What better way to kick off the new year than to go on a golfing trip with friends? A very Happy New Year indeed.
It was an impromptu trip planned within a few short months. We decided to keep the group micro small, as such, there are only four of us, unlike previous golf trips, where there were 16 to 20 people.
Anyway, four is enough to make a flight, and it’s perfect. I hope this will be the start of many more trips for 2026! Yay.
Konnichiwa from the Land of the Rising Sun! We arrived at Kansai Airport this morning. The flight was not the best experience. There were three gate changes within an hour at the Satellite Building at KLIA. And although it was rescheduled to depart at 11:45 pm from 10:25 pm, the flight eventually took off at 12:12 am.
Twenty minutes after airborne, there was turbulence, but not too bad. However, my entertainment console sucked. The touchscreen had issues returning to the home icon, and the headphones worked only on one side. Sigh, how much worse can it get? Honestly, the start of this trip by MH is not Malaysian Hospitality at its best. Not living up to their tagline.
After the meal, I could feel a headache coming, ugh. I tried to sleep it off, and it was a restless phase. An hour before touchdown, I was awake. It wasn’t beauty or comfy sleep. Nonetheless, time flew by, and I must have slept, or did I?
My AppleWatch showed some unusual Vitals stats! I had only two hours of sleep and my blood oxygen level dropped to 91.6 %. It concluded that elevation could have caused such numbers to be recorded because I had set my watch to Airplane mode upon boarding. Such an amazing and clever device to be able to detect this.
After the delayed arrival, and like typical tour packages where Day One starts at the airport, our self-planned itinerary is no different, our adventure finally begins. Hahaha.
We made our way slowly from Kansai to Kyoto, and it was supposed to be effortless, yet we faced a bit of a challenge in terms of language. Google Translate was a savior when we needed it!
What a long day to kick off our October adventure!
Monday is not a typical day for an entry or a scheduled post, but I need to share. My Blundstones and I, plus hubby of course, are ready for another adventure tomorrow! It has been a short and quick planning for this. Anyway, our luggage is all set for our upcoming trip. Whee!
So where are we headed? Hah! Stay tuned to find out. We will be heading to KLIA this evening for our flight with Malaysia Airlines. Here’s wishing us happy travels and a safe journey ahead!
I have to say Japan is fascinating and fun! Our adventure did not start well, but I’m not complaining.
We woke up at 4.00 am because our ride to the airport was coming at 5.00 am to have us arrive four hours before departure to avoid unnecessary hiccups. The queue to check in was not too long because we arrived early. So that’s good.
After checking in, we decided to have a McD breakfast. However, the ordering kiosk was down. We had to walk further down the terminal to its other outlet. It wasn’t the best tummy filler, but something light was better than nothing.
The wait was typical, likewise the routine. I got padded down the front and had to remove my Blundstone to send it through the X-ray machine. The rest of the family did not encounter this. Maybe it’s boots versus sneakers that was the reason.
Boarding was routine also, but upon strapping down, an announcement stated that we had to wait for half an hour before being cleared for take-off due to heavy traffic. Promptly after half an hour, MH70 sped down the runway of KLIA, and we were Japan-bound! Yay.
We arrived on schedule at Narita International Airport. The airport is huge! It took us forever to walk upon disembarkation to get to the immigration counters. The queue was very long, but everything was so efficient and fast, it’s impressive.
Our checked-in luggage was out without having to wait, and we waited for our transport to pick us up to send us to our hotel. Our adventure has finally begun!
Last Thursday, hubby and I flew to Jakarta with 58 other golfers from our club for an Interclub golf game hosted by Jakarta Golf Club. It was fun returning to Jakarta again for golf, having been there only last year in August. However, the experience this time from the beginning was not so fun.
It started with a retimed flight from 1.00 pm to 1.40 pm. We did not reschedule our transport pick-up time since it was only a forty-minute delay. However, when we were on our way to KLIA2, messages in the group chat alerted us that the flight had been retimed again to a 5.00 pm departure! Oh no.
Thankfully, a friend who arrived early managed to negotiate for eight of us to take the earlier flight. Phew, all worked out well, and before we knew it, we arrived safely in Jakarta. And this was when the logistics became a nightmare.
