... and One More Makes Fives

This was the aircraft that flew us from Kuching to KLIA on 9th Dec.

Have you ever flown Etihad? that's a rhetorical q. so don't answer it. But here's the thing; we flew Etihad to Abu Dhabi (AD) and what impresses me about the airline was that with a crew of about 12, they speak 34 languages between them. Woow! And of course, Malay is one of the language spoken, which is so cool...!...not that i need practise in my Malay or anything. But 34? That's quite a number.

After clearing immigration at KLIA, we took our time and watched several of these aero-train making its way to the satellite building and main building. Hey...we do have 3 hours to kill before we fly to Abu Dhabi.

Time to kill; such as eating KitKat and admiring crystal formations at the duty free shops in KLIA's Satellite Building.

Why is it that this place is FOREVER closed?

Dinner in flight, and what to do if your ears are blocked. Blow hard!

So anyway, we departed KLIA at 10.15pm, 9Dec. The flight to AD is to take 7hours, scheduled to arrive at about 2am, 10Dec. I know, I know. There is a 'miscalculation' of sorts here but it has all to do with GMT, +8, yada yada and us gaining time because we were flying west-ward.

So, at AD, we landed at about 2am through Gate31. Our connecting flight to Muscat was to be at Gate 27. 4 gates away you say? No chance. Gate 31 is at the international terminal while 27 is domestic. and that is actually in 2 different buildings. And unlike KLIA where you disembark via tramps, we walked down the plane to the runway on a cold 18C Arabian winter morning. Brrr!!!!! Even the aero-bus was cold. Further, we had to walk from the actual Gate 31, through a maze of duty-free shops to domestic building for Gate 27!
In some ways, it was a pleasant 15minutes walk. We got to cuci mata at all the interesting stuff for sale, the interesting people you get to see at a busy international airport and the interesting incidences that you encounter. Also, you cannot help but notice that almost all the shop assistants are Fillipinos. O was told that locals here do not like to be int he service industry - they just don't like to 'serve' others.

Abu DhabiInternational Airport: Ash's first encounter with abayah-clad, rather tall Arab women.

Anyways, to get to a 27, we had to go through Immigration. And for once in my traveling life - to Australian, to India, to Europe - this was the first time that I had to take off my boots because it was triggering the scanner. And dang! the floor was cold!!! Thanks to my brand new socks from SoxWorld, else I would have frozen toes! That's something new huh?

I like the logo...very creative in using the font.

So off we go to Gate 27 - a quite isolated, over yonder at the end of the building - gate. Waiting to board our flight was people watching time. I was anxious to board because it means the end of a long and tiring journey. Anxious also to see my sister and her son after so long. But people watch I must while we wait.
So in the same flight as we were a group of Indonesian ladies which I presume to be maids of local Omanies coming back to serve their employers. There were also Europeans, mostly from France and some British. So the flight was full. we had a air crew consisting mostly of non-Arabs, still. Told you they don't like to 'serve'.
In flight meal was breakfast. Served at 3.45am, 10Dec...because really, it was already morning. Or more to, dawn. Breakfast of cold orange/apple juice and tuna/veggie/chicken sandwich. I had apple juice, which I decided to keep for later. And Tuna sandwich. which is actually tuna flakes, some salad and tomato served between sliced bun. I ate the inti, but not the bun. I hate buns!

BTW, we did not enjoy the KL-AD flight. There were too much turbulence. It was so bad Ash got queasy and decided to go to sleep. I tried watching some movies but felt uneasy and decided to sleep too. Good thing too because it helped to adjust our body clock according to the local time in the Arab peninsular.

With 3 cameras between us, there is nothing else to do but take pictures!

So arriving at Muscat Airport, here's what I need to do; get ourselves each upon-arrival visitors visa. My sister was supposed to have it ready by the time we got there but it wasn't. SO i had to queue at the exchange cum visa counter. And I was among the first to be in the line. it was then when a security personnel approached me and asked if I was Malaysia. Me? yes, I am. Someone wants to see me, I was told. So I followed him to an inner room, leaving my older sister and daughter at the arrival hall. Who can it be?

Waiting there was not he Sultan's PA. Not even his driver. it was H., my sister's friend. And with him, 20rial which he handed me to use to pay for our 8rial per-person visa. right....i still have to do the visa-thingy myself.

So goes i again to the line. I still had to queue up, get our visa, pay for it, get the receipt and only then can we head to the Immigration counter to get our passport stamped.

All that took me nearly 30minutes. and i was the 6th in line when we queue up initially. with this little diversion, we became the last to leave the inner hall. by the time we went to the luggage area, our luggage's were waiting for us. heh!

Parking area of SEEB International Airport, Muscat at 4 inthe morning.

BTW, this was also the first time I saw a very good-looking Omani man - the Immigration officer which stamped our passport. it seems to me that all the immigration personnel was young men. wonder why...?

So, at 4.30am, we stepped out onto Omani soil, breathing the cold Omani winter air, ready to see, smell, touch, experience all things Omani.

Marha'bhan Muscat!

every thursday and friday night, a pasar malam would bloom out at MJC commercial centre. and my daughters look forward to going to the pasar malam. there, they would search out the keropok leko man and make us buy RM2.00 worth of the stuff. then, they will drag us from one toy stall to the next, only to look at the exact samekind of toys.

me? i like the pasar malam because there are so many things to see - local fruits, local vegetables, interesting (and smelly) fish, interesting food stuff to buy and eat while going around looking for some more.

so many things...

so tonight, my eldest daughter drag her aunt to the pasar malam. and naturally, we tagged along - me and the 2 smaller ones.

we bought RM2.00 worth of keropok leko, and ate that as we walked around. we saw lots of tilapia on at RM10.00 per/kg. there were plateful of prawns selling for RM7.00 per plate and black pomfret at RM14.00 per kg.

then my daughters drag us to the toy stall where they stood and admired a battery-operated meowing, walking and moving kitten. There was also a fire truck with lots of flashing lights which moves in all direction. There was also a toy train with tracks and a few circus inspired cars. Emma asks for the fire truck and Aidan the toy train.

oh! the things aunties would buy for their nieces!