Waking up at 3.00am!!!

Obek Awi and Ayah had been planning for this trip for months now. Finally, the day arrived. Ayah was so excited he did not sleep a wink that night. Ibu was happy that we are going shopping.

Vin and Sel dragged their feet to wake up at 3.00am and be ready to leave for Nilai-3, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia by 3.30am. Nilai-3 is a huge wholesale centre selling textiles, home decorations, wedding accessories, toys and more… It is close to KL, about 1 hour drive away. So the journey is about 4 hours drive from Tuas checkpoint.

After Nilai-3, we were going to drive down to Melaka for some ikan bakar before heading home. It was going to be a long day on the road.

All in all, we were driving there in a convoy of 5 cars. As usual, we ended up spending 45 minutes waiting for everybody to arrive. This is what they call “janji melayu” or if directly translated “malay promise”. It is based on the generalisation that Malays do not keep to their promise when it comes to time. They are always late. So, by the time we clear the checkpoint, it was already close to 5.30am.

Due to the lack of sleep, both of us were pretty cranky. But driving in the midst of nature is very relaxing to the soul. Here are some of the views…


Unfortunately, Obek Awi’s car met with an accident just 1 hour from Nilai-3. It was a really bad crash that the back of his car was badly damaged and the bumper fell. Luckily, the car engine was not affected. We had to head back to send the car to the workshop and submit the necessary paperwork.

Obek Awi was totally heartbroken. He loves his car. And he was looking forward to have ikan bakar in Melaka.

Well, he will be able to so in 2 weeks time when he collects back his car.