One group was flying in at a different time on Batik Air, the same terminal, but another group on Malaysia Airlines arrived later and at a different terminal. The final group on AirAsia (the flight we were supposed to be on) arrived at the latest, but we did not have to wait for them.
The long wait we had to endure was not the end when everyone from the Batik Air and Malaysia Airlines flights came on board, save the last batch, but the bus ride to Karawang for our first two games was another long journey before arriving for a late dinner and check-in.
There are plus sides, however. We had a police outrider to ensure we didn’t get caught in traffic, dinner at Cabe Ijio was spicy but delicious, and the hot shower made up for all the missteps. What a start to golfing in Jakarta!
I woke up at 3.44am, a minute before the alarm rang. The body knows when the situation calls for it. Our pick-up arrived on time, and the journey to the airport was long enough to nap a little for the loss of sleep.
Every step of the way, it was pleasant to start the trip well! And before we knew it, we were boarding! That’s when the hiccups started. Instead of departing as scheduled at 9.05am, the plane pushed off at 9.38am and took off only at 9.55am. A good solid 50 minutes late! Hmm.
I was so glad the first meal was served an hour after take-off because I was ravenous! The Airbus A350-900 seating configuration was a three-three-three in the economy section and comfortable enough for us small-sized people. But the comfort level may not be so for a larger built or bigger-sized passenger.
Anyway, I watched two movies and slept whenever I could; likewise, hubby and the girls too to pass the time. I lost track of time, and suddenly, the aircraft was descending! Oh yay! We are almost there.
We touched down at 3.22pm local time despite departing 50 minutes late. That’s good. Immigration clearance was smooth, but baggage claim took a little longer. So yay, here we are in London!
Today’s the day! We left in the wee hours of the morning. It’s been ages since I last woke up so early, and my usual 5.30 am wake-up for golf pales compared to this ungodly hour. I might as well not sleep and get ready for the airport straightaway.
It will be a long day ahead with our direct flight. I have forgotten what it’s like to be on a long-haul flight. And this journey will take 14 hours and 20 minutes, a little longer than the last time we flew to Amsterdam. Oh boy, my butt and body.
Separately, I’m a little bummed that my Move, Exercise, and Stand activities will be disrupted, thus ending my long record of 1,053 days in the Fitness app on my AppleWatch. Oh well, it is for a good reason; we are off to England, sadly not to see the Queen (God bless her soul) but the new King!
We took off from KLIA twenty minutes behind schedule. It was a full flight. As always, the girls would sit in the same side with me and hubby in the next row, away from us.
The aircraft was obviously an old one when we buckled up.
“Where’s the screen?” M2 asked.
There was no little screen in front of our seats; no entertainment then. Boo hoo…
Oh well, it’s not a long flight. Soon we will be in Bangkok and that is more important than entertainment on board.
Sadly, service was not up to standard. It was very rushed and disorganized. Thankfully time flew by pretty fast and I could feel the cabin pressure change. We are descending into Bangkok! Yay…
I don’t know what happened but my Zookeeper Battle app is not functioning at all on the iPad! Cannot launch at all since last night. But the game (and the other games) would have to take a backseat for now. We are to leave the house at 9.00am sharp to avoid the morning highway jam. You never know what’s ahead (in traffic) when you have a flight to catch!
Hubby and I decided to fly Malaysia Airlines (MH) again, for practicality as far as luggages are concerned. If we opt for the budget AirAsia, every single add on comes at a cost in comparison to the full service MH where all things are included. Sometimes the difference can be minimal or not much, it is better then to go with a full fledge airline to avoid the hassle. Traveling with children is always best with the full service choice.
Where are we going? Aha! Stay tuned…
The was a power failure last night. The fan went off and it got hot. But when I awoke, the power came back. However, the wifi has been down. It’s our last day at the villa.
We made some new friends with the owner and staff of Villa Thalanena. We have had such a great time and already I am plotting another trip soon, if not to Krabi, at least to Thailand again especially after M1’s big exam.
The final touch to the trip is going home by Business Class! Hubby has outdone himself for us this time. Thank you dear.
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