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Published: October 23rd 2010
There are ups and there are downs with travel as in all things. Little did I know that this day would be one of the longest so far in my travels.
4:30PM Past boarding time and the doors remain closed. Lines are formed. Everybody gives a look of relief once the crew begins collecting tickets. It’s just a 55 minute flight, so I’m not too worried.
6:00PM Arrived in LCCT. With half-an-hour to make my connecting flight, I jog to the transfer gate. I reach the counter and two workers give welcoming smiles. I gasp for breath and ask, “I have a connecting flight to Tiger Airways in 25 minutes and I’m afraid I may miss it.”
The woman nods and smiles making everything seem okay. She starts loading the machine for a boarding pass, then frowns and asks, “Did you say Thai Airways or Tiger Airways?”
“Tiger.”
“You have to grab a taxi to the other terminal. LCCT is where you have to go. You can’t make it.”
It's a bummer, but I’ve missed flights before and figure I’ll just grab the next one out. The taxi costs 42RM(!) but the driver is extra-nice
(at this price, he has to be nice!).
6:30PM When I walk into LCCT, the entire terminal is monopolized by Air Asia signs.
I ask one of the many red-stuited women, “Where can I find Tiger Airways?”
“Go to counter S16," she says.
I follow her directions, but the woman at S16 says, “Oh no. This is Air Asia . You should go to Information and ask them.” Okay. I head in an estimated direction, as I can't walk diagonally through the wall as she pointed. Then decide to ask another person where the information desk is as I don't see any signs, either.
And then, I'm misled again and again.
I finally find the Information desk and ask, “Where can I find Tiger Airways? I missed my flight.”
She says, “S20.”
The information desk can’t be wrong right? Too bad there’s no Tiger Airways at S20! It’s amazing how two different terminals can be so different. KLIA is neat, organized, and the workers go out of their way to help. Their answers have never led me astray. And in LCCT, I’m dredging along. Guess it’s “low cost” for a reason. So,
I return to the information desk.
“Excuse me. I’m sorry, but can you please tell me where to find Tiger Airways? I’ve been sent to various counters all around this building and have yet to find it. I would really really appreciate it.”
The woman says matter-of-factly, “Oh, well that’s because they won’t be at the counter until about 7:30.” Well, duh, conundrum solved.
7:30PM Nope. Nobody. I return to Information. This time a new woman looks up at the board as the signs change. She points to
Singapore S03 22:15 and says, “You have to go to S3. They open 2 hours before boarding, so go by 8:15.”
She’s given me a sign, a solid reason, numbers to support her claim, and I swear if she’s given me incorrect information I’ll grab a bloody taxi to Singapore.
8:15PM Waiting. Finally, somebody from Tiger Airways arrives. I explain my missed flight and he says, “You have to buy a new ticket. But the 10:15 flight is full. Tomorrow we have 2:00 available. That’s the soonest. If you want earlier, you should go to AirAsia. Probably cheaper, too.”
8:30PM With a queue number in hand,
I wait to talk to an AirAsia sales agent.
9:30PM My number’s called. I buy a ticket and the printer takes half-an-hour (no exaggeration) to print my itinerary.
10:30PM I call Tune Hotel as they’re affiliated with AirAsia and nearby, but when I try calling them a couple times on the payphone there’s no answer. Evidently they’ve already closed. I go to Information again and ask, “Can you recommend any hotel besides Tune?” They shake their head no.
Okay, so what can you do. I hole up at Starbucks, charge my netbook, and go online to catch up with everyone.
11ish The Starbucks guy comes around to all the tables apologizing, “Sorry, you have to leave. Pest control is coming in, so we have to close the doors.”
“Are all the stores closing?” I ask.
“Yes, all doors close,” he replies.
Crowds of people arrange themselves along the outer walls leaning against the closed shops. The terminal is closed. People are coughing and sniffling and everyone is strewn across bags and carts. We look like homeless people in an alleyway or under quarantine rather than travellers at an airport.
3:00AM Four hours sitting on the concrete. No sleep yet. A large bellow sounds from a machine like a gigantic vacuum. They re-open the terminal, and people run to grab chairs for more comfortable sleep. Is this how it feels to try to find space in a homeless shelter?
My butt feels like it’s been squashed into a stereotypical Asian pancake--no cushion at all. I’m fortunate enough to find a seat. Everyone grabs a position for optimal comfort whether it’s snoring with noses in the air or cradling one’s head in the crook of an elbow. I fidget until I slump face forward over both of my bags.
3:30AM I wake up with a pool of drool falling out of my mouth, gaping open to the world. At this point, everyone looks and feels like crap. I fidget on my netbook, try to read my book, zone out people-watching, think about my recent trip in the Perhentians, and I already miss diving. I miss walking barefoot. I miss setting up my gear and sinking into the water at the beginning of a dive, the adrenaline coursing through my body as I wonder what new creatures I will see. I miss the people.
5:00AM Unable to go back to sleep, I wash up in the restroom. People begin lining up for flights, waking up, and the stores are reopening. I return to Starbucks. I finally feel like I’ll make it through the rest of the wait. It’s all about biding time. I can’t wait to get to Singapore, sleep, and eat mangosteins (
Not Just a Tourist in Singapore).
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miss jalan jalan
miss jalan jalan
OMG - you're writing style is so entertaining! Loved it! (I feel bad though about this particular leg of your trip, hope everything else works out well :))