Fun In the Sun Part 3

Every year, towards the end of July or early August, about 200 people will be jumping with some excitement over the annual company event which either consists of a casual outing (usually to a water based theme park) or a dinner where people dress their best and eat boring sharks fin soup. I used to wonder what it is about shark fin's soup that leaves people in awe... it tastes pretty normal and each time they bring the dish to the table my thoughts go to the shark that lost it's fin, all bleeding and falling deep into the ocean floor as it can't swim. Then it dies.

But I digress...

This year, nobody really jumped. The trip to Tambun was looked on as an inconvenience as it involved a 2 to 2.5 hour drive one way, and us needing to stay there. Of course those who work in the company had everything sponsored except for travelling expenses, but parents had to pay for their kids - especially if they're above 90 cm. In the end, not that many people went. (Oh, they decided to reimburse us for petrol and toll today)

What I found exciting was the journey there... the radio played good music until I lost the reception as we headed away from the frequency which was then replaced with a bit of music from my mp3 and another friend's Japanese music. Driving was so much fun that I didn't feel all that tired or sleepy and the view from the highway was picturesque. I loved how the clouds hovered slowly at the tips of the limestone hills and it was all so green and beautiful.

The limestone hills

The Lost World of Tambun itself was pretty alright as far as theme parks go. I hung out with a bunch of people I don't usually hang out with (yes, I am a loner and therefore can gel with anyone for that matter) We hardly went back to our company tent especially after someone told us that the treasure hunt was for 'guys only' except for lunch, which was honestly a bit pathetic considering how water can make you extra ravenous. I just found out today that we were lied to. Our watery fun ended at about 2.00pm as it started to rain and we had also run out of things to do. The water also temporarily killed my camera which will explain the lack of photos here. Sorry.

After a quick shower, we headed to our hotel to check in. That process was a bit of a mess as the hotel people had not planned out the giving of the keys properly. A good and proper shower later, I found myself drifting off to sleep until I woke up with a slight headache at about 5:30. As time progressed, the migraine just got worse but I tried to ignore it for the dinner that night which was awesome in terms of entertainment. Despite the headache. An epiphany hit in the middle of the event... what if the hairdryer could save my camera? Turns out I was right. A few blasts of hot air made my camera work again. Sadly I missed out on almost all the reasons to take pictures :(

A view of an old house in Ipoh town

As much as it was not an event that I was anticipating for, I did have an enjoyable time and am at least 20 - 30% happier than I was in July. So all is good, I suppose