[PHOTOS] Escaping the Aidilfitri rush

KUALA LUMPUR – The sudden announcement that Hari Raya Aidilfitri would fall a day earlier than expected last week had certainly caused panic among many Malaysians professing the Muslim faith.

A deluge of cars suddenly left city centres in the middle of the night, heading back to their respective kampung to celebrate the festivity after two years of lockdown under the movement control order to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Obviously, the tide of innumerable vehicles on the roads had triggered a massive traffic jam on the highways heading out of Kuala Lumpur – particularly northbound on the PLUS highway.

Social media was rife with complaints coming from those travelling that night – seeing that their average travel time had increased exponentially, leaving them exhausted after their long journey.

However, not everyone in the nation’s capital went through that unexpected final trial of Ramadan.

Those fortunate enough to hail from kampung nearby the Klang Valley found it was only a hop, skip, and jump away.

For instance, the descendants of Abd Kahar had the luxury of waiting out until the worst was over before heading to Kg Geleng Pertang in Jelebu, Negri Sembilan.

Within the short span of only an hour and a half, Kahar’s line, which spans three generations with 50-odd family members and relatives, had managed to gather without too much of a hassle.

In fact, many opted to use the less travelled but more complicated toll-free trunk roads instead of the highways – mainly because they cut travel times due to there being fewer vehicles.

Meanwhile, for those born and bred in Kuala Lumpur, many simply visited friends and family of similar background or those who opted to celebrate in the city instead.

The Vibes photographer SYEDA IMRAN celebrated Hari Raya Aidilfitri together with them recently. – The Vibes, May 10, 2022