Hope things gets better

Salam Alaik

I am on leave till the end of the year. However today i decided to go to the office.

I have to pass some stuff to Datin Rozi, and Amy. Well they are happy (hopefully) to get their Naraya Stuff.

I came to the office to call and say thank you personnally to those people that have made my travel back from Bangkok.

Only today i was aware that me being in Thailand was security issue that has been escalated to the Asia Pacific Director. No wonder the calls and the constant request for update. But above all i am greatful that they actually cared for my well being.

There is just so many people that i need to thank. Taufik, Din, Azli, Rozi, Nurul, Kesh, Razman, Faizal, Amy, K. Permsak, K Chatcavant, K. Apinya, K Nuch, K Sunee, K Aprluck, K Patama, Steph, Rosli, Mama, Abah, Adik Angah, Adik Aishah, Dalila, Nenek and other for their support and their kind wishes.

I am so grateful that there are people who cared about me, I am being loved. There is nothing more that i could ask for but Syukur. I hope in return i hope that i have impacted their live and have given them some of my care and attention to them.

I called them personally, i wish thanks personally, i did give an update to the bosses today.

I hope that things gets better in the world, the bombing in Mumbai, the Fighting in the World, the restless travellers longing to be with their loved ones in Bangkok and the whole world. There is so much sorrow. There is the best and the worst of humanity. Lets pray that we do not become a victim or cause people to be a victim.

Wasallam

Experience in U-Tapao -> Closure of Survanabumi Airport

Salam Alaik
I had my share of the impact of the closure of Survanabumi Airport in Bangkok. My flight back from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur on 30th November 2008 was routed to U-Tapao Airport almost 190km away from my Hotel.

I woke up at 4am to start packing my stuff, at around 8am i was already at U-Tapao Airport, the journey from my hotel took nearly 2 hours, although previous reports mentioned that it can take up to 4hrs depending on the Traffic. It cost me 2000 Baht for this trip (thanks to Kun Nuch that help arranged this travel trip)

When i arrive there are already thousands of people crowding the entrance, it is chaotic, there is just no information, no body to provide or address information, this is at 8am I cannot imagine what is going to happen when the sun is out and everybody is tried.

After waiting for several hours, we managed to get some information by combining notes from other travellers. First you have to wait outside here, unless you are Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airline you go to the counter at the next building.

You have to wait for your airline to be called before allowing entering the building, if you queue up and your airline is not being called the guards is going to throw you out of the door. After several hours of waiting, then Finally “Malaysian Airlines” was called, so I with a few found friend starting to queue.

Once inside the building, you are suppose to get you check in luggage x-ray. Here is confusion; there is only one x-ray machine to serve the thousand of luggage. They first called Malaysian Airline, then they called Aerofloat. So imagine the both of the airline passenger trying to get their baggage x-ray

some of the pictures inside the waiting area. It is not a big airport.

Imagine this, we are in the queue to get our begs x-ray, If i am not mistaken for almost 1 hours, suddenly the guard asked us, what time is your flight, we said 2.15pm, and he suddenly asked us to break ranks and go behind the queue because they are now serving only 11.05am flights. Some of the travellers went on a rampage, people start making noises, well my team decided to break ranks, those making noise are not making any progress anyway, so rather then we stay in queue we find ourselves doing something else. Ahh yes we went to the restaurant

Well it was almost 1pm, the sun is out, I was lucky that I was in the building, but imagine those outside, the sun is already out, people is trying to get their flight, it was during this time, when the authorities announce, “please be patience, we are trying to get information flow to you better, all flight are already delayed, some planes to U-Tapao could not land due to congestion of Air Planes, please do not make the scenario worse here, we are going to get everybody on their plane, please be patience.”

I was in the restaurant, Alhamdulillah that I was allowed inside,

After a few moments waiting, then we they called my flight for x-ray, there is a bit of a system right now compared to before, so we waited and I got my bag x-ray. Now there is another queue.

Now there is a queue to check – in, there is only four counter to server the thousands of people inside the building and outside the building, so here we go again, there is another queue

Another queue to get my luggae check-in and get my boarding pass.
After much waiting, Alhamdulillah i managed to get my Beg Checked in and got my boarding pass. Wow from 8am now it is almost 2pm
(6 hours to get through the check –in process)
 

The boarding time stated 1.50pm, but when i got my boarding pass it was nearly 1.50pm, and there was so many other who have yet to get their begs x-ray, pass check-in and go their boarding pass. The queue was still amazingly long

Have i mentioned about the air force personnel was there to assist in the process.
Yes there was military personnel helping out with civilian flights. It is a military air port.
 
While waiting to pass passport control, yes there is another queue, long queue. I notice of Thai Red Cross Society, giving away drinks and food to travellers.
Alhamdulillah i had some food with me which I brought from the hotel, fruits, biscuits, Chocolates and bread, but I would imagine that those that have come un-
prepared need this more than I do.

Some of the travellers are stranded for days and is low on cash; no wonder the restaurant was empty. The food in the restaurant itself was not exactly cheap. A tuna Sandwich was going for 90Baht.

There was similar tent and hand-out service to those outside the building; i could see that many travellers appreciate the hand-out by the Red Cross society.

I decided to go to passport control early, since I do not know what to expect, after the passport control, just imagine the crowd her. There is just standing room, many people want to be near the information areas because of the poor PA system, people cannot hear any announcement clearly otherwise, so many people crowd the main information area

At around 5pm, they announce my flight MH789 to Kuala Lumpur, I was in the queue to get on the bus to go to my flight.

I am so happy to see a MAS plane parked there I got on the Plane, my sit was 23A, I usually prefer Aisle Seat but I don’t care. I just needed to sit down. I got a windows sit today.

I took this picture from the windows of my sit, i have not seen this much airplane parked at such a small airport. Kudos to the ground crew at U-TAPAO for making this effort, I can personally say that it is not your fault for this event to happen. All of you are handling more that you are designed for. But thank you for the effort.
Just my final thoughts, I Just hope that things get better in Bangkok, and the world too. There is just too much violent in the world.

Just sharing with the world my experience, flying from a Military Base, I am sure not many of you have experience it, I always say, Allah works in Mysterious ways, I believe what I Say. If you want to know more write to me personally.