Crazy Day Trip to Sungai Petani

Date: 23 May 2010, Sunday
Venue: Sungai Petani, Kedah Darul Aman
Occasion: To collect a good bargain of an electronic drum kit from a seller in Sungai Petani (and of course to at least try out some food there!)

Our mission: Roland TD-9KX V-Drums V-Tour Series

Aaron came down from Kuantan to KL specifically on a mission to collect his new 'toy' from a seller in Sungai Petani, Kedah. The distance from KL to Taman Lagenda in Sungai Petani is at least 374km (while the distance from Kuantan to KL is approximately 259km). It was a crazee decision to drive up all the way to collect the drum kit, but to him, it was worth every single km. He had the option to either pay RM500 for the transportation fee for the drums (without having a glimpse of it before purchasing), or go there to see it for himself before buying it, & without a doubt, he chose the latter.

We left for Sungai Petani (SP) around 6:15am, & oh, it was a lovely & exciting journey :) (albeit a tremendously insane one) With just a small ice box of chilled coffee & milo + a bag of water, bread, home-made tong sui & some sweets, we were off on our mini adventure for the day!!

Here's just to share with all of you on our journey there & the ONE meal that we had in SP before leaving for KL again (as he had to drive back to Kuantan after a short rest in KL).

Before dawn: 6:37am
On the North-South highway...Good morning, Malaysia! What a Sunday morning!!

Morning has broken: 6:54am
The lovely painted sky :) Pweeety!

Mist-erious: 6:54am

Shifting Clouds & Colors: 6:55am
The morning journey on the North-South highway is indeed a spectacle to behold :)

On the way into Perak: 6:57am
I thought this was quite a "majestic" sight

Hello Ipoh!: 7:52am
This is some sign of hope that we're on the right track up north!

Of Hills & Lovely Weather: 7:58am
I enjoy the scenic view on the North-South highway. Have some good music playing in the background, some fun chatters, & you're off on an exciting road trip! :D

First Sight of Kedah: 9:36am
Paddy-fields!! Me like! Hello Kedah!! :D

Finally arrived at Sungai Petani: 9:53am
We were only driving around in the car, so this was one of the few photos I could snap (which is clear) from the inside of the car.

City Center's Clock Tower: 9:58am
The clock is still functioning! Whoa...

Upon arrival at Sungai Petani (SP), we headed straight to the seller's house to test out the drums. After testing it out & finding it satisfactory, we packed up the drums, paid, & left for lunch - the one & only outside-meal that we had for the entire trip!!

Interesting-Looking HSBC Building

Parking Ticket on a Sunday =.="
Sunday is a weekday in Kedah, so we had no choice but to purchase a parking booklet for RM3.00, using just ONE of the tickets, & giving the rest away to some passerby when we left SP.

Lunch at hawker center behind the SP Bus Terminal, Jalan Petri
This was one place where I read had pretty good ice blended peanut, red bean, corn, & the alike. There's also reasonably good SP assam laksa around this area. I was looking high & low for this stall, & finally found it. It's a corner shop, behind the bus terminal, facing the river. Just look for Stall #59, Chung Choon Kooi.

Ice Blended Peanut & Ice Blended Red Beans @ Stall #59 (RM1.80/glass)
Simple, delicious, & very delightful on a hot, humid day. It's not too sweet, so I kinda enjoyed it. You can really taste the peanut+milo+milk (not sure about the red bean as our new-found friend, the guy who sold us the drums, had that. Yes, we invited him to a simple lunch with us :D). I still can't forget the peanut snow mountain at Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant at The Gardens beside Mid Valley, but hey, this glass of ice blended costs 1/4 the price of peanut snow ice at Fong Lye!

SP's Assam Laksa @ Stall #59 (RM2.00/bowl)
It's certainly not the best. The assam laksa soup was a little bland/"flat" in my personal opinion. The balance of the sour+spicy is quite alright, but perhaps what's really missing (that gives the "umph" to the noodles) is the smelly kampung fish! I wasn't able to locate the better assam laksa recommended by other foodies (at 2nd street...wherever is that???!) as we were rushing for time to head back to KL so that we'll have some time to rest.

Map to Stall #59 behind the SP Bus Terminal

View PerutBesi in a larger map

See you again, Sungai Petani!: 1:39pm
The sight of paddy fields on both sides of the highway in Kedah brings great delight to a city girl like me...hahaha...I enjoy the country-side :) Sometimes I wonder if I'm a kampung-girl stuck in a city as I am really a "village-girl" at heart!

By the time we arrived back at KL, it was 5+pm. Oh, we were a little tired, but the excitement was still present when we landed home. What a Sunday; what a road trip; what an adventure! This surely brought more colors to my day :)

Rainbow!! - A Glimpse of Greater Hope & Assurance :)
This is a random photo. I just saw it yesterday (22 May 2010) on the way to Mydin at USJ1. It's been a terribly long time since I caught the sight of a rainbow. It made my day! :D

When was your last road trip?

Perhaps it's time to pack up some simple food & drinks & drive your way to the neighbouring states where you live ;)


The Happy-Bunny,
Ruth