Here's a recap of the places I travelled to, as well as personal highs and lows in 2023:
Holiday to Perhentian Island (June)
I've been visiting the island annually, and this was my third consecutive year. I always stay at the same resort because I love the beach there!
Even though I've been to the same resort three times, and I see the same staff working there, interestingly, they never acknowledge me as a returning guest. As a former employee of an international hotel chain, and having written articles on hospitality, I feel that the resort could have a returning guest programme, or improve on its existing one (if there is one to begin with).
This year we splurged on a beach front chalet, and this was the view from our chalet:
Participated in Kuching Marathon (1 October)
Two days before the half marathon, I fell sick.
I had a sore throat, flu and body aches. I was praying that I would recover before the run, which I did, albeit not fully.
As my body was still weak, I walked for most parts of the race and completed it within the 4 hour cut-off time (not gonna reveal my embarrassing time here).
Trip to Sandakan (November)
A colleague wanted to see monkeys and sun bears, so I organised the trip for her, considering that I went on the same trip couple of years ago.
We hired a driver for the day who drove us to the following places:
a) Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuaryb) Sepilok Orang Utan Centre
Amongst all the spots, my favourite was the Rainforest Discovery Centre.
This proboscis monkey looks like it's wearing a bomber jacket.
Pilgrimage got cancelled (November)
I was supposed to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but it got cancelled due to the war. I wrote about the experience in my column in Herald.
As there's a silver lining in every dark cloud, I went on a "revenge" trip instead to make-up for the disappointment of a cancelled pilgrimage.
Trip to Malta, Sicily and Tunis (November/December)
Since it was a last minute trip. it took me roughly a month to plan the trip and make all the bookings.
My trip began in Malta, after which I took the ferry from Valletta to Pozzalo (in Sicily) and onwards to Catania. In Catania, I had a great time visiting Mt Etna, Taormina, Isola Bella and Syracuse.
From Catania, I took the bus to Palermo (capital of Sicily).
From Palermo, I took the ferry to Tunis. I may have been the first Malaysian to have travelled into Tunis via ferry. This is because at immigration (in Palermo and Tunis), I was asked to wait aside whilst the immigration officer checked whether Malaysians require a visa to enter Tunisia. You should see the puzzled faces of the immigration officers at La Goulette port in Tunis when they saw my passport. So for the record, Malaysians DO NOT need visa to enter Tunisia (as at December 2023).
When international borders were closed due to the pandemic, I couldn't travel outside Malaysia for 3 years, my last trip was in October 2019 to Central Europe. I thought I had lost my passion for travel. However, the trip to the Mediterranean have reignited my travel mojo.
Street food at Ballaro Market in Palermo.
My mum's dog passed away (3 December)
I was in Tunis when my sister messaged to inform that our beloved dog, Rambo had passed on that morning. She found him lying motionless on the floor with a stream of blood flowing from his mouth.
Rambo was a stray that turned up regularly at my mum's place, and she eventually adopted him into the family in 2017. Therefore, we don't know his exact age.
My only regret was not going back to my mum's place to give Rambo pets and hugs before my big trip to the Mediterranean. Now it's goodbye forever :-(
Bye bye, Rambo ...
Completed my MBA (December)
I enrolled for the course during the pandemic lockdown when I had loads of time being stuck at home. I had ample time to follow the online lessons, and to complete my assignments.
The graduation ceremony was held on 3 December, but I had to give it a miss as I was travelling in Sicily at that time.
At the point of writing, I have yet to collect my certificate from the university. Without revealing the name of the university, I wouldn't encourage anyone to study there. The administrative part(s) of the university needs lots of improvement.
Maid of Honour in Singapore (December)
I was honoured (no pun intended) to become Maid of Honour at a friend's wedding in Singapore.
The Mass was held at the lovely Church of Saints Peter and Paul on Queen Street.
I made two short trips to Singapore on two consecutive weekends - to attend the wedding rehearsal, and for the wedding itself.
I already have two trips planned in 2024. And this time, I'm planning those trips around projects and events that I need to complete at the office.
Chinese people the world over will also be celebrating the dragon lunar year in 2024 (CNY is on 10 Feb 2024). So I'm looking forward to 2024.
I wish everyone a year that is filled with hope, good health, and keep on having a growth mindset!
