Boarding and Ready to Go

There was the usual delay with the VIP patient taking their seats late. The coach seemed full down below and boarding was slower than usual since they only open a single door at the beginning. The schedule take off time was 1050, but we would be lucky to make it before 11. I decided to switch on my WiFi hotspot and surf the net.

Enough time to blog. Had plenty of last minute shopping done and managed to basically covered everybody. My Mum on the other hand would be flying off to Korea on Thursday evening right after I was scheduled to arrive earlier that morning. Looked like the first order of business would be to give her a visit.

So, enjoying the drinks now, and I would blogging from KLIA Express next InsyaAllah. More on the Atlanta trip here.

Early for Heathrow

We had a massive tailwind across the Atlantic overnight. My flight was supposed to land at 7.30 am ended up arriving well early. I was already at the terminal by 6, having to wait for another half an hour to receive the connecting boarding pass and to confirm that NY luggage were being rung through straight to KL.

And it was nippy. And foggy. Typical English winter weather. I decided to roam around the duty free - definitely much better than what Atlanta had to offer. The fog cleared up by mid morning, and I passed the time waiting at the lounge having breakfast before roaming out again. The 5 and a half hours of sleep I had flying in certainly helped. I could do with a shower but it was just too much hassle.

I called Anita a couple of times, and bought some gifts for my parents. Next would be to them into my hand carry luggage a I prefer to keep everything straight forward.

More about the Atlanta trip here.

How was Atlanta?

I must confess that Atlanta did not offer me with much insight about the US. Maybe because my schedule was packed. Maybe it was the winter weather. And also maybe because I did not have the chance to explore more than just the downtown area.

The food was alright. Hotel was a typical fare which you would expect from a global chain. An a very 70s building to boot. Apart from the Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, there was nothing much that I missed. My schedule was full enough that I didn't even had the chance to do the CNN tour. By the time the lectures were done, I was too tired to do much else but to sleep. On a few occasion, I actually had a snooze at the room while waiting for dinner.

Lenox Mall provided a slight reprieve even though it wasn't great. Anita got what she ordered off me, so she should be happy with what I got for her. Even the Apple Store there was not inspirational. Not like then one in London, where I felt the urge to shop when I entered the store. Atlanta was pretty mk much all business I'm afraid.

And then there was the small matter of security. I felt comfortable walking around in London in the evenings. Not so much in Atlanta. Even walking from the Congress Center, I was approached by the locals on a couple of occasion. I felt intimidated and from then on, I didn't bring my camera out and always travel with company. And this was during a conference with more than 20000 delegates. I didn't feel safe. I was fine in a group though.

So, I only went out to enjoy the sights on the first day, and on the Saturday evening. Shopping opportunity was also rather limited. I didn't catch any movie, or venture into cafes as I didn't feel the freedom. I could only enjoy taking my camera out of I feel carefree. It was not something that in Atlanta during my 5 nights stay there.

Would I bring my family here in the future? Don't think so. I had been blessed before to be able to travel to various parts of the world. The first trip to America however was rather anticlimactic. The Congress was great however and it was well organised. I will blog about the Congress proper on a later entry. At the end of the stay, I was glad to be flying home .......

More about the Atlanta trip here.

At the Airport

Arriving to the airport early was always a good idea. Especially with me trying to check the luggage straight through to KLIA without needing to check in again in London. I would still need to report at the MAS transit desk at Heathrow however to pick up my boarding pass. Minus the bags, that should be no hassle.

I got through the check in alright. The traffic getting in was also quite straight forward , and today happened to be the coldest day of my stay. The temperature in the morning was around 4 C!

The security was pretty tight. I had to go through the usual affair of being screened and X-rayed. Good thing I actually work a simple show which slipped easily. Everyone had to take their shoes off here.

So, the flight would be at 5.30, and I arrived at the airport well before 2.30. The wait was really boring since the airport terminal here did not offer much. Even the Tommy Hilfiger outlet here was pretty basic. Nothing I saw actually caught my fancy. I planned to get a nice shirt for my Dad actually. Might just have to force myself to do just that.

I had been at the lounge charging my phone for the last 45 minutes. Time to venture out then .....

More on the Atlanta trip here.

Next Task, Pack!

I managed to get to the mall straight after the morning session and got my new extra luggage bag. Next task was to get back to the hotel room pronto, pack, and check out. Hopefully that would be before noon. There is another session going on then. My transport from the hotel to the airport would be at 2 pm. Should have plenty of time.

I might have to buy some titbits at Heathrow later. As for now, I should be done. More on the Atlanta trip here.