Unbolted

Our Malaysian itinerary was full of little adventures. From day one to the last, every day offered something different, something unique to remember. There was never a dull moment. Even on the days we chose to sit back and relax, the universe conspired to add some drama to it. One such day was the day of our anniversary in Langkawi when an amusing drama unbolted and a new chapter was added to the list of our adventures.

Traveling mostly as a couple, we tend to miss out on good travel pictures. It’s mostly the selfies or those similar-posed awkward photos taken by a passerby. Inspired by fellow travelers and many travel influencers, we had finally invested in a sturdy tripod. Or should I say I convinced him to buy one.

On our anniversary, we decided to take a day off from the checklist and planned to have a self-photoshoot in the beautiful resort premises with a scenic backdrop. We dressed up after a sumptuous breakfast and picked a few locations. Setting up the tripod was the easiest part, posing for the pictures was another story. After a few satisfactory shots and many rejected ones, we retired back to our rooms.

The drama slowly began to unfold when we tried to pack the tripod, and it refused to fold. After multiple trials we were unable to fold it back to its original form. We decided to let it be and continued with the rest of the day. After another day’s futile attempts, I tried to raise a complaint with the brand, though I knew they wouldn’t be of any help.

Hence, the tripod continued to be seated on the backseat of our car for sight-seeing in Langkawi. The actual problem was our domestic transit back to KL two days later. We would have to leave it behind if it wouldn’t fold back. Thoughts of it brought my anxiety back, since we had already titled it as a perfect companion for solo/duo travelers.

The last day of our Langkawi trip, dedicated to shopping and sunset cruise, was the D-day for this tripod situation as well. Planning the day in the morning, P found a repair shop in the mall that had duty-free outlets. With much hope, we headed out, tripod in tow. Upon reaching there, we were bummed to see the repair shop closed. Since it was already close to noon, we had little hope of it opening that day.

Wondering what to do, I caught sight of Mr. DIY store. Aware of its concept, I remembered that it hosted multiple utility products, particularly toolkits. With anticipation, we entered the store and located the mini-tool kit. In trepidation, we walked out of the store with a tripod in one hand and toolkit in another, looking for a table to begin the operation. The food court came to our rescue. We sat there and started to understand which bolts to unscrew. With a few tiny screws unbolted in another five minutes, the tripod was able to bend back to its smaller travel-friendly form. We both took a deep sigh together.

For the rest of the days in KL, we didn’t dare to bring out the tripod. It was only days after coming back home that I picked it up to give another shot at fixing it. And viola, after a few attempts, I was able to restore its functionality!

Follow me this April as I take you on a journey through our unforgettable Malaysian adventures, chapter by chapter.