Friday, April 24, 2009
Six months ago, life was a deplorable wreck! My girl friend for 3 years left me for another girl. Because of that bombshell, I was forced into a state of great depression. My studies floundered into a state of non redemption and the program adviser Chen Yoke Wong advised me to take a period of time off. Needless to say, I was as good as expelled. Shortly after, my parents were intent on sending me to reform and rehabilitation school somewhere in Chow Kit. Naturally, I refused!
"Don't make me go to rehab" I said. "No, No, No"
Grabbing my necessaries, I shot away in my proton saga determined to escape from my desperate state. With the little money I had, I rented a small studio apartment in the outskirts of Sungai Buluh getting a job at one of the estates in the vicinity. It was a menial salary thus I soon began street racing in one of the back lanes at night to earn extra money. Considering my situation, things were going pretty well. Until the Federal Reserve Unit crashed one of our races, guns ablaze and ready to arrest the group.
Not wanting to go to jail, I grabbed my racing partner Lois Lane, hiked one of the racers speed bikes and fled through a dark alley. We were both wearing helmets so unless one of the racers gave us away, we were safe from identification. That night, I decided I could not take it any longer. I told Lois that I needed to escape, recuperate and re gain what I had lost. She shared with me she had similar problems and said that she needed to escape too. On the brink of a morbid end to our lives involving motorcycle chains, I suddenly remembered something.
"Lois" I exclaimed "Malaysia airlines has just introduced a stimulus package, I read it in the paper yesterday morning. There is this flex 1+1 deal which allows two people to travel at the price of one"
"Really?" said Lois excitedly "Shan, this may be our golden ticket out"
Needless to say, we rode to straight to MAS ticket office and picked up two tickets for the earliest flight to Seattle, Washington. The reason we chose to go with the flex 1+1 was because companionship made travel so much better! As for Seattle, we thought the breathtaking scenery and wonderful weather would give us a new lease of life. We settled to go there until the Federal Unit decides that we were not wanted criminals anymore.
We set off the following morning.
It was a massively long flight but thankfully the cabin service in MAS was exceptional. The crew were friendly and affable, making the 14hour flight an exceptional one for us. Furthermore, the food on board was really good! The movies they had on board also kept us entertained. I must say at this juncture that Malaysian Airlines truly strikes me as one of the best airlines in the world.
As this was a truly spontaneous trip, Lois and I had no plan whatsoever as to what we were going to do during the trip. I checked with one of the stewardesses and she advised me to log on to the Malaysian Airlines website for help. Not knowing what else to do, I did, and boy was I amazed. From there we were able to make all the necessary arrangements from accommodation to transport, sightseeing recommendations and even the ever so important travel insurance we so lacked. All from several clicks on their website! By the end of the flight, our despondent state had turned a corner for the better and the both of us were just ready to take a break from life and experience travel. This was all thanks to MAS.
Fantastic! We had arrived in Seattle and I did not even feel too tired. Thanks to MAS, I was able to rent us a car which we promptly obtained upon arrival with no hassle whatsoever. With that we set off, hoping this escapade would grant us a new lease of life...
We did alot during the trip! It was Autumn when we arrived and the weather was absolutely stunning. The first morning, I had arrange with a local US army major to take us Salmon fishing. He took us to the outskirts of town and showed us the serene beauty of untainted nature. The major shared with us how before his recruitment into the army, he was in destitute. He told us that he was caught moving drugs and life was a black hole until a general from the Air Force picked him up from his cell. Life can be well if we attempt to make our lives fresh again. Lois was moved to tears!
Several nights later, I had gone out to buy dinner and returned to find Lois deep in thought at the corner of the room. I asked her what was wrong and she told me that the Majors story had made her decide she was going to give life a second shot. We agreed to help each other rebuild what we lost. The trip had indeed gave us what we needed, a breather and some hope.
The rest of the trip was relaxed and easy going. Seattle is extraordinarily beautiful and the attractions are plentiful so that one will not get bored. Every morning we wake to witness this beautiful view from our room.
Here are some of the places we visited-
The Seattle Flight Museum
Mount Reneir
We were tremendously entertained by these two baskers out the very first Starbucks.
We even took a train down to Vancouver, booked once again from the Malaysian Airlines website.
One of the highlights of the trip was when we were given the opportunity to watch the Seattle Seahawks in action. We met the ticketing director of the seahawks in a bus and he offered us free tickets to the NFL league game after hearing our story.
Finally, after five wonderful weeks of travel, Lois and I decided that it was time we went back and settled things in our own lives. We booked our tickets via the Malaysian airlines website at very good rates. The next evening, we were on our way home!"What a great trip that was" Lois exclaimed just as we touched down in KL
"Yeah, and now its its time to return to our difficult lives" I replied
She assured me that we will get through it. Dejected, I managed a smile.
At the airport she excused herself while I collected our luggage. She returned a while later and dropped a package on my lap. The package contained two tickets to Peru two months from now and on the package she had written:
"When life swallows us up, there is the MAS stimulus package to take us away."
I looked up at her and smiled. Suddenly she was the most beautiful person in the world. We got up, held hands and walked toward the exit ready to take life by its horns knowing that when the going gets tough, the tough goes traveling!
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