backdrop.

This is one of the photos that I took at level 3. The beautiful mural served as our backdrop.  When I look back  at my photos, I realized my phone was left on the seat. OMG…!

This is the last photo that I took at Museum Padi. We smiled happily as we had fun there. At that time, I still have not discovered my phone was lost. The wall behind us was written with the short phrase ‘Thank you, please come again.’ At the end, I really had to come back again to Museum Padi that same day to collect my phone. =.=

                After the museum visit, we headed to Jitra Mall.. By then it was close to lunch time.  We were all hungry and eagerly looking out for nice food outlets. Then to my great horror, I realised that I did not have my mobile phone with me! I frantically checked my big bag, practically turning it inside out but it was futile....no phone! I have lost it! I tried to recall where I had last used it, but I was in such a state of panic that my mind blanked out for a few seconds. Then I recalled that I had used my camera phone to take pictures at Level 3 of the museum – I must have left it on one of the seats.  My friends immediately went into action, trying to help locate my phone. They tried dialling my number, hoping that someone would pick it up and answer the call. But, the phone had been switched off. We guessed someone must have taken it and deliberately switched it off.  I was so upset that I lost my appetite for lunch. I had bought that phone about half a year ago and it cost me RM799.00. I blamed myself for being so careless. My friends tried to console me but that did not make me feel any better. It was kind of them, though. I felt bad that I had inconvenienced them – as a result of trying to call my phone earlier on, we had run out of time for lunch and ended up buying snacks and eating them on the bus. Oh dear, what would Mdm.Shirley say if she knew of this?

              Our next destination was Li Huat Garden in Jitra. I was terribly upset and had no mood to even eat the sweet corn my friends had bought. They knew how I felt and they decided to try calling my phone again. One of them dialled the number and unexpectedly heard the ringing tone. We held our breath in anticipation and to our pleasant surprise, a man answered the call. He identified himself as a worker at the Paddy Musuem. He had found my phone on one of the seats at Level 3. I was instantly alive with happiness! I thank God this blessing. Thank God for friends and an honest worker. I smiled and munched happily on the sweet corn. Yeah, I could enjoy the rest of the trip.

          

            We arrived at Li Huat Garden but to our disappointment, the place was temporarily closed due to renovation works. Anyway, being photo enthusiasts , we posed for pictures at the entrance area. We got onto the bus and headed for KSAH. By this time, we had got used to the loud, groaning sound of the bus engine though we still prayed that the bus would not break down.

                Somewhere along the main road, some of my friends requested for a quick stop to buy drinks at some roadside stalls. The pakcik driver kindly obliged and that was when I noticed that the bus had stopped not far from the intersection to Paddy Museum. This put me in a dilemma – should I tell Mdm. Shirley the incident about my lost & found phone, thus requesting pakcik to turn around and head back to the museum so I could pick up my phone? Or should I just keep silent and come back on my own the next day to pick up my phone?

           

             I quickly decided to tell Mdm.Shirley about the incident. She was naturally shocked yet relieved that the phone has been found. Of course, at the same time, she reprimanded me for being careless (she did so good-naturedly) and I acknowledged the fact.  Then, she told me to make my request to the pakcik. She added that I should offer to pay pakcik for the extra cost incurred for doing this double trip. Furthermore, she added that I should request from my friends in the bus, their permission to make that return trip to the museum.  I did as she told me to. And the way the pakcik responded to my request was simply heart-warming. He smilingly agreed to drive back to the museum without extra charge. I was so grateful to him and my perspective towards this old, groaning mini bus changed :) . My friends were fully supportive of my request and to them I am deeply thankful.

                 

         What a memorable class trip this has turned out to be! I learned to appreciate the importance of true friendship – friends who were there for me through my darkest hours. I am grateful there are kind, caring and honest people around despite the spread of materialism and modernisation in this world.

By,

Jay Ying