Malaysia Airlines MH 724

The time marker showed half past eleven when Malaysia Airlines MH 724 landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. I took a deep breath when the plane was perfectly parked in the apron, it was because the connecting flight Malaysia Airlines MH 1326 would only fly to Kuala Terengganu on 07:25 hours next day. That means, for the next nine hours I had to spend all night at KLIA.

Overnight at KLIA2….Have you ever?….Yes, I was twelve times already, I tasted the “hard mattress” of KLIA Terminal 2

Overnight at KLIA?….Have you ever?….Nup, this was my first time staying at KLIA Terminal 1.

While walking in arrival hall, I took a boarding pass which I got from Soetta airport’s check-in desk. After I looked at it, the boarding pass I was holding didn’t show the gate number. Therefore, I tried to find flight status information in Flight Information Display System (FIDS) located at arrival hall….Finally, I got the gate number….Yupz,A5.

So that was…. There was already a gate status.

So that tomorrow morning I won’t have to find the gate, I also intend to rehearse to find a way to the gate in question. From the International Concourse at level 4, I went down one level to Domestic Concourse. Please note that domestic flights at KLIA are flown from gate A and gate B, while international flights are flown from gate C, gate G and gate H.

My rehearsal was forced to end in front of the immigration counter, but at least I understood how I had to go to the gate tomorrow morning.

From in front of the immigration counter, I was forced to climb back up to International Concourse to find a place to close my eyes.

Meanwhile, a few minutes into the middle of night, I was sitting on one of International Concourse’s seats when a couple of middle-aged tourists approached and took the empty seat to my left.

“Helloo, Sir, where are you come from?”, I ventured to say hello.

“Hi, I’m from Algeria”.

“Oh I know, it’s a country in north of Africa”, I tried to make the conversation warmer.

“Ohhhh….yeaaa….yeaaaa, you know that. I will go home tomorrow and will transit in Doha”, he started to tell about their travel plans.

“Oh, Doha will be the last destination in my traveling this time”, I started to relate my trip to their trip so that the conversation would be more intense.

“Oh, good. What is your traveling for?….Business?”

“Oh, no. it’s just for tourism. I’m Donny from Indonesia and Oh yeaaa, what is your name, sir?”

“Oh, I’m Younes and she is my wife”

“Hi, Donny, nice to meet you”, Mr. Younes’ wife also greeted me

“Hi, Madam. Nice to meet you too”

“Donny, let’s we have dinner together!” Mr. Younes took out four burgers from a paper bag that his wife had brought with him.

“Thank you, Sir. I had dinner since from Jakarta”, I gently refused.

“No No No…. It’s different, It’s to accompany us while talking about our traveling”, he forced me to accept a piece of burger that was still warm.

As a result the three of us were talking to each other while enjoying a burger together. And when we finished eating the simple dish, they said goodbye to go to the gate.

But…..Before the two of them left their seats, Mr. Younes’s wife handed me one last burger.

“It’s for you, Donny. Just take it, we are moslems, we are family”

“It’s really, I think you need it more in your journey, Mam”, I subtly declined.

“No, Donny, It’s for you”, she came closer sticking the burger in front of me

“Thank you, Mam. Allah is always with you”, finally I couldn’t resist it.

“Amen, Good night, Donny, Assalamu’alaikum”.

“Wa’alaikumsalam”

Very pleasant meeting in the early hours of that morning. I put the warm burger in my backpack. I’d better save it for breakfast tomorrow.

After the meeting, I decided to change places to find a row of empty seats to sleep while straightening my body so I could close my eyes comfortably.

Next Story—->

Malaysia Airlines MH 724 from Jakarta (CGK) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL)

16 July 202218 July 2022travelingpersecond

<—-Previous Story

MH 724 flight path (source: flightaware.com).

After checking at immigration counter, I went down one floor and then walked west along travelator at Departure Hall Terminal 3 Ultimate.

