Raya Vacation

During this 2022 Raya, we did something unusual from our previous routine, just for the experience. We went for a vacation! Before this I really can’t digest why does people went for vacation during Raya? I mean Raya is a celebration, not a holiday. But of boy, I speak too soon. Our last Raya was in 2019 before Covid-19 hits and Atuk passed away. It.changes.everything. LITERALLY. After Atuk passed away, Nenek been staying at Pak Busu at most and rotating to other houses; well mine & Pak Busu’s mostly where she at her most comfort. After 2 years can’t do interstate travel, for sure my sisters will go back to their in-laws, so left only me to Raya at my parents’. Luckily, my in-laws are in Puchong, used to be in USJ4, if they’re still staying there, most probably we’ll be back and forth riding a bicycle haha.

The decision to go vacation is quite random actually, been wanting to go to one since my confinement is over but my husband can’t even slot a day of leave then. If he can, that’s for the baby check-ups and that’s it. So, he already applied for a week stretch this Raya. Bukan pergi mana pun, Port Dickson je haha. Ok lah, for a quick non tiring journey. Beggars can’t choose what..  

Surprisingly the hotel was fully booked, we wanted to do 2 nights initially, but not available. We booked on 2nd of Raya but because Raya was early, it falls on 3rd Raya which is a blessing because we can take our time to rest and pack properly from our Raya terkejut earlier. See.. Allah’s plan always the best. Plus, we’ve been promising Hanif to return to the beach last year with his sister. He is the most excited going to the beach but refused to take a dip lol, he just wanted to play with the sand (-__-) 

As usual, we stayed at Avillion, this is our fourth time there.. yeah, we’d like to stay in our comfort zone, thank you. I beginning to think it’s going to be our preferred hotel everytime and forever, heard my husband is applying for the membership as well. As expected, there’s tonnes of people and we have to wait for our room, but luckily we got a room upgraded wohoo! We booked for the hotel facing the beach but we got the Garden view which is bigger. Last 3 stays, we took the water chalet, but since the nearer beach there is closed, (for safety reason, last time we went it seems not too safe - water is deep even at the shore) we chose the other end of the hotel, so it’s closer to the beach. I think from now onwards, we’re going to choose Garden view as it is nearer to the public beach, hotel main lobby, coffee house and swimming pool, all the major places you’ll go when you have kids. If you’re on honeymoon, the water chalet is much more privacy, and the design is sexier? There are many people at the hotel and the beach, well equally distributed among the races. Malays taking a break from Raya, or maybe on their Raya visiting relatives nearby, and others taking opportunity of the long holiday. 

As usual, for not so adventurous people like us, we just took up room service and Grab food to eat. Since the lobby is nearer, easier for us to take our food, and in fact the room service is faster compared the water chalet since coffee house is just next building to ours 😂  The wifi/internet connection here is even better, and the TV has Netflix! We could die without the internet really…. We should’ve chose this room before. But of course, the downside is, this area is quite loud as we face directly to the swimming pool and main path to the lobby/coffee house. 

Hanif is at his happiest, despite his complaints when he had to help babysit his baby sister. Well at least we didn’t ask you to pay.. duhh *rolls eyes*. In fact he requested to be sent to my MIL’s house as he said he’s tired of helping us babysit his sister and he needed a rest (-___-) Well son, a holiday is a teamwork, you ain't going to see another beach if you not helping out. Ohh, Maryam is the happiest too! The look on her face when her tiny feet touches the sand is priceless! She giggled and jumped in excitement all the time. My heart is so full seeing these two. 

After fourth time coming here, I would say the food is good especially for the room service, the buffet is quite so-so, but please go for their Nasi Lemak, sedap! It’s good to have a day off routine and taking care of our kids in another city lol. Until the next time Avillion! Thanks husband for taking us here, again. Well, we like it of course :P 

Raya 2022

Assalammualaikum and Selamat Hari Raya! It has been a week since Raya and I must say this is the most chaotic raya ever in my life, bet to all Malaysians as well! After 2 years of lockdown Raya (2021 was the worst where you can’t go anywhere at all), this year’s Raya is the most awaited one because the SOPs are slowly lifted, also we can even travel out and about freely now. It’s time to visit all the relatives and balik kampung since it has been 2 years we aren’t allowed to do that. As per calendar, Raya were scheduled on Tuesday, 3rd May. 

On Sunday, we had our last kopek buka puasa at my sister’s new renovated house in Sg Buloh. My parents already cooked their rendang minang earlier that day, it’s normal for us to cook rendang 2 days before Raya because well, it takes longer hours to cook, but can last long (up to a week outside). I was supposed to help them that day, but my fridge went loco, and the handyman only came at 3pm. Felt like canceling, but this is a fridge, kinda important and our schedule during Raya will be packed. The handyman only took like literally 10 minutes only to check….. Solution is to just leave the fridge of for two days which can be done without him being here anyway… Syurga rewards for my parents for cooking the 16kg rendang all by themselves. My sisters weren’t around too as Aida is working whereby Ecah already gone to her in-laws hometown. 

After berbuka, we were discussing Raya plan and the possibility that it will probably be Raya on the next day since most countries; Arabs, Europe will celebrate Raya tomorrow, Monday. There’s even some forwarded WhatsApp on that, at first I thought it was a joke, but no guys.. it really is happening tomorrow!! When it was announced on TV, yeap, it’s happening, that night already Raya eve. I’ve read some places has already in the midst of Terawih.. haha. Luckily the hardest part; rendang is already done. Left with other menus; Nasi Minyak, Acar & Ayam Masak Merah. By the way, my husband and Hanif weren’t with me at that time because he’s at MIL’s helping out cleaning the house. After the shocking announcement, I went back Mak’s house to wait for my husband to fetch us home to pack our clothes. I already folded and put them aside, only left putting them into the luggage. 

We return to Mak’s house the same night, and at the same time I started to prep for tomorrow’s menu. I couldn’t sleep well that night, well I think most Malaysians were, I heard loud sounds coming from everyone’s kitchen. Memes and jokes were flooding through social media, what a Raya to remember indeed. Alhamdulillah, all are done according to plan on the raya, I cooked Acar, Ayam Masak Merah, and Nasi Minyak. While mak prepared kuah kacang, rendang and ketupat. 

Of course, there’s consequences of this, I only bathed and put on my baju raya at 2pm! Haha. The day starts quite late because I guess everyone overslept, and put on extra makeup to cover the panda eyes. Aida and her family came in later, of course her plans get haywired too, she supposed to have her first raya at her husband’s side in Kuala Lipis. After that, we went to Ibu’s house in Puchong, she also were tired for this sudden Raya, and only started to cook the night before. This is Eve Maryam’s first raya and she behaved like an angel like she always been. That night Mak Yong’s family and my grandmother came over, it was so good to see everybody after 2 years! Had a good time chatted with my cousins and meeting their little ones until late that night.

Overall, this is definitely bittersweet Raya to all of us, this is my first experience of shocking Raya, but Abah told us, it happened before in the 70s. That definitely a good reminder to us that we human can always plan, but afterall, we go back to the fundamental, that is checking the anak bulan. One lesson for sure, cook your Rendang early!