Leaving Semporna for Bangkok (Apr. 10, 2015)

Apr. 10, 2015

Today I got up early as usual, and puttered around, slowly getting my stuff ready to go. I took everything out of my suitcase, and repacked it, weighed it to be sure I wasn’t over weight, then went to find some breakfast. I went to that restaurant, Al-Nifisah, that is two doors down from the Lodge I am staying in. The young girls who work there are so cute, in there head scarves that match perfectly with whatever they are wearing. They always have big smiles to great you with and are happy to try and help you in any way they can.

I asked what a traditional breakfast might be, and they said that roti with banana and iced coffee with milk. I said that would be fantastic, and ordered it. They brought it over and I munched away, looking out at the people passing on the street in front of the restaurant. Semporna isn’t very pretty, but it’s a friendly little town. The roti at this place is so delicious, soft, and tears perfectly. I really like it. 

I finished up my breakfast, then went to the grocery store to buy some munchies for my 12 hour wait in the Kuala Lumpur Airport, for my Bangkok flight. I got some nuts, an apple, water, and two boiled eggs from the restaurant that I had breakfast at (old habits die hard, Mom...lol). Then I went back to the hostel and had a shower to be ready for my 10:30 taxi ride of 1.5 hours, into Tawau. While I was waiting after I was ready, one of the Dive Masters who I had been diving with said I should go back to the restaurant and get a 'Take Away' roti, with some curry sauce. I did that and was all ready for a long wait at KL Airport.

Well the ride to Tawau and the flight were good. Well, I had an interesting encounter on the plane. The flight wasn't super full, but I was in a middle seat between two men. When I went to the bathroom, I noticed that there were a couple of rows, with only one person, by the window, so I asked if I could take one of those aisle seats. They said it was fine, so I took one, and realized that the guy behind me was really tall, and if I tried to recline the seat, his knees would be squished. So I moved to the other vacant seat, with a short man behind, and lots of leg room. I sat down, and reclined the seat a bit, but not fully. Suddenly, I felt the seat get jammed back to a straight position, so I tried again. Then I realized it was the guy behind me, pushing the seat back up so I couldn't recline. I turned around and asked if it would be ok to recline the seat just a little, and indicated that his knees weren't being touched at all. He said no, and told me to move. I said there was no where else, and I would just put it back a little. He kept shoving it back to the upright position. So, the third time he did it, I just pushed against the floor to keep the seat slightly reclined, and kept my feet planted until he stopped trying to do that. I couldn't believe it, but finally he stopped, though he kept jamming the seat when he would get up and down. It was actually quite funny, and I felt like laughing about it as it was happening. He had tons of room and was adamant about not letting my put the seat back at all, though he was a small man with lots of room. Anyway, other than that, the flight was good and I arrived at the KL Airport without issue. 

I was not looking forward to waiting the twelve hours until my Bangkok flight, and managed to have a nice coffee with an Australian guy who was diving where I was, and was on his way home, but stopping in KL for two days. He was really nice and we sat for quite a while chatting before he had to go.

Then I decided to try and find some place to sit or lie down, until my ealry morning flight. As I was walking around the airport, I saw a sign that indicated Sleeping Capsules, so I went to find out about it. I was so happy I did, because for $30 Canadian, you can rent a bed in a kind of warehouse area of the airport, that has pass key access, showers, towels, lockers, reading light, and charging stations. It was a gift to find this, and I happily rented one for twelve hours. Oh, there is WiFi as well.....yeah.

My little capsule with
pull down privacy curtain

View of floor with capsules

Looking down to 1st capsule floor

Pass key access for entry/exit

Bathroom and shower area complete
with hair dryers

One side is female only, the other
side is male only

So, I cozied down in my little capsule bed, took out my computer, and updated some of the pics for my blog. I haven't gotten very far yet, because I have to copy one of the Memory Cards to my computer and choose the photos, but it's a start. What a lovely way to end the journey to Bangkok. Now I will get up refreshed, clean, and ready for my early flight, arriving without a sore back, and being tired. Wow, what a fantastic idea to have in an airport, and totally affordable.

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