Within fifteen minutes I arrived at Terminal 3 Existing. Meanwhile, a dark hue began to appear from the airport window. Only one thing which crossed my mind…..Doing a Maghrib and Isha’ Jama’ prayers. I have memorized Terminal 3 Existing since 2013, so I know where the prayer room was, which wasn’t far from the final bend of Terminal 3 Ultimate in west side.

After praying, I sat down to enjoy oatmeal which I poured in mini foldable lunch box, fortunately there was a free water station which provided warm water to brew that powdered food. That was the first dinner in my adventure to explore Kuala Terengganu, India and Middle East.

After eating a simple dinner, I rushed to gate 4 to prepare myself for boarding. Just a few minutes sitting in waiting room, announcements filled the airport ceiling….. Yup, delayed.

The predicted delay time for a hour made me have to do other activities to avoid boredom. I decided to recharge my smartphone which had run out of power. Meanwhile, I threw my eyes out of the airport building to watch busy loading activities carried out at the feet of giant Boeing 747 belonging to Japan Airlines, Airbus 330 belonging to Turkish Airlines and Korean Air in the east side of Terminal 3 Existing.

Another fun thing I did to get rid of the boredom was eavesdropping on the conversation of a beautiful Indonesian woman who was solemnly making a video call with her lover who was in Europe….Hhmmhhh, I was naughty.

I also took the time to talk to a native Chinese who opened a restaurant in Cikarang Industrial area. According to him, he would temporarily return to China after almost a year of not going home. The difficulty in speaking Indonesian and English made us struggle to converse with the addition of sign language and our own body language….Hmmmmhhh, he was a Chinese businessman.

Finally, on 20:15 hours, boarding time arrived……

I immediately entered the queue column in right side for passport and boarding pass checking by ground staffs. After the inspection, I walked down the aerobridge to enter the cabin of Malaysia Airlines plane which was a member of the world’s largest aviation alliance “Oneworld”….Yes, I found my seat in the middle cabin, right on the left side window seat numbered 26F.

Malaysian Airline MH 724 was a 1 hour 34 minute flight using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft and covered a distance of 1,216 km. And that was the second time I enjoyed to flying with Malaysia Airlines. One and a half years earlier I had tried the morning flight Malaysia Airlines MH 726 with same destination.

I was very lucky to be able to catch this premium flight from my neighboring country in a promo which lasted ten months before the flight. And the main destination wasn’t Kuala Lumpur, but Kuala Terengganu.

After carrying out the boarding process and a demonstration of flight safety procedures by cabin crew, the plane was prepared at the end of runway to take-off. Not long after, after getting permission from Air Traffic Controller (ATC), the plane took off and nearing nine o’clock in the evening, the plane was airborne.

When the plane had entered the cruising stage, flight attendants began to distribute in-flight meals. The Low Lactose Meal (NLML) which I ordered long time before the flight arrived.

Low Lactose Meal (NLML) which contained potatoes, carrots and boiled chicken….nyammmm.

Since it was a short flight, after dinner I tried to take advantage of the time by exploring the neighboring country through Malaysia Airlines’ inflight magazine, “Going Places” and occasionally flipping through Temptations e-cataloque for a little peek at the prices of souvenirs belonging to Malaysia Airlines….Hmmh, of course I wouldn’t buy it.

I ran out of ideas so in the rest of flight I tried to close my eyes for a moment because tonight I definitely won’t be sleeping well at Kuala Lumpur International Airport to wait for the morning. I didn’t really sleep well for the rest of flight, until finally the pilot announced that the plane would be landing soon while informing me that the weather was good in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia Airlines MH 724 was preparing to land, took a straight position towards the runway and slowly lowered its big wheels to tread the runway and helped the pilot to stop the plane.

Welcome to KLIA….Welcome Malaysia.

To get flight tickets from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur, you can search for them at 12go Asia with the following link: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

Next Story—->

The Middle East Aroma in Terminal 3 Ultimate Soekarno Hatta International Airport

14 July 202216 July 2022travelingpersecond

DAMRI Bus Terminal Kampung Rambutan – Soekarno Hatta International Airport.

