24 January 2015
11 January 2015
Home sweet home
Despite being on standby, I got on the short flight to Auckland easily. I had accomplished what I had hoped to do for many years, ie. stopover in Norfolk Island en-route from Sydney to Auckland as the airfare was constructed as a single fare with a stopover (rather than two separate fares) and the hefty […]
7 January 2015
Back Downunder
I landed in Sydney feeling refreshed after an overnight flight because I managed to get decent sleep onboard. I had departed Kuching last night with a sobering start to the flight; we observed a 30 second silence before the safety demo in memory of those who perished in QZ8501. We arrived on a happier note […]
28 December 2014
Back to Kuching
I woke early to go out to the riverbank areas as the light was terrible yesterday for photos. The sun was in the wrong direction! I captured the scenes I wanted, got a breakfast of timingu (or tiamiso, or rice-flour batter cooked in a pan then pushed into soup, making it resemble freshly made noodles). […]
23 December 2014
Flying Sardine Jet
Above: My cheap but pleasant flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur. I had bought my AirAsia X ticket some 13 months before flying MEL-KUL-KCH-KUL-SYD for about NZD500, which is actually about NZD350 plus airport taxes (largely Australian). At that price, I had psyched myself up for the cramped conditions (width rather than legroom which is […]
19 December 2014
Visiting my aunt
I arrived in Melbourne after a rather squashy flight stuck in the window seat. Having been here several times, I made my way quickly to my aunt’s place where I’d stay for four nights before continuing my journey to KL and Kuching for Christmas with my parents and brothers. The AirAsia X ticket from Melbourne […]
19 December 2014
Leaving home
Today I begin my journey back to my hometown in Borneo for Christmas, but not without stopping along the way (and back). I fly to Melbourne today, stopping for several days before continuing my journey.
24 August 2014
Arrive home
Above: View of Auckland during our descent. I left Kuching yesterday afternoon for KL to connect with my flight to Auckland. Despite the 1h35 connection time in KL, there was plenty of time for me to enjoy the lounge as I was flying Business Class on a reward ticket. It was a very nice flight […]
13 August 2014
Family time again
I managed to get about 5h horizontal (actually, it was diagonal on an inclined flatbed) during the 9h flight from Jeddah to KL, of which about 3h was asleep. The seat was one I was familiar with but I’m not sure if it was the leather (rather than fabric) or the angle (perhaps steeper) that […]
12 August 2014
Transit in Jeddah
I checked out from my Istanbul hotel at 1100 and waited for my shuttle pickup at 1245 which came “on the dot”. After cruising around the Sultanahmet area to fill up with other prebooked passengers, we left for Ataturk airport getting there around 1345. With a 1530 departure to Jeddah to connect to Kuala Lumpur, […]