…my cuppa iced coffee…

Kota Bharu
Sunday, 20/07/2008

We actually arrived at Kota Bharu on Saturday afternoon after driving around 2 ½ hours from Kuala Terengganu. Along the way, we bought some “keropok ikan” (fish crackers) for the people at the KL office. Don’t you think it odd that people always expect you to buy them souvenirs when you go outstation or travelling? The ladies, especially. Hehehe…

Jangan marraaa yer kakak² kat ofis

We stayed at the Renaissance Kota Bharu, a surprisingly lavish hotel considering its location. No offense to the locals but for a town that size, the hotel is really an extremely pleasant surprise.

6 days of travelling and we were having difficulties remembering what day it was. Sunday is a workday in Kelantan, so having temporary amnesia was almost a blessing. Yeah, it was kind of odd working on a Sunday. We spent the whole day meeting people from the branches and also the agents. Nice people.

We stayed another night at the Renaissance Kota Bharu and drove to the next destination, Alor Setar, the next morning.

Alor Setar
Monday, 21/06/2008

The drive from Kota Bharu took us roughly 5 hours, through hilly but nice scenic routes. The road even spans one natural lake. Quite huge and very beautiful. I can’t remember the name, though. Apparently there’s a resort there if you want to spend some quiet time away from civilisation.

We visited the branches in Alor Setar and one agent in Kuala Nerang. Then we drove Penang.

Penang
Tuesday, 22/07/2008

We stayed at the Gurney Hotel along Persiaran Gurney. A really nice hotel with a really nice view. Our room was at level 29 and I could see quite a distance from the huge window.

We only visited the branches here in Penang since the Branch Development Executive was not around to take us to meet the agents. After work, we took advantage of the durian season and gorged ourselves with the fruit. We only paid RM12 for 6 durians. Cheap, huh? 

Dinner that night was at the hawkers’ centre near Padang Kota. This time we had seafood. Shellfish, to be exact. 6 kinds, if I’m not mistaken. Cooked Chinese style. And nothing left to tell the story except for the shells.

The next morning, we drove to Ipoh.

Ipoh
Wednesday, 23/07/2008

The drive took around 2 ½ hours. Just like in Penang, we only visited the branches here in Ipoh. It was a last minute addition to the tour, so we didn’t make any arrangement to visit the agents.

We spent the night at the Impiana Casuarina Hotel. Nice place. The breakfast sucks, though. The worst croissant I’ve ever seen and tasted for the whole trip. After breakfast, we drove to the last stop of the whole tour (finally!).

Shah Alam
Thursday, 24/07/2008

By this time, I just couldn’t wait to get this whole thing done and over with. Travelling for 10 days non-stop? Definitely not something I want to do very often. Given choices, not ever! After visiting the only branch in Shah Alam and a couple of agents, we finally headed home. Man, I was so glad to finally be back.

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Related post:

• South to East to North to West Tour – Part 1
• South to East to North to West Tour – Part 2