Day 1 : Kul - Mel

I arrived at LCCT at about 11.00 a.m. So did my friends. PW and I had not seen since 1999, and we gave each other a big, big hug. We were all very close friends in our student days, and I was very happy to see her again. It felt just like the good old days, when we had instant noodles, ice-cream and chit-chat parties late into the night!

We proceeded to check in. It was a breeze as we were early and there weren’t long queues at the check-in counters yet. My seat was 39H. I was thankful when I found out that it was an aisle seat. I knew I would be making many trips to the lavatory throughout the 8 hour flight!

Lunch was at Old Town White Coffee. Or rather, I had lunch. The others had coffee as they had already eaten a heavy breakfast. I had a Nasi Lemak Special. The rice was nicely flavoured with santan, and the sambal too, was piquant and tasty. What was the most memorable to me was the deep-fried chicken, which was overpowering with the taste of curry. Not my favourite ingredient in fried chicken, unfortunately.

Nasi Lemak Special @ Old Town White Coffee

After lunch, we went into the departure hall. I was asked to open up my handbag. I was seriously amused. “Do I look like a terrorist?” I asked my friends. Or was I just random passenger #399 whom they were supposed to check. At one leg of the journey, my laptop bag was weighed when I checked in my baggage. “Is it a standard procedure?” I asked the woman. “Yes,” she replied crisply. I rolled my eyes.  And NOW, they were giving me extra service by rummaging through my bag, looking for practically nothing. 

 

Anyway,flight D7 212 departed right on time. An hour into the journey, food was served. I had pre-booked a Malaysian meal, so it was none other than Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak. Hmn, a second nasi lemak of the day for me. I was not hungry so I merely picked at my food. I did find the nasi lemak tasty though. 

Pak Nasser's Nasi Lemak

We arrived at Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine 25 minutes ahead of schedule. Wonderful. I’ve always heard of how strict the Australian immigration and customs are. So I declared my tea drink. 

"What sort of food do you have?" I was asked many times by different customs officers.
"Just some tea," I replied.

I was directed to gate 5, which I later found out was the gate for a doggie sniff test. The little terrier was so cute.  He brought a smile to my face as I watched him carry out his task dutifully. Good doggie, there. When it came our turn, we stood along a yellow line, and placed our bags on the ground along the line, and waited for the doggie to sniff us and our bags. Then we were let go. Easy peasy.

Just outside at the arrival hall, we waited for our shuttle pick up, in front of the Travelex Money Exchange. It arrived just after 12.00 a.m. and ferried us to our hotel. We checked in at Sophia Hotel King Street, unfortunately, the process took about an hour.

There was a family of 5 ahead of us at the check-in counter. In fact, we came in via the same flight and was picked up by the same shuttle. But when the lady tried to check-in, it seemed that there was a problem. They had booked for 2 rooms but was only assigned one. The receptionist manning the desk did not know what to do as he was new  on the job. His first day of work!!  He insisted that there was a system error and we stood around the very tiny lobby, waited for him to settle the issue. Geez, I felt sorry for him as he was really flustered, with all of us breathing down his neck!! Finally, the family was offered an apology and an upgraded room.


For us, our 2 rooms had been assigned, so there was no problem. I was very happy with the room, for it was big and spacious and the bed was comfy. It was very clean too.  By the time I was ready for bed, it was already 2.30 a.m. 

 Comfy King-sized bed in Room 214,

Sophia Hotel King Street, Melbourne.