Saturday afternoon was very sunny. The impatience that had enveloped my heart since morning had already collapsed. A faint smile continued to hang in the corners of my lips after I got off city transportation and stepped onto DAMRI shelter, which was part of JA Connexion’s mode of transportation.

On 15:30 hours, after confirming that the fleet in front me was the fastest bus which would depart to Soekarno Hatta International Airport, I jumped into it through its front door and sat behind the driver in left seat coloumn.

After all the passengers entered, an officer of Kampung Rambutan Terminal entered and withdrew a retribution of a thousand Rupiah to all passengers. “How come the retribution isn’t just included in the ticket price,” I asked myself.

Shortly after, the bus departed….Slowly speeding out of terminal, briefly passing through a side of toll road and then entering the toll gate a few meters ahead.

At the beginning of journey in toll road, the congestion began to be felt, but I wasn’t really worried about that situation because I was on 4 hours 20 minutes before my flight. I also enjoyed the 50 km journey very comfortably.

An hour and a few minutes, I arrived at the drop off zone of Terminal 3 Ultimate Soekarno Hatta International Airport. Through Departure Hall Gate 3, I started looking for Malaysia Airline MH 724 flight status.

The flight number which had not been listed in the Flight Information Display System (FIDS), made me dare to ask a female officer at the information center desk and finally I got information that check-in desk C would be used to process administration of Malaysia Airlines flight MH 724.

Waiting seats at Departure Hall Terminal 3 Ultimate

Knowing this information, I decided to wait in the nearest seat with check-in desk C. While waiting for the check-in desk to open, I was stunned by the busyness of a pair of tour guides who were busy organizing their group, which I didn’t know where would they go? The two of them gathered the group and loudly conducted a briefing so that their voices could be heard by anyone around the corner waiting for Terminal 3 Ultimate.

An hour of waiting, finally the check-in desk opened and I immediately queued at C24 queue column to get my boarding pass to Kuala Lumpur. That time Kuala Lumpur would only be a stopover, because I would explore Kuala Terengganu, a city located 450 km north of Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Terengganu would be the fifth city in Malaysia which I would enjoy after Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Ipoh and Penang….. Ahhhh, that afternoon I couldn’t wait to arrive in Kuala Terengganu.

A visit to Kuala Terengganu was the intention which emerged after I met Mariya, a solo-traveler from Malaysia in Seoul. The charm of Kuala Terengganu told by Mariya had hypnotized my subconscious to visit it. It took three years to realize that dream.

But again, Kuala Terengganu was also not the only destination in my trip that time, because my target points were certainly in places which were further away, i.e countries in the Middle East region.

Back to Terminal 3 Ultimate…..

Now I was heading to the immigration counter to hunt for a departure stamp. In front of immigration area, I tried to complete immigration check process through immigration autogate but there was an officer who held me back and forbade me to pass through that route. I was directed to the immigration counter with an officer ready to check. Facing an immigration officer, I handed over my passport and boarding pass.

Immigration staff: “Return ticket, Sir?”

Me: “Here, Sir”, I handed over a print out of Philippine Airlines flight ticket with Doha-Jakarta route and transit in Manila.

Immigration staff: “Alone, Sir?. On what occasion?”

Me: “Solo-Backpacking, Sir”

The immigration staff was finally busy researching page by page details on my passport.

Immigration staff: “Where will you go, Sir?”

Me: “Kuala Terengganu-Kochi-Dubai-Oman-Bahrain-Qatar, Sir”

Immigration staff: “May I see the visas, Sir?”, his face was still cold and serious.

Me: “Just a minute, Sir”, I opened my zipper bag and took out India Visa, United Arab Emirates Visa, Oman Visa and Bahrain Visa, “Here, Sir”

The immigration staff checked that visas I was given one by one.

Immigration staff: “Ok. Be careful, Sir.”

I came out of the immigration counter with a sigh of relief and immediately put all my documents back in zipper bag. Now I would head to Terminal 3 Existing to prepare to fly with Malaysia Airlines.

