Take The Path Less Ordinary

Unlike most travel series where the host is pampered with everything 5 star, Qushairi has no such luxury. Poor guy had to make do with street food, dodgy hotels and everything that depicts budget travellings. In short, he has to walk the talk for Destinasi Bajet, or Budget Destination, Malaysia’s most popular TV travel series.

But he is not complaining.

For the 2nd season, Qushairi Mohammed Razali, 29, or fondly known as Chi or Qi, has shaved off his beard and spots a clean look. Some of you will remember Chi as the drummer for award winning OAG Band which won The Best New Artist category in Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) 1996. In 16th June 1997, OAG had the honour of rocking the 9th FIFA/Coca Cola Cup World Youth Championship with the theme song that was aired over 25 participating countries.

Hence, when our film producer friend Farid Othman of Homegrown Productions Sdn Bhd called on us, we were thrilled. Last month, we had the honour of guiding Destinasi Bajet’s filming crew into the coastal countryside of Perak, our home state, and help them pry open the hidden side of Malaysia.

A short search on Google or Yahoo and one will discover that Chi highly popular. Thanks to his suave good looks, courtesy of mixed Chinese Malay parentage, the dude has hundreds of blogs (mostly girls’ you bet) linked to him.

If you’re still operating under the notion that the Malaysian countryside is all about coconut trees and rainforest, the 2nd season will see us guide Chi to another world where trees grow “legs” to stay above the sea tide

With only a meagre RM300 to cover for 3 days and 2 nights (it’s crazy we know), Chi hits the soft spot of viewers with his carefree - and sometimes crazy - antics to keep all amused with the ups and downs along the journey. He dresses down, speaks impeccable Malay and English, dine on cheap eats and will go head-first to anywhere to expand his horizon. Behind the camera, we found Chi to be immersely humble as he shared with us his personal journey of trials and tribulations in his 10 over years of career in the limelight.

It’s easy to like the guy.

It’s great that there are people like Michael Christian Simon, the Managing Director and Executive Producer of Homegrown Production Sdn Bhd, who came up with the idea of showcasing authentic Malaysian countryside and unpretentious travels.

Thanks guys and keep it up. We need more countryside-conscious people like you.