Nearing the end of Ramadan, the streets in my residential area have grown quiet as my neighbors return to their hometown. This year is no exception, and since the restrictions on COVID-19 have been lifted, this Eid will be the mark of a bittersweet memory for a lot of traveling individuals to meet up with their families.
After Eid Takbeer, my family and I placed our luggages into the boot. Initially, the reason why we chose to travel on the first day of Eid was to avoid congestion, yet on Paroi-Kuala Pilah road, the traffic did not even budge! After spending five minutes trapped in the unmoved lane with nowhere to go, my mom suggested that we took the road through Bahau. My siblings and I went through nausea and the urge to vomit since the roads were even worse than the old Bukit Putus. During the first part of our journey, my siblings and I spent our time sleeping the car sickness away.
Normally, the journey from Negeri Sembilan to Pahang should be around 4-5 hours. But since we took the long way, we arrived in Jempol in the evening, two hours after we began. (And because my dad took the wrong exit somewhere in the twists and turns of Bahau). We performed Asar prayers in Bandar Seri Jempol mosque before continuing on and made another stop at Muadzam Shah to buy some snacks. Unintentionally, this habit became our yearly ritual whenever we ventured to the town by the sea, since the journey could stretch out for hours and my younger siblings (and my father) opted for snacks during the drive.
Going back to Pekan for Eid every year has its own attractions, as well as troubles brewing in the horizon. In particular, I was not fond of going back as the whole journey would often be either a bump on the road or the whole thunderstorm that often ruined the festive mood.
It was night time when we arrived at my grandparents’ house in Pekan, Pahang. This year’s celebration was less lively since most of my aunt spent their first Eid with their husband’s family. Our closest cousins to our age was the only reason why we were looking forward for the meeting, and since they weren't around, this year's celebration was off to a nosedive. My dad could not get a day off from his work either, thus we only returned for two days only. Usually on the first night of Eid, my cousins and I would grill the satay and even ‘pulut panggang’, my grandmother’s specialty. When she was a few years younger, she accepted orders during Ramadhan, and the local community knew of my grandmother and her famous ‘pulut panggang’. But now, riddled with illness, my grandmother only made enough for her grandchildren, her in-laws and children (we often fought for it too, first come first serve basis).
The day after came, and we set out to return to Negeri Sembilan. Push aside the heavy traffic at Kuala Pilah that lasted for five hours, everything was dandy. Of course, the return to reality was faster than I expected, but it was the memories of the journey that counted, wasn’t it? Or maybe the memories of the years past, I missed going to Terengganu and visited the beach, my favorite distant uncle and overall, being surrounded by villages kept me at ease.
Happy Eid Al-Fitr everyone, enjoy your time with your family and friends!
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