Taxi Ride Home

My two checked-in items came out unscathed, and rather than take the KLIA Express, I went with a cab instead. Since I arrived late, traffic should be much of a factor anymore. Besides, I was too tired to lug around the two bags. I only wishes that this taxi has a better air-conditioning. I was sweating like a dog!

But the taxi driver was cool enough to offer me a drink. And he listened to Wings on the radio. One doesn't get any cooler than that!

Landing Soon

Since we were delayed taking off, we landed in KLIA two and a half hour late. The flight itself was smooth, and I was able to get a good sleep. We were descending over Ipoh when I was drafting this, having had breakfast and watch a couple of movies.

It looked like a trip on the train, and then taxi from KL Sentral as usual. I should be settled at home by 11. A quick shower and then lunch with my Mum I guessed. I'll be on call Friday, so I better get plenty of rest. My boys would definitely have other ideas I was sure.

Let's just hope that my luggage arrived in KL together on this flight. It would be a pain otherwise.

More on my Atlanta trip here.

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.