I’m coming home…

Well, I’m home already…but that day, Friday, I had to get up early to get ready and to check out of the hotel before John (my Penang taxidriver friend) came to pick me and take me to the airport at 6.00 a.m. My flight to KL was at 8.15 a.m. but Air Asia would only open their counters 2 hours ahead of the flight and passengers would have to check in no later than 45 minutes before the scheduled time of departure.

Soon I was there at the airport…

It seemed that they had done a bit of facelift works and this is the MAS check-in area. I wondered who designed the place because I took one glimpse at it and Calvary came to mind! The Air Asia counters were in a new section at the far end. After checking in, I walked around for a bit and I saw that unlike before, most of the shops were open. This one reminds me of Huai Bin…

I remembered that he had posted an advertorial promoting those products not too long ago. After a while, I proceeded to the departure lounge…

Inside, the shops were open as well but I did not buy anything as I was only carrying one hand luggage (I had no intention of paying the RM3 and by the way, if you do not pay online and have some luggage to check in at the airport, you will have to pay RM10, excluding the exorbitant overweight charges! Gee! Isn’t that sheer daylight robbery?) and inside I already had a box of tambun biscuits…

that Gin, my daughter’s friend, had given me and I also bought a number of packets of these…

-McVITIE’S Scottish shortbread that I got from Tesco in Sungai Petani for RM5.60 a packet. I’ve always loved the rich buttery taste of Scottish shortbread…but Walkers that is available in Sibu (and the duty-free shops) will cost over RM10 a packet and I don’t like the Australian-made Butterfingers, not that they’re any cheaper, sold at Ta Kiong!

The plane took off on schedule and we had a smooth flight. Upon approaching KL, I saw grey silhouettes of the Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower in the distance protruding through the snow-white mist that shrouded the whole city (or was it haze?)…and all the shadows of the rectangular structures (skyscrapers) that stood straight and tall. Somehow or other, I imagined the cemetery in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. Gosh! I guess I have a hyperactive imagination… The landing was horrendous though for we landed with a heavy bump that scared all the passengers out of their wits, no thanks to Captain Arif and 1st Officer Azwan.

Upon landing at LCCT, I rushed to check in for my flight to Sibu. That is one thing about Air Asia flights. You cannot check in all the way when you are on transit flights, and the same too when you do the booking online. You will just have to plod on doing sector by sector. Never mind! When you’re an el-cheapo like me, you should expect some inconveniences.

Loitering around the departure lounge, I spotted this…

and this…

and if you think their English is bad, wait till you hear the BM. The flight was at 11 and at 10.30, everybody started to queue up in an orderly manner even though there had been no announcement yet. At 10.45, an Air Asia stewardess informed passengers that the flight had been delayed as the aircraft had been held up in Langkawi and the flight “dijangka tiba pada pukul sebelas setengah minit…”. Talk about precision! They even counted half a minute, though I could jolly well guess that she meant “sebelas setengah pagi”.

Ah well, I guess now everyone can fly wait!!! It actually arrived later than that and we only boarded the aircraft at around 12 noon, an hour later than the scheduled time. At least, this time the landing was fine…and finally, I was safely home in one piece but in less than two weeks’ time, I will be on the move again,  heading eastwards to this place…..