Next Story—->

Burger Hangat di Kuala Lumpur International Airport

5 July 202110 July 2021travelingpersecond

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Penanda waktu menunjukkan setengah sebelas malam ketika Malaysia Airlines MH 724 merapat di Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Aku menghela nafas panjang ketika pesawat telah terparkir sempurna di apron, itu karena connecting flight Malaysia Airlines MH 1326 baru akan mengudara menuju Kuala Terengganu pada pukul 07:25 esok hari. Artinya, selama sembilan jam ke depan aku harus bermalam di KLIA.

Bermalam di KLIA2….Pernah kah?….Yes, dua belas kali sudah, aku mencicipi “kasur keras” KLIA Terminal 2

Bermalam di KLIA?….Pernah juga kah?….Nup, kali ini pertama kalinya aku menginap di KLIA Terminal 1.

Sembari berjalan di arrival hall, aku mengambil boarding pass yang sudah kudapat dari check-in desk Soetta. Setelah kuamati, boarding pass yang kupegang belum mencantumkan nomor gate. Oleh karenanya, aku berusaha mencari informasi status penerbangan di Flight Information Display System (FIDS) yang terletak di arrival hall….Akhirnya, aku mendapatkan nomor gate….Yupz,A5.

Supaya esok pagi aku tak keteteran mencari gate, aku pun berniat melakukan rehearsel untuk mencari jalan menuju gate yang dimaksud. Dari International Concourse di level 4, aku turun satu level menuju Domestic Concourse.Perlu diketahui bahwa domestic flight di KLIA diterbangkan dari gate A dan gate B, sedangkan international flight diterbangkan dari gate C, gate G dan gate H.

RehearseI yang kulakukan pun terpaksa usai di depan gerbang konter imigrasi, tetapi setidaknya aku telah memahami bagaimana aku harus melangkah menuju gate esok pagi.

Dari depan konter imigrasi, aku terpaksa naik kembali ke International Concourse untuk mencari tempat demi memejamkan mata.

Sementara itu, beberapa menit lagi memasuki tengah malam, aku duduk di salah satu bangku International Concourse ketika sepasang turis setengah umur mendekat dan menduduki kursi kosong di sebelah kiriku.

“Helloo, Sir, where are you come from?”, aku memberanikan menyapa.

“Hi, I’m from Algeria”.

“Oh I know, it’s a country in north of Afrika”, aku mencoba membuat percakapan lebih hangat.

“Ohhhh….yeaaa….yeaaaa, you know that. I will go home tomorrow and will transit in Doha”, dia mulai bercerita tentang rencana perjalanannya.

“Oh, Doha will be last destination in my traveling this time”, aku mulai mengaitkan perjalananku dengan perjalanannya supaya terjadi percakapan yang lebih intens.

“Oh, good. What is your traveling for?….Business?”

“Oh, no. it’s just for tourism. I’m Donny from Indonesia and Oh yeaaa, what is your name, Sir?”

“Oh, I’m Younes and she is my wife”

“Hi, Donny, nice to meet you”, istri pak Younes turut menyapaku

“Hi, mam. Nice to meet you too”

“Donny, let’s we dinner together!”, pak Younes mengeluarkan empat potong burger dari kantong kertas yang sedari tadi dibawa istrinya.

“Thank you, Sir. I had have dinner since from Jakarta”, aku menolak lembut

“No No No…. It’s different, It’s for accompany us while talk about our traveling”, dia memaksaku untuk menerima sodoran sepotong burger yang masih hangat.

Alhasil kami bertiga pun saling berbincang sambil menikmati burger bersama. Dan ketika kita usai menyantap hidangan sederhana itu, mereka pun berpamitan untuk menuju ke gate.

Tapiiii…..Sebelum mereka berdua meninggalkan kursi, tetiba istri pak Younes menyodorkan satu potong burger terakhir kepadaku.

“It’s for you, Donny. Just take it, we are moslems, we are family”

“It’s really, I think you more need it in your journey, mam”, aku menolak halus.

“No, Donny, It’s for you”, dia semakin dekat menjulurkan burger itu di depanku

“Thank you, mam. Allah is always with you”, akhirnya aku tak kuasa menolaknya.

“Amiin, Good night, Donny, Assalamu’alaikum”.

