Penang, Part 1

In April 2022, I had the opportunity to return to Malaysia and WFH for a month, as a kind gesture by my company for foreign employees to go home after being apart due to covid-19 induced border closures. I took it and went back.

But the problem is, it becomes, surreal.

After being stuck in Singapore for two years, Singapore has sort of become my abode. Like it or not, once you've stayed in a place for a long time, it becomes home. You do not have to like your home, it's home.

Returning to Malaysia brings me subdued happiness and hope, a sense of escape from a rut, but that's it. I get to meet my parents and sister, and I get to return my hometown and visit some old places and eat some local food, but other than that, the excitement was less thrilling than I thought.

My flight was 11am something. I initially bought MAS, but stupid Malaysia Airlines rescheduled my flight to another day and that would mean I would waste a day's leave, so I cancelled it and got it refunded. No thanks because I opted for the expensive fee that specifically allowed a refund without a fee, but I couldn't get a refund for insurance. I then bought AirAsia.

I went to the airport early because I feared the procedure to check covid-19 documents would take a lot time. I reached the airport about 3 hours before flight time, so about time the check-in luggage counter opened. 

It actually wasn't too much a hassle. The ground crew checked whether mySejahtera had been downloaded and whether the traveller's card was already filled, and then checked whether a pre-departure test was done. Once they are cleared, everything was smooth. 

I then shopped around at Jewel and T1, found nothing of interest, and went in to T1 and waited.

Then I boarded the flight. And flew.

Touching down in Penang, I felt, home. It's been a while. Because I'd taken a Pontian wanton mee at T1 (only shop operating at 9am) and took Pak Nasser's Nasi Lemak on flight (which was a bit disappointing, food wasn't thawed properly and the taste was a bit bland, I'm not sure why, I've taken it many times, this time it felt disappointing), so I did not take any more lunch that day.