Hi everyone! Im very sorry for the delay in publishing this report.
For those of you who are still wondering, this is the part II of my short weekend trip to Kemaman on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Part I of the report can be found here: MH1268 KUL-KUA
In this Part II of the report, I will cover about my return flight back to KL from Kuantan + a bonus trip report of my post-arrival in KL. So, here we go….
In the Resort
On Sunday morning, we woke up very early, took shower and had our breakfast at the resort's cafe (the same cafe where we had our dinner in previous night). They served variety of local Malaysian and international cuisines on the buffet spread. But I noticed that the taste of foods was not so good compared to my last visit to the resort back in year 2008. After we were done with our breakfast, we returned back to our room, packed our belongings and did the check-out.
The check-out process went smoothly and we waited in the lobby for our Grab car that we already booked yesterday to arrive. Almost 40 minutes of waiting and there was still no sign for our Grab car to show up. I contacted the driver and he confirmed with me that he was not able to pick up us that morning due to a family matter. But he promised to send another Grab driver for us instead. 20 minutes later, the replacement Grab driver arrived at the resort and we got into his car with our belongings at no time. We had to rush as the journey from Cherating to Kuantan Airport will take about 40 minutes. Our replacement Grab driver completely understood about our situation and he drove us to the airport at the most maximum speed!
In the Airport
We felt so relieved to be able to arrive at Kuantan's Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport around 1 hour and a half before our departure time, thanks to the super Grab driver!
The alphabets "LT" stand for "Lapangan Terbang" which means an airport in Malay while "SAS" mean "Sultan Ahmad Shah".
KUA's drop-off and pick up area.
The terminal seems more happening and lively than on the day of arrival with more crowds and number of shops opened. There was a big group of pilgrims who were traveling to Saudia Arabia via KL.
I went to the check-in counter to collect our boarding passes and drop the luggage while my mum went to 1 small shop to purchase a magazine.
From the check-in counter, I walked to the small shop to meet with my mum and then we headed to our departure gate together. We cleared the security check and arrived at the departure gate less than 30 seconds. Very impressive! We waited here for about 20 minutes before the cockpit and cabin crew for this flight arrived (I was shocked to learn that there will be a changing set of crew for a short domestic hop like this). Then, we had to wait for another 15-20 minutes before our plane arrived from KL. After all the passengers and crew from previous sector left the aircraft, the new set of crew for KUA-KUL boarded the aircraft. Finally, the boarding process started and passengers were called based on their seating zones. My mum and I were so fortunate as our seating zone was among the 1st to be invited.
Our flight today would be operated by MH's B738 9M-MXW with BSI cabin interior. Yeay!!
Both front and rear doors were used for passengers to board the aircraft.
My mum and I boarded the aircraft from the back as our seats were in row F.
By this time, more passengers from different seating zones were welcomed to board the aircraft.
We were so close to the tail fin of the plane! I even took this chance to touch the rear part of this flying metal =D
MH's iconic symbol is inspired from a traditional Malaysian flying kite known as "Wau".
Looking back to the terminal building of KUA with some passenger movements on the apron.
Onboard Experience
My seat, 20F with a better seat pitch than the previous flight. I didnt bother to check out the seat pocket contents as I was 100% sure that they were just exactly the same with the seat pocket contents of the flight that I took yesterday. Anyway, welcome back the IFE!
Boarding process still ongoing. 1 of the airport staffs entered the cabin to do some checking on passenger. The flight seems around 85% full and there were 4 cabin crew on duty (a standard number of crew for all MH's short domestic flight).
The sexy winglet of MH's B738 aircraft.
After the boarding process completed, the safety video was played on each individual screen. And this time, they played the new one! It was my very first time to watch the full duration of MH's new safety video. I can say that I really like it as it is quite simple and very straightforward (Im not a fan of long, documentary-like safety video to be honest!).
An Islamic journey prayer was screened immediately after the safety video was over.
Our aircraft moving to the runway.
The taxi was so short and it didnt take a long time for our aircraft to take-off from the ground.
Reaching higher altitude. I started to explore the IFE and found out that they had an extensive selection of movies, drama series and songs in their playlist, but we had to bring our own headset.
5 minutes later, the crew began the inflight service and we were served with…. the same Salted Peanuts.
And…. the usual Orange Juice. As my mum and I were sitting in the middle and next to window respectively, it was quite difficult for the crew to hand out the peanuts and juices personally to us, so the lady who was sitting in the aisle seat had proactively helping the crew to pass those stuffs to us. Thanks to that lovely lady!
Later, the crew came again to collect the trash and prepared the cabin for landing. I already can see the ground from the window.
Wing flaps.
And finally, we were safely landed in KLIA ahead of the STA. The flight was so short. I didnt really check the time, but I think we were up in the air for only 20 minutes.
Our plane taxiing to the Contact Pier Building.
The abandoned B747 planes in KUL.
KLIA's Main Terminal Building and the control tower.
Our plane parked at the gate and cabin crew prepared for the disembarkation process.
Walking through the duty-free shops and outlets.
Our bags arrived about 15 minutes after we left the aircraft.
We took a Grab to get back to our home and reached there 1 hour later. It was still early in the afternoon and it was Sunday after all, so I didnt want to spend the remaining of my weekend time by just staying at home. So, I called my friend and we agreed to go for a movie in KLCC.
On our way to the mall, we decided to pay a visit to the National Art Gallery first as our movie was scheduled to be played in the evening.
Previously known as National Visual Arts Gallery, the National Art Gallery of Malaysia (Malay: Balai Seni Negara) is the main and biggest gallery dedicated for the finest artworks in the country. It is located in Jalan Temerloh, KL next to the Istana Budaya (National Theater) building. It features 7 galleries, a library, an auditorium and administrative office.
Different themes of exhibitions will be run in the National Art Gallery from time to time.
Riding the escalator to the gallery which located on the 1st floor. Noticed the beautiful abstract paintings on the wall.
National Art Gallery's symbol.
My friend and I were so lucky to catch the last day of the widely anticipated exhibition called "KL Biennale 2018" (In fact, some of the items on display were already taken down to make way for the next exhibition).
In this year edition of KL Biennale, the exhibition focusing on the theme of "Be Loved" that radiates love, compassion and positivity in spades.
All 7 galleries and 3 outdoor sites of the National Art Gallery were fully occupied with majestic paintings, arch, and sculptures that carry the message of love for humanity, animals, nature, heritage and spirituality.
Moving to the next galleries which located in the 2nd floor.
Enchanting pieces of contemporary arts were displayed in every gallery.
We went from the most top level of the art gallery building and down to the ground floor where a small cafe is located. The cafe seems to have some nice beverages and light snacks on the menu, but we didnt purchase anything there as we planned to eat something in KLCC later.
We spent our time in the gallery building for almost 2 hours before we left for our actual destination, KLCC. FYI, the National Art Gallery is open daily from 10am-6pm with a FREE admission. I would highly recommend to all of you to visit here whenever you are in KL.
Ok, so this is the end of my report and I would like to wish thank you to all of you for reading it. See you guys next time!