“Wa’alaikumsalam”

Pertemuan yang sangat menyenangkan di dini hari. Aku memasukkan burger hangat itu di dalam backpack. Lebih baik aku menyimpannya untuk sarapan esok hari.

Usai pertemuan itu, aku memutuskan berpindah tempat untuk mencari deret bangku kosong untuk tidur sembari meluruskan badan sehingga aku bisa memejamkan mata dengan nyaman.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Malaysia Airlines MH 724 dari Jakarta (CGK) ke Kuala Lumpur (KUL)

1 July 202110 July 2021travelingpersecond

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Jalur penerbangan MH 724 (sumber: flightaware.com).

Selepas pemeriksaan di konter imigrasi, aku turun satu lantai untuk kemudian melangkah ke arah barat menyusuri panjangnya travelator di Departure Hall Terminal 3 Ultimate.

Dalam lima belas menit aku tiba di Terminal 3 Existing. Sementara rona gelap mulai tampak dari kaca bandara. Hanya satu yang terbesit dalam fikiranku…..Shalat Jama’ Maghrib dan Isya’. Aku sudah hafal Terminal 3 Existing sejak 2013, jadi aku tahu dimana letak mushollanya, yaitu tak jauh dari tikungan akhir Terminal 3 Ultimate sisi barat.

Usai menjalankan shalat, aku sempat mendudukkan diri untuk menikmati serbuk oatmel yang kutuang di mini foldable lunch box, beruntung ada free water station yang menyediakan air hangat untuk menyeduh makanan serbuk itu. Itulah makan malam pertama dalam petualanganku menyisir Kuala Terengganu, India dan Timur Tengah.

Usai menyantap dinner sederhana itu, aku bergegas menuju gate 4 demi mempersiapkan diri menjelang boarding. Baru beberapa menit duduk di waiting room, pengumuman memenuhi langit-langit bandara…..Yupz, delay.

Waktu delay yang diprediksi berlangsung selama satu jam membuatku harus melakukan aktifitas lain demi menghindari kejenuhan. Aku memutuskan untuk mencharge ulang smartphoneku yang sudah kehabisan daya. Sementara pandangan mata kulempar jauh keluar bangunan bandara untuk menyaksikan aktifitas loading yang sibuk dilakukan di kaki-kaki raksasa Boeing 747 milik Japan Airlines, Airbus 330 milik Turkish Airlines dan Korean Air di sisi timur Terminal 3 Existing.

Keisengan lain yang kulakukan untuk mengusir kejenuhan itu adalah menguping percakapan wanita cantik Indonesia yang sedang khusyu’melakukan video WhatsApp call dengan kekasih bulenya yang berada di Eropa….Hhmmhhh, kekasih bule….Duhhh.

Aku juga menyempatkan bercakap dengan warga asli Tiongkok yang membuka restoran di area Industri Cikarang. Menurut tuturnya, dia untuk sementara akan kembali ke Tiongkok setelah hampir setahun tak mudik. Kesulitan berbahasa Indonesia maupun Inggris membuat kami berjibaku dalam bercakap dengan imbuhan bahasa isyarat dan bahasa tubuh kami masing-masing….Hmmmmhhh, pengusaha asli Tiongkok.

Akhirnya, pukul 20:15, boarding time pun tiba……

Aku segera memasuki kolom antrian sisi kanan untuk pemeriksaan paspor dan boarding pass oleh ground staff. Usai pemeriksaan aku pun menyusuri aerobridge untuk memasuki kabin pesawat Malaysia Airlines yang merupakan anggota dari aliansi penerbangan besar dunia “Oneworld”….Yes, aku menemukan bangkuku di kabin tengah, tepat di window seat sisi kiri bernomor 26F.

Malaysian Airline MH 724 merupakan penerbangan selama 1 jam 34 menit menggunakan pesawat Boeing 737-800 dan menempuh jarak sejauh 1.216 km. Dan ini adalah kali kedua aku menikmati penerbangan bersama Malaysia Airlines. Satu setengah tahun sebelumnya aku pernah mencicipi penerbangan pagi Malaysia Airlines MH 726 dengan tujuan yang sama.

