LIFESTYLE
7 Things Only Malaysians Who Celebrate Hari Raya In Klang Valley Can Relate To
Each year during the festive season, every highway in Malaysia will be jam-packed with motorists making their way back to their hometowns to celebrate it with their loved ones.
And since we’re literally hours away until Hari Raya, we know some of you have made plans to balik kampung, or for those of you who have annual leaves to burn, you are probably even on your way back right now.
However, for some group of people, the question “Eh balik kampung mana this year?” seems a bit… dreadful? Not because you dread celebrating Hari Raya with your family or you don’t have a place to go, but it’s because the response you’ll get after answering that question.
So, who are these group of people?
It’s the people whose kampung happens to be in the Klang Valley. Yeap, it’s the “Raya in KL doesn’t consider as balik kampung” gang.
This post is dedicated to all our friends who are celebrating Hari Raya in the Klang Valley because, well, we understand the feeling of celebrating Raya at your kampung that’s probably just 20 minutes from where you work. Ugh!
While everyone else is excited to see a change of scenery and also enjoy the long journey back to their hometowns, what you’ll get each year is the same old, same old KL city view (probably the same McDonald billboard you see on the Federal Highway) on your way back to your "hometown". The only way to change this is to eventually get married to someone from another state.
For once, you’ll feel like the king of the world! Like seriously, empty roads and no traffic jam in KL? Such a miracle! Now you’ll feel that having your hometown in KL is actually a blessing in disguise. Plus, you’ll never have Malaysian timing anymore, since your usual peak hour journey will turn into probably a 15-20 minutes’ journey to your destination. So much freedom!
No balik kampung trips mean you’ll save up more on petrol and toll charges! And in some cases, you don’t even have to pass through any toll plazas. So, you’ll have extra money to buy more baju raya and kuih raya. Just don’t tell your pesky nieces and nephews about this or else they’ll be demanding for extra duit raya too.
Admit it, you're jealous of your friends' Raya journey as you scroll through your Instagram feed. Your friends who are celebrating Raya outside of the Klang Valley have beautiful, exotic backdrops complimenting their Raya OOTD photos. There’s that money-can’t-buy kampong vibe adorned with tall coconut trees, cows, chickens, and ducks running around their traditional wooden house compound.
#1 No Real Balik Kampung Journey
While everyone else is excited to see a change of scenery and also enjoy the long journey back to their hometowns, what you’ll get each year is the same old, same old KL city view (probably the same McDonald billboard you see on the Federal Highway) on your way back to your "hometown". The only way to change this is to eventually get married to someone from another state.#2 Empty Roads
For once, you’ll feel like the king of the world! Like seriously, empty roads and no traffic jam in KL? Such a miracle! Now you’ll feel that having your hometown in KL is actually a blessing in disguise. Plus, you’ll never have Malaysian timing anymore, since your usual peak hour journey will turn into probably a 15-20 minutes’ journey to your destination. So much freedom!#3 Save Petrol and Toll Money
No balik kampung trips mean you’ll save up more on petrol and toll charges! And in some cases, you don’t even have to pass through any toll plazas. So, you’ll have extra money to buy more baju raya and kuih raya. Just don’t tell your pesky nieces and nephews about this or else they’ll be demanding for extra duit raya too.#4 Getting Jealous of Your Friends Instagram Raya Photos
Admit it, you're jealous of your friends' Raya journey as you scroll through your Instagram feed. Your friends who are celebrating Raya outside of the Klang Valley have beautiful, exotic backdrops complimenting their Raya OOTD photos. There’s that money-can’t-buy kampong vibe adorned with tall coconut trees, cows, chickens, and ducks running around their traditional wooden house compound. Well, at least you can post the photo of you lying in the middle of an empty street in KL, right? Not exotic enough? Okay, then keep scrolling.
Everyone knows the iconic Raya song, Balik Kampung by Sudirman. The chorus alone can get everyone wreaking havoc in the car. But for you… you’ll probably reach your destination before the song even ends. But it’s okay, no harm singing “Oh oh oh, balik kampung!” (repeat 1,000 times) to help emulate that feeling.
Malls and busy streets turn into ghost towns, which means it’s the perfect time to do the activities you’ve always wanted without the crowd! You can watch a movie, go bowling, go swimming, go to Ikea and eat all the meatballs; anything! 
No loud, epic firecracker battles, no kids going door to door to beraya, no neighbours coming over to send over some food, no sight of people making lemang outside of their houses, queueing up for cold 'air perigi' showers in the morning, and most importantly, no 'tidur lambak', where you, your siblings, and cousins from out of town have to sleep together at the living hall using comforters. Sigh.
#5 The ‘Balik Kampung’ Song Doesn’t Apply to You… According to Your Friends
Everyone knows the iconic Raya song, Balik Kampung by Sudirman. The chorus alone can get everyone wreaking havoc in the car. But for you… you’ll probably reach your destination before the song even ends. But it’s okay, no harm singing “Oh oh oh, balik kampung!” (repeat 1,000 times) to help emulate that feeling.#6 The Best Time To Do Everything You’ve Always Wanted To Do
Malls and busy streets turn into ghost towns, which means it’s the perfect time to do the activities you’ve always wanted without the crowd! You can watch a movie, go bowling, go swimming, go to Ikea and eat all the meatballs; anything! #7 No “Suasana Hari Raya di Kampung”
No loud, epic firecracker battles, no kids going door to door to beraya, no neighbours coming over to send over some food, no sight of people making lemang outside of their houses, queueing up for cold 'air perigi' showers in the morning, and most importantly, no 'tidur lambak', where you, your siblings, and cousins from out of town have to sleep together at the living hall using comforters. Sigh.Have anything else you think that we can relate to? Share it with us in the comment section! With that, we at Rojak Daily would like to wish all our friends who are celebrating Eid, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri Maaf Zahir dan Batin!
P/S: Feel free to send us some kuih raya!
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