Traveling Quirks

Quirky things that happened during my recent travels.

KL-Chiang Mai

Just as we finished boarding, the cabin crew started doing the head count. Normally it’s 2 people that does it; one starting from the back and working to the front and another vice-versa. It suddenly came to a point where all the cabin crew started doing the count and even the pilot joined in on the action. Not satisfied with the numbers, ground crew started boarding the plane and did the counting as well. We had 5 cabin crew walking up an down the isle, the pilot and 2 ground crew talking to 2 guys in those highlight green jackets and ear muffs. If anyone was carrying weed, damn them for not sharing. It turned out that we had an extra person on board. Repeated announcements regarding the flight number and destination were repeated in 2 languages. With no passenger in panic or rushing out, another announcement was done in Mandarin. With still no sign of activity from passengers, they decided to do a manual count of boarding passes. Everyone had to show their boarding pass and after mine was counted, I dozzed off.

I wake up to find that we’re in the air and I ask the guy next to me, “What happened?” And he replies, “After awhile, they gave up and we took off.” Riiiight..

Chiang Mai-KL

My flight back was at 11am. I woke up at 9.50am. I curse the other Sarawakian who was on the same flight for not making an effort off trying to wake me up. By the time I finish packing and showering, it is 10.05am. I pick up the pace but I start consoling myself for missing my flight. I reach the counter and check-out. I wait for the hotel shuttle. It is 10.10am. I tell myself, it’s ok. Check-in for international flights close 45 minutes before departure. It’s fine. I didn’t expect traffic to be bad. As the clock ticks away, I tell the driver to just turn around back to the hotel. I tell him my departure time and he confidently says, “No problem!” It is now 10.30am as I reach the airport. I slowly walk in with my head down.

Only to find that bloody Sarawakian lining up to check-in. I’m relieved on 2 counts; I have yet to miss a flight (unlike my 2 sisters) & I get to brutally scold that asshole. Imagine that, people were still checking in 30 minutes before departure time.

KL-Miri, Miri-Kuching

When I travel, I prefer to use my passport for immigration checks rather than my IC. When I arrived at Miri airport and passed through immigration, to my surprise, I get chopped. This is an unpresedented event for never in my life have I been chopped for entering Sarawak mainly because I am from Sarawak and Sarawakians aren’t supposed to get chopped. I walk away literally scratching my head. Bizarre.

I figure I’ll just ask when I leave for Kuching. So I do. I approach an immigration lady and tell her what happened. She looks at my passport and says, “Yes this is correct.” And I say, “How can this be correct? I’m allowed only 90 days in Sarawak?” She doesn’t answer my question and started to look annoyed. As I grab my passport back and start to walk away, I say, “I’m Sarawakian.” She mildly screams, takes my passport and asks, “Why is your passport chopped?” I give her the that’s-what-i-was-talking-about look.

After a few minutes of a heated exchange between her and her colleugue on who could have been so stupid for giving me a visit pass in my own state, she finally voids the chop. Bizarre.