I had bought ticket to Labuan in 2020 but the pandemic lingered on and on. I decided to call MAS in September 2021 (I think) and was surprised to find that the ticket was valid until 31 December 2021 and not 31 December 2022 so after trying a few possible dates, I decided I would fly on Christmas Day. I then looked at hotels and booked one (only to change to another hotel about a week before departure).
On Christmas Day, I left house pretty early as I
wanted to catch the 08:00 bus from KL Sentral. Bus runs every two hours instead
of every hour as it did before (KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit services have
been combined for now and runs on an hourly basis) and it was a combined
service to KLIA2 and KLIA. I reached KLIA (oh hello KLIA! Missed you so much!)
just after 09:00 (the bus stopped at KLIA2 before continuing on to KLIA). I
went to drop off my bag and while I was the first in line, those before me (a family?
A small group?) sure took a long time dropping off their bags and things.
I decided to have some food and went to Food Garden
on level 2. I ended up having overpriced yong tau foo. I then went back to
departure level and went in. I browsed some accessories and books before
walking to my gate.
We boarded at 11:00 and the plane took off on time.
We landed at Labuan Airport at 13:35. After getting my bag, I walked out and
asked a airport staff who confirmed that me I could get a bus into town at the main
road. I walked down and sure enough, there was a bus stop. I waited in the hot
sun (thank God I remembered to pack a small brolly) for twenty minutes before a
bus came along. The journey took less than ten minutes.
I walked to Labuan Avenue Hotel from the bus terminal less
than ten minutes’ walk away. I checked-in – was asked if I had any preference
which level I’d like to room in – and decided on a ground floor room. The hotel
only had two other guests although one family came in after me. After checking
out the reading/dining area and pantry, I went to my room to perform prayers
and rest.
I went out after 17:00 and walked to the central market and walked behind it to the shortcut leading to Patau-Patau Water Village, one of the two water villages in Labuan. The houses here are built on stilts over water in the bay. I walked in the village for about twenty minutes before turning back as it was getting dark. I then walked back to town and explored it before returning to my room.
To be continued
|