Thursday, March 10, 2011

I am a beneficiary of MTCP Program 2009; Part Two

Towards late evening on 2nd August, I boarded the Malaysian Airline Flight No ??? and began my onward journey to Malaysia. -the land of true Asia. As the flight gained height and became fully airborne, the darkness outside engulfed the airplane.

It has been a long journey in the dark. Most people preferred sleeping than  listening to flight captain and in-flight services form the flight attendants. Captain of the flight, at regular interval of time reminded all the passengers about the grim consequences of importing any illegal drugs to Malaysia; -the death sentence.

 My flight finally landed in Kaula Lampur International airport at around midnight. I met my guide, perhaps a person form the travel agent. He looked neither young nor old and spoke good English. He sounded so friendly and reminded me of my good old friends.

As we proceeded to collect out luggage, we also met a person from Mongolia who have come for the same course. She looked exactly like a Bhutanese lady and that brought me more comfort. She told me to call her Magie.

With H1N1 pandemic sweeping the region, not many people were seen in the terminal (which was otherwise designed to accommodate thousands) The ladies in the immigration counter spoke less but did their job of expediting our clearance. The customs was not in my worry list.

Suddenly, I was outside the terminal building, sweating in the heat and breeze of tropical vegetation. An old  cabbie took me in his old and noisy  cab along with Mrs. Magie from Mongolia to Melaka.  As he stopped at a nearby gas station and to refuel his gas, I could see his elderly  muslim white bear around his mouth and a beautiful taqiyah on his head. He spoke not even a word to us. He occasionally used his cell phone while driving and conversed in language, far foreign to me and Magie. I tried my best not to fall asleep but to no avail. The racing cars and motor cycles on the high way, along with the occasional screams form Magie, however kept me awake.

We reached the Customs Academy of Melaka, popularly known as AKMAL at around 2 am. Exhausted and worn out, I immediately went to my room and slept on the bed.

 I was given room No 26. It had all the facilities far far better than the ones I have seen in customs academy in Faridabad, India. The bed was comfortable and cozy. The mirror; large and clear, and LCD TV screen fitted on the wall. The bathroom appeared bit old but was clean and hygienic. The sleepers in the bathroom were worn-out but were still usable.

The surrounding was clean and calm. It had all the beauty associated with the academy. The dining was well set. The utensils bore a testimony of all the good foods it served; starting form orange juice to lemon tea, tasty fish curry to sticky rice and fresh banana to juicy melon.

The staffs of the academy were friendly and were very hospitable too. They helped me understand more on Muslim culture and tradition. They told me that drinking liquors and eating pork are considered gross. Visiting a lady's room for a man is prohibited and if found, one will be charged for a breach of sharia law. 

With all those beautiful things and beautiful  people around, I anticipated my trip to be a success, both in terms of knowledge gaining and familiarizing my self to the uniquely Malaysian society.

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