Honda Malaysia sure knows how to throw a heart-stirring raya party, whisking us all the way back to our nostalgic childhood. As someone who was born in the 90s, I briefly experienced the kampung life, the bicycle rides, the hopscotch, and the congkak, before my parents moved and we succumbed to the city life. So I was absolutely ecstatic when Honda Malaysia decided to take us on a ‘balik kampung‘ drive to Kuala Linggi to experience the kampung life all over again!
The journey started early in the morning, where members of the media were paired and flagged off at CP Tower in Petaling Jaya. We followed a lead car (HR-V) driven by a Honda representative, Ivan, in the 4th Generation Honda City, in the S+ and V variant.
On the freeway, Ivan encouraged us to push the car to its limits and test out its grip and torque. The City obliged. Equipped with the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system, every turn was confidently smooth and firm, the car was steady and reliable at even at a speed of 140km/h. Overtaking cars on the road was a breeze, but more importantly, I felt confident and safe.
The drive was also comfortable as there was plenty of legroom in the cabin. The S+ variant did not have control buttons on the steering wheel, but that was no issue at all since the LCD screen was easily manipulated with finger gestures, I could change tracks and increase or decrease the volume by just swiping the screen.
We made a pit stop at Jakel, Seremban, where we shopped for baju raya (my first one ever) and had a quick lunch before sprinting off to our kampung-style resort, Desa Balqis. We took an alternative winding route, and the car once again proved to be both solid and powerful when in contact with sharp turns and potholes on the road. It was an adventure!
Upon arriving at Desa Balqis, we were taken on a step-by-step tutorial on how to prepare bubur lambuk, a must-have dish during Ramadhan. It is basically traditional rice porridge, rich spices, and beef. Also, it adds on to your good karma if you make bubur lambuk during the fasting month and give it to the less fortunate!
After presenting the bubur lambuk to Masjid al-Mutaqqin, we freshened up and proceeded to an extravagant dinner on the verandah, accompanied by colourful and brightly lit pelitas perched on the ground, cats, and a chilling sea breeze.
The highlight of the night was the ketupat weaving workshop. We did not expect it to be easy, but we sure did not think it would take us 3 to 4 hours just to get the hang of it! The intricate finger-works, utmost concentration and resilience paid off when I eventually managed to complete one. Ta-da!
The next morning, we got to flaunt our baju raya from Jakel, as Honda Malaysia hosted a feast of a Hari Raya breakfast in open-house style. We had everything from roti jala, ketupat, spicy sambal ikan bilis, and indulged until we were stuffed!
After a brief walk to the beach, we hopped back into our cars and made our way back to Petaling Jaya.
The entire experience was worthwhile and absolutely gratifying, the comfort of the City, the serenity of kampung life at Desa Balqis, and hey, I got my first ever super-gorgeous baju raya!
The 4th Generation Honda City retails for the following price:
Honda City S: RM 76,100 (OTR with insurance and GST)
Honda City S+ : RM79,300 (OTR with insurance and GST)
Honda City E: RM 84,600 (OTR with insurance and GST)
Honda City V: RM 92,000 (OTR with insurance and GST)
For more information, head over to Honda Malaysia.
