Hometown Colours

Hometown Colours.

Rain falls on the parched road of tiny Sungai Mati town. The town of Dead River used to be a bustling river port. It was so named because it became an oxbow lake or billabong after breaking from the Muar River. Located on the outskirts of Muar town.

It is not my hometown and I stopped here while I was going to Muar for a holiday. Stopped because the colours were so striking. It was also on this trip, I discovered there is a bridge which Muarians call the Penang Bridge. Confusingly, the official name is also very original as in Jambatan Kedua. WTFish? Haha.

Incidentally, I received a second booking for the new Muo Boutique Hotel by an unknown person for the Hari Raya period again. If you are planning to book a hotel for the “balik kampung” trip ahead, please do so early. It is getting to be a common practice and people do it for various reasons. Many small town hotels are understandably small and have limited rooms.

MyCen Hotels should have a hotel listed or searchable for every town. Let me know, if you have difficulty finding one for your destination. Contact me and I will try to help you find one.

Below are some of the sample presets or links to towns or cities with ready links of hotels at the lower part of the booking page at http://www.mycen.my/hotel/

Hotels In Penang | Hotels In Ipoh | Hotels In Taiping | Hotels In Langkawi | Hotels In London | Pop! Hotel & Other Hotels In Bali | Burj Al Arab Jumeirah & Other Hotels In Dubai | Al Marez The Halal Hotel & Other Hotels In Bangkok | Hotels In Setapak | Hotels In Kuala Lumpur | Hotels In Sekinchan | Budget Hotels In Singapore | Hotels In Singapore | Hotels In Kampar | Hotels In Teluk Intan | Hotels In Jakarta | Hotels In Muar | Hotels In Tanjung Malim | HotelsĀ  In Chiang Mai | Hotels In Kota Kinabalu Sabah | Hotels In Kuala Selangor | Hotels In KLIA

#smalltown #hometown #balikkampung #muar #sungaimati

A Curious Case

Many years ago I thought of visiting a good friend in his hometown of Taiping during Chinese New Year. That was when many people are back in their respective hometowns and locals always make competent and knowledgeable guides to an unfamiliar small town. I called the friend and he said there was virtually no walking space in his mother’s house, with all his siblings returning.

It is a time honored tradition or custom to go back during a festival. He said he will throw a mattress on the floor for me. I told him to book a hotel for me. He called me later to say he cannot find a vacant hotel in town and offered to give me his room. He was staying in a hotel? As I was to find out. many other returning locals were taking up all the hotel rooms in town.

Seemed their pampered urban kids can’t sleep without air conditioning or bath without hot water showers. They like the Cartoon Channel and other kiddie shows on satellite or cable channels too but not all hotels provide it.. My friend explained that it was also to shield his infant child from the rampant sounds of bomb like firecrackers and fireworks in his village.

Meanwhile, poor grandma cannot understand why her grandchildren are unable to sleep under mosquito nets and a fan.

I was not surprised as I know of another friend who will put his two young daughters in the car with engine and air condition running whenever there was an extended power breakdown at night. He checks into hotels too when there is water disruptions.

It is a new phenomenon that impacted many Malay and Indian families too, as I was to find out. Don’t laugh at the proliferation of budget hotels everywhere because you think they are meant for ‘day use’ customers. They play a vital role albeit thrice yearly during festival exodus by urbanites.

If you are planning to book a room for the upcoming Hari Raya holidays, you may want to book now. Do a search for your hometown’s name at MyCen Hotels http://www.mycen.my/ and find a hotel you like. Let me know of your experience. Thank you.

Pic of a sheltered park bench at Taiping Lake Gardens from a MyCen Hotels post about Hotels In Taiping, Kuala Sepetang and Kamunting.

#cny #hometown #smalltown #exodus #festival #hotels #taiping #park #rain