A netizen took to Facebook to share his exhausting journey back home against the Raya jam, which cost RM1400 and took 18 hours, just to reach Kuala Lumpur from Besut, Terengganu.
During the recent Hari Raya holidays, a getaway to Tioman Island from Kuala Lumpur, meant to be refreshing, turned unexpectedly burdensome.
According to Sin Chew Daily, a male tourist and his family were caught in severe traffic, causing them to miss their flight back and endure a lengthy and expensive return trip.
2 hours to cover 1 km
Detailing his experience online, the tourist explained that on the second day of Hari Raya, their excursion to Tioman Island was severely disrupted by a traffic jam that ensnared them on the road.
“Our group of six, which included elderly members and children, left the jetty at Bandar Dungun at 1:30 PM. Traffic came to a halt near a well-known restaurant in Setiu, and we spent over two hours covering just one kilometer,” he shared.
They were scheduled to fly out of Terengganu Airport at 4:40 PM, but were still miles away from the airport at that time.
“With about two-thirds of our trip still ahead, reaching the airport on time became impossible,” he added.
Switch to a chartered vehicle
With no other options, the tourist arranged with the van driver to directly charter a vehicle back to Kuala Lumpur.
“The driver had previously inquired about the earliest we could leave the island and reach the jetty, concerned about traffic and wanting to ensure we made it to the airport in time.”
“We had not foreseen the traffic being so intense,” he noted.
The traffic was especially severe in Setiu, where the group moved just 350 meters in over an hour. Traffic only began to ease after Setiu, but once they reached the Gelang Patah Expressway, congestion built up again.
Eventually, after an 18-hour ordeal, the group reached home at 7:30 AM the following morning.