Aku beruntung sekali bisa menangkap penerbangan premium Negeri Jiran ini pada promo yang berlangsung sepuluh bulan sebelum penerbangan. Dan tujuan utamanya bukanlah Kuala Lumpur, tetapi Kuala Terengganu.

Usai melakukan proses boarding dan demo prosedur keselamatan penerbangan oleh para awak kabin, pesawaat pun bersiap di ujung runway untuk melakukan take-off. Tak lama kemudian, setelah mendapatkan izin dari Air Traffic Controller (ATC) pesawat pun melakukan take-off dan mendekati pukul sembilan malam, pesawat pun airborne.

Ketika pesawat telah memasuki tahap cruising, para pramugari mulai membagikan inflight meal. Sajian Low Lactose Meal (NLML) yang kupesan jauh-jauh hari sebelum penerbangan pun tiba.

*Low Lactose Meal* (NLML) yang berisi kentang, wortel dan ayam rebusan….nyammmm.

Karena ini penerbangan pendek, usai makan malam aku berusaha untuk memanfaatkan waktu dengan menjelah wisata Negeri Jiran melalui inflight magazine milik Malaysia Airlines yaitu “Going Places” dan sesekali membolak balik Temptations e-cataloque untuk sedikit mengintip harga souvenir– souvenir milik Malaysia Airlines….Hmmh, tentu aku tak akan membelinya.

Kehabisan ide maka di sisa penerbangan aku berusaha untuk memejamkan mata sejenak karena malam ini pasti aku tak akan nyenyak tidur di Kuala Lumpur International Airport demi menunggu pagi. Tak benar-benar lelap aku tertidur di sisa penerbangan, hingga akhirnya pilot mengumumkan bahwa pesawat akan segera mendarat sembari menginformasikan cuaca yang bagus di Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia Airlines MH 724 pun bersiap mendarat, mengambil posisi lurus menuju runway dan perlahan menurunkan roda-roda besarnya untuk menapaki landasan dan membantu pilot untuk menghentikan laju pesawat.

Selamat datang KLIA….Selamat datang Malaysia.

Untuk mendapatkan tiket penerbangan dari Jakarta ke Kuala Lumpur, Kamu bisa mencarinya di 12go Asia dengan link sebagai berikut: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Aroma Timur Tengah di Terminal 3 Ultimate Soekarno Hatta International Airport

29 June 20214 July 2021travelingpersecond

Bus DAMRI Terminal Kampung Rambutan – Soekarno Hatta International Airport

Sabtu sore itu sangat cerah. Ketidaksabaran yang menyelimuti hati sedari pagi runtuh sudah. Semburat tipis senyuman terus menggantung di ujung bibir usai aku turun dari angkutan kota dan menapaki shelter DAMRI yang merupakan moda transportasi bagian dari JA Connexion.

Menjelang pukul 15:30, usai memastikan armada di hadapan adalah bus yang akan berangkat tercepat ke Soekarno Hatta International Airport, aku melompat masuk ke dalamnya melalui pintu depan dan duduk di belakang pengemudi sisi kiri.

Setelah semua penumpang masuk, seorang petugas Terminal Kampung Rambutan masuk dan menarik uang retribusi sebesar seribu rupiah kepada para penumpang. “Kok retribusi ngga dimasukkan ke dalam harga tiket saja”, aku bertanya dalam hati.

Tak lama kemudian, bus pun berangkat….Perlahan melaju keluar dari terminal, sebentar saja melalui sisi tol dan kemudian memasuki gerbang tol beberapa meter di depan.

Di permulaan perjalanan dalam tol, kepadatan mulai terasa, tetapi aku tak begitu mengkhawatirkan keadaan karena aku berangkat 4 jam 20 menit sebelum penerbangan. Aku pun menikmati perjalanan sejauh 50 km itu dengan sangat nyaman.

Satu jam lebih beberapa menit, aku tiba drop off zone Terminal 3 Ultimate Soekarno Hatta International Airport. Melaui Departure Hall Gate 3, aku mulai mencari status penerbangan Malaysia Airline MH 724.

