Kota Kinabalu, Feb 24, 2006

Again I had a very early breakfast and decided to walk the waterfront to explore a little bit more. I got what I need to know on what we should do the next three days. I concluded there nothing much to see around KK city but we just need few hours to do our shopping. The city is not the place to be in Sabah the beautiful islands with their wonderful beaches, the nature parks, and cultural places where you must be.

I walked back to the hotel to rest a bit. At 1130 hours I checked out of Hyatt and checked in at Marina Court Resort Condominium. I stayed inside mostly as I did not know where as to go but I knew I need an internet connection to check my emails. I went out eventually to get something to eat. I thought of getting something light for lunch and walked towards the Api Api Centre. As I was walking I was thinking about the van that I needed to rent for this short holidays. Suddenly and important realization hit me, I was a holder of an expired driving license. I did not realize it at all for sure taking the train to work everyday contributed to that. Thanks God I knew where the post office was and that was my immediate target after lunch. I picked up my pace and saw Mc D from afar and decided to go there. My choice was actually a strategic one as I got near I saw the TMnet Hotspot sign. So I got lunch and broadband connection at the same time. In less than ten minutes I was at the main post office in KK and my luck continued to run when I was served immediately when I got there. Save by the bell as they say, I was s bit relax after that and started to enjoy my stroll around the city. From my first trip here Centre Points seemed to be the largest shopping complex in KK and I thought it still is now. So, I decided to pass my time in there.

I did not realize the extend of the problem when my wife sent me a message stating long story as to the delay of their checking in. When Fatah’s or An’s message said their flight was delayed to 1830 hours I was expecting that and confidently and absentmindedly concluded that the same applied to everyone else. So I took my own sweet time before I left for the airport. When I finally got into the cab and told the driver that I wanted to go to the airport he asked me whether I was flying Airasia or MAS. Before I could asked another question he continued that Airasia would be flying out at Tanjung Aru Terminal and Mas at the main terminal. So in that case I said I am going to the Tanjung Aru terminal. Just when I was about to reach the terminal 2 I received a message from my son stating they arrived already and I was caught by surprise. If they left KLIA at 1830 they would probably still in the sky and I couldn’t believe Airasia would be flying that fast. I found out later An, Fatah, Imah and their mum missed their flight and they were the ones that were late. My family, Tariq, Intan and their small daughter managed to checked in on the original flight. They told me the whole story later. Eventually all of them arrived safely at Marina Court condominium and we went for dinner at Anjung Senja and this time it was definitely Gerai No. 14. With my family with me then I could enjoyed KK more. Despite telling them we going to have an early morning the next day almost all of them stayed up late. Also, despite the big dinner all of them came back to the condominium to cook more maggi mee. Since I was the designated driver I went in early.