KUCHING: As the festive season draws near, many of those who are from outside of Kuching are usually seen rushing back to their hometown; to their family and friends to celebrate the holiday season together.
New Sarawak Tribune recently spoke to a few people at Kuching Sentral as the bus terminal has been packed with people who intend to return to their hometowns for Christmas.
One of the clerks at the bus terminal, Linsa Agong, revealed that the terminal began to see a surge in passengers since Dec 22 until yesterday.
“Many of the passengers had chosen the night buses, especially those returning to Miri and Bintulu, as those destinations are far.
“As for today (yesterday), most of the passengers here are returning to Sibu, Sarikei and Mukah,” she said.
She added that most passengers preferred the night buses as they could reach their hometowns by dawn.
“Those who are using the night buses usually choose the buses that depart between 7pm and 10pm,” she said, adding that there were suprisingly more trips to Pontianak, Indonesia yesterday morning.
Meanwhile, 33-year-old Jacqlyne Takong, who hails from Lubok Antu, disclosed that she had been using the bus since a decade ago to return to her family during the festivities.
“Despite being apart from my family since I was 23 years old, I have always returned home during the festive seasons, including Gawai,” she said.
David Garik, 27, who is a general worker of a procurement company from Sarikei, shared that he was excited and delighted as it had been almost two years since he went home for Christmas.
“I could’ve chosen the bus the night before but it was already sold out, even the 7am bus this morning was sold out. So, I chose the 2.30pm bus,” he said, adding that the bus’ departure time did not matter as people really wanted to return home and spend time with them.
Stephanie Peter, 29, who is an executive admin of an F&B company, expressed her excitement over returning to Sibu for Christmas as all of her family members would gather together.
“Usually, one or two of my siblings wouldn’t be able to return home for Christmas or Gawai. But this year, all of us will gather together for Christmas including my newborn niece,” she said.
Stephanie stressed that it was important to return home and celebrate the festive season with the family as it had been a tradition since she was young.
“Always return home to your family and celebrate together. It is a sort of therapy for those of us who are working far from home,” she added.
Meanwhile, 34-year-old Christopher Ako, who is a technical worker at a shopping mall, said that he was excited to bring home all the presents he bought for his family.
“As you can see, three out of the five baggages are filled with presents for them.
“I can’t wait to see the look on their faces the moment they receive the presents,” he added.
Christopher also wished a safe journey to those who are returning home to their family for the festive season.