Nomor penerbangan yang belum tertera di Flight Information Display System (FIDS), membuatku berani bertanya kepada seorang petugas wanita di information centre desk dan akhirnya aku mendapatkan informasi bahwa check-in desk C akan digunakan untuk mengurus administrasi penerbangan Malaysia Airlines MH 724.

Kursi tunggu di Departure Hall Terminal 3 Ultimate

Mengetahui informasi itu, maka kuputuskan untuk menunggu di bangku terdekat dengan check-in desk C. Selama menunggu check-in desk dibuka, aku tertegun pada kesibukan sepasang tour guide yang sibuk mengatur rombongannya yang entah akan menuju kemana?. Mereka berdua mengumpulkan rombongan dan dengan lantang melakukan briefing sehingga suara mereka bisa didengar oleh siapapun di sekitar pojok tunggu Terminal 3 Ultimate.

Satu jam menunggu, akhirnya check-in desk dibuka dan aku segera mengantri di kolom antrian C24 untuk mendapatkan boarding pass menuju Kuala Lumpur. Kali ini Kuala Lumpur hanya akan menjadi persinggahan, karena aku akan mengeksplore Kuala Terengganu, sebuah kota yang terletak 450 km di utara Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Terengganu akan menjadi kota di Malaysia kelima yang akan kunikmati setelah Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Ipoh dan Penang…..Ahhhh, sore itu aku tak sabar ingin segera tiba di Kuala Terengganu.

Melawat ke Kuala Terengganu adalah niatan yang muncul usai aku bertemu dengan Mariya, seorang solo-traveler asal Malaysia di Seoul. Pesona Kuala Terengganu yang diceritakan oleh Mariya telah menghipnotis alam bawah sadarku untuk mengunjunginya. Butuh waktu tiga tahun untuk mewujudkan mimpi itu.

Tapi sekali lagi, Kuala Terengganu juga bukan menjadi satu-satunya tujuan dalam perjalananku kali ini, karena titik sasarku tentu berada di tempat-tempat yang lebih jauh, yaitu negara-negara di kawasan Timur Tengah.

Kembali ke Terminal 3 Ultimate…..

Kini aku menuju ke konter imigrasi untuk berburu departure stamp. Di depan area imigrasi, aku berusaha menyelesaikan proses pemeriksaan imigrasi melalui autogate immigration tetapi ada seorang petugas yang menahan langkah dan melarangku melewati jalur itu. Aku diarahkan menuju ke konter imigrasi dengan petugas yang siap memeriksa. Menghadap seorang petugas imigrasi, aku menyerahkan passport dan boarding pass.

Staff imigrasi: “Tiket pulang, Mas?”

Aku: “Ini, Pak”, aku menyerahkan print out tiket penerbangan Philippine Airlines dengan rute Doha-Jakarta dan transit di Manila

Staff imigrasi: “Sendirian, mas?. Dalam rangka apa?”

Aku: “Solo-Backpacking, Pak”

Staff imigrasi itu akhirnya sibuk meneliti dengan detail halaman demi halaman pada pasporku.

Staff imigrasi: “Mampir kemana saja, Mas?”

Aku: “Kuala Terengganu-Kochi-Dubai-Oman-Bahrain-Qatar, Pak”

Staff imigrasi: “Boleh lihat visanya, Mas?”, wajahnya masih saja dingin dan serius.

Aku: “Sebentar, Pak”, aku membuka zipper bag dan mengeluarkan Visa India, Visa Uni Emirat Arab, Visa Oman dan Visa Bahrain, “Ini, Pak”

Staff imigrasi itu memeriksa satu persatu visa yang kuberikan.

Staff imigrasi: “Ok. Hati-hati, Mas”.

Aku keluar dari konter imigrasi dengan nafas lega dan segera memasukkan segenap file ke zipper bag kembali. Kini aku akan menuju ke Terminal 3 Existing untuk mempersiapkan diri terbang bersama Malaysia Airlines.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Tag: Malaysia Airlines MH 724

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