On the 25th of September a group of 17 students from our school departed on a long awaited trip to Malaysia. After arriving cold and tired at the Perth International Airport at four o’clock in the morning we assembled behind our teachers and the long line to the check-in desks. Finally, once checked-in, we made our way upstairs and left our families behind us as we took ourselves through the even longer Customs line.
After a short wait we were escorted to our flight, leaving only 20 minutes after we boarded. Many of us didn’t sleep on the five and a half hour flight over, but once we landed in Kuala Lumpur we were even more hyped up than before. For many of us it did not seem that we had landed in a different country and apart from the heat, it was nearly like we were still home.
Once checked out, we checked back in to our Penang flight and boarded not long after that. After the less than half hour flight we landed again for the second time that day and collected our bags from the bag area. We met our tour guide, Pak Eddie, outside the airport and he showed us to our tour coach for the day; the interior was amazing, and everyone seemed to love the purple and gold trimmed curtains that lined the windows.
We arrived at the hotel, The Golden Sands Resort, and were given our room keys. Running up to our rooms, we settled in and unpacked. That night we met for dinner at the food court and shopped at the markets that were set up across the side walks. Many of us bought DVDs and small toys that night, later on we watched a movie together and settled into our beds, excitedly waiting for the day ahead.
Our first day was full of visits to many different venues, such as the Batik factory, Butterfly Farm and the Tropical Fruit Farm. Also that day we boarded a Pulley Train that took us to the top of Penang Hill, from there we gasped at the wonderful landscape ahead of us, and saw just how beautiful Penang is.That night we dined at a smaller food court just down the road from the hotel and walked around the night markets.
On our second day, not as busy as our first, we rode a ferry and crossed Penang Bridge, also stopping to view an old Chinese mansion, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, and the Little India part of Georgetown. For our last night in Penang, many of us decided to try a local feet cleaning process, a process that involved fish nibbling on your feet. Some of us left before the session was over and quickly finished our shopping before arriving at the hotel for the last night in Penang.
Monday was full of packing and cleaning. By twelve o’clock we were packed and ready for some lunch. Pak Eddie drove us to the airport and after checking-in to the airport again, we had a lunch of McDonald’s before boarding our flight to Kuala Lumpur.
As our flight was delayed we weren’t able to visit Chinatown that night, but had a very nice dinner at The Pavillion shopping centre down the road from the hotel. That night everyone, tired from the full days in Penang, went to sleep as early as possible.
On Tuesday the 29th, we visited the K.L. tower and Twin Towers with our new tour guide, Jet. After looking over K.L. we went for a walk in the ‘Nanas Forest’ (Pineapple Forest), some of us getting lost on the way and having to trace our steps back. At Mid Valley Mall later, we were let loose in the shopping centre to spend to our hearts' content. It was a great shop, but after meeting up again, we were told that we still had time for another round. Many of the boys, already tired from the previous two hours groaned, but the girls, now even more excited, raced everyone to the bus.
That night we were treated to a lovely evening at Pak Cheah’s sister’s home for dinner. After the delicious meal of satay sticks and salads a group of the students began singing Hallelujah to Jack Morris’s great piano playing. To treat us even more we were exposed to the delicacy of Durian, a smelly yellow fruit grown throughout Malaysia and Indonesia, and Pak’s sister and brother also singing a family song.
The next day we visited the Batu Cave and Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. After watching a short presentation on the elephants we had a short ride on the back of some of the biggest animals in the world. An hour long drive back to the hotel was then taken and we went for dinner and shopping once more.
Our last day was as exciting as the others. In the morning we visited Seafield High School, meeting many of the students and playing a local game in which marbles and a wooden board with holes was needed.
We then went back to the hotel to change and make sure our bags were packed before heading off to the shopping centers near the hotel. After walking to Times Square we had an hour of shopping and another hour to either shop more or ride on the many rollercoasters that were situated inside the plaza. By that time we were all very tired but still shopped around some more. At about six o’clock we arrived back at The Pavillion and were told to do a last minute shop before collecting our bags from the hotel and leaving for the airport at nine o’clock.
On the bus everyone was excited, taking pictures before we left and recounting many of the eventful things that happened. Our flight was at midnight that night, and the five and a half hour ride we had been dreading was now with us. We arrived home at about five o’clock in the morning and after seeing our way through Customs, we met our parents in the Arrivals area. A massive thank you goes to Pak Cheah for organizing the amazing trip and we would also like to thank those who helped us get to Malaysia. The trip was one that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
