Pre-preparation to Bangkok - December 23rd to December 24, 2014. Part 1

I was getting things ready for our trip to Bangkok. I thought I was giving the final touches; but I end-up doing more than I should. The night before I packed and re-packed my tiny backpack with clothes to make sure that what I brought was sufficient. Zahra' did her own packing and I am not so concerned about her because she is a veteran at packing. On top of that, she had prepared a checklist whereas I only created a mental checklist. Hubby packed his own backpack, too.

Today I pack another backpack with my camera, note book and pens and a book to read. This will be for the daily travelling as I don't plan to bring my handbag. At the same time I completed my packing for another bag for our overnight stay at my in-laws in Behrang and also at my sister's in Sg. Petani.
Once everything is packed and placed into the car, I went on another round of the house to make sure the plugs were switched off and unplugged; the doors were all properly closed and locked and everything else were in order. At least when we come home, we will be certain that we had left things as they were. These are safety measures I had picked up from my late father and my late grandfather who were strict disciplinarians.

Before embarking on our journey to Behrang, I told my husband I need to go to two bank to settle my bills. At the same time he had plans of his own, too. Eventually, his plans materialized while mine was forgotten. Off course I was seething furiously but I decided to remain silent.
My in-laws were surprised to see us on a weekday. When hubby told the why, they kept quiet. We spent the night at their house. The next day we left Behrang for our 2nd leg of the journey - to Sg. Petani.

We both know that my sister was still in Melaka and the only person to greet us will be my brother-in-law. Unfortunately, he has a performance that night and we were told where to find the key to the house. Since Amir will not be home by the time we arrived, hubby decided to try the 2nd bridge, the Sultan Abdul Halim Muazzam Shah Bridge, to Penang. As soon as we exited the bridge, we were greeted with snarled traffic. After all it was Christmas Eve. Eventually, we didn't get to the destination that hubby had in mind. To pass the time, I took a some photos.

This view was taken from the moving car. I was clearly upset because the
Bridge was not photographer friendly. It simply means there was not a spot
to stop for photo taking. A real waste.

The view of the Sultan Abdul  Halim Muazzam Shah Bridge taken from the car by my daughter, Zahra'.

The high rise building that is now doting Penang Island.

 Since traffic was at a crawl, hubby decided to find the route to the ferry terminal. It was a relief to be on the ferry once again after so many years and as soon as hubby parked the car, I was out of the car in no time at all. Zahra' followed suite and together we stood on the deck overlooking the sea. I still have problem taking night shots and I end up more frustrated.

An eg of badly taken photo. Must learn the settings to improve myself.

These two are inseparable - father and daughter. 

It was sheer luck I got this right and after 4 attempts.

This is the best I can do with my night photography. A total failure. I know I can do better next time. All I need to do is try and try.

When we exit Chain Ferry, I showed Zahra' my former school, the Chain Ferry Convent School. Since it was dark, we could not see much except the form of the school.

We were hungry. hubby decided to have Prawn Mee at Sg, Dua. At least I still remember how to get to the restaurant. All Zahra' had to do was to read the sign board. I must admit, I find the price per plate of RM12.00 was much too high and there were only 4 prawns. The serving was also smaller and many ingredients were pulled out. Things are not the same as the last time we had Prawn Mee. Either the price has really hiked up or we were not at the same restaurant. Either way, we were not fully satisfied.

After dinner, we slowly made our way to Sg. Petani. After taking the key from its location, we let ourselves in. We were just too tired to really notice the condition of the house. Before going to bed, I helped my sister fold the clothes that were on the carpet. I really don't know at what time Amir arrived home then.