PETALING JAYA: The Aidilfitri exodus from the Klang Valley began yesterday as people from outstation made their yearly balik kampung trip to reunite with their families for Hari Raya.
Having learnt from previous experience, many of them are carpooling, even with strangers this time around, to avoid any last-minute rush for bus or plane tickets.
Architectural graduate Muhammad Noriman Mohd Fadzi, 26, who has been carpooling to return to his hometown in Tanah Merah, Kelantan, from Selangor since his early university days eight years ago, said it was a better way to get home.
“I have been travelling (this way) between the two states. Although it takes 10 hours to commute to Kelantan, every minute in the car would be joyful because all of us are excited to see our families back home.
“One of my most memorable moments travelling interstate is breaking fast at a grassy area beside the highway emergency lane. With the long hours of standstill traffic, most commuters chose to buka puasa outside of their vehicles.
“They had warm dishes, snacks and kuih to share with fellow commuters. I think that is unique and a very Malaysian culture that is not found anywhere else,” he said.
This year, Muhammad Noriman said he would set out for Kelantan at 11pm with his younger brother, who works as a software engineer in Kuala Lumpur.
Diana Shafie, 23, a Shah Alam-based social media executive who is carpooling with a friend, said sharing stories was a great way to curb sleepiness while driving for long hours.
“I rarely feel sleepy when driving, even when it is late at night or in the wee hours of the morning because sharing stories somehow makes me stay focused and alert.
“This technique of staying up could also be paired with singing along to Hari Raya songs or a karaoke session in the car. Balik Kampung is the best song to chase any sleepiness away.”
Design architect Nik Muhammad Idzham Shah Abdul Hadi, 26, said the thought of warm, home-cooked food waiting at home is enough to chase away the gloom of the stressful traffic on the way to Kota Bharu.
“Although the ride can take up to 12 hours being cramped inside a car with other friends, I can bear the tight space because I can finally have my favourite Kelantanese dishes made by my mother. So, I will have light snacks for buka puasa inside the car.
“I often have power naps near the RnR area in Genting Sempah. However, since my younger brother, who is studying in Shah Alam, is joining me this year, I think we can beat any sleepiness. Nevertheless, I will make sure I get adequate sleep the day before the long trip.”
Sports reporter Syifa Abdul Nasir, 23, a Johorean, said she would carpool with a friend she met in university.
“For people who came from other states to work in Kuala Lumpur, carpooling is the cheapest means to balik kampung.
“Since I have only been working for less than a year, I don’t want to spend too much of what I have saved on transport for Raya.
“My friend and I found out that our homes in Johor Bahru are less than 10 minutes’ drive apart. So, we have decided to carpool this Hari Raya and perhaps the next.”
Unlike everyone else, interior designer Hanis Farhana Ismail, 26, carpooled to klia2 from her rental house in Ampang Jaya.
“This year, my family and I will be celebrating our first week of Hari Raya at Setiu, Terengganu, with my extended maternal family.
“Because of the expected high traffic volume on the highway heading towards Terengganu and Kelantan, I chose to carpool from my rental house to the airport with friends who are also heading south. They dropped me off at the airport at around 2am for my 6am flight home.
“It is important to carpool in well-maintained cars, especially if we travel late at night and will be on the road for six to eight hours or even up to 10 hours if caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic,” she said.
