Travelling Home with Zade

I've been home for a couple of days now. Zade and I left Unimews around 9 pm Tuesday night. Aileen was really nice to wait for a cab with us. The night was cold but I thought wasn't too bad. Or maybe I was too excited that I didn't mind it. After 5 minutes of waiting, the cab arrived and 15 minutes later we were at the airport. I put Zade in his stroller and made my way to the check in counter. Although it was a bit tricky trying to push Zade and pull my luggage at the same time, I managed to do it given the fact that Melbourne's airport is really small and the check in counter is right at the entrance. And I had the right mind to travel light, which is the first for me. The new stroller that I got for Zade was great. It had very good handling and was easy to maneuver. I had no problem pushing with just one hand.

The line was quite long as the check in counter wasn't open yet. There was a lady walking around tagging luggage of the people waiting in line. If I'm not mistaken it was the same check in counter for MAS. There was another lane for those who have checked in online. They just needed to drop their luggage and show proof of identity. I need to remember to that next time I travel. It was ridiculous to wait in line for more than half an hour. Zade cooperated for the most part but when the counter opened, he started squirming in his seat, trying to get me to let him walk. I gave him crackers and sultanas to quiet him down. It was finally out turn after what seemed like hours, although in real time was appoximately 45 minutes.

There was a little confusion because I initially bought a ticket with Zade travelling with me as an infant. Later on I decided to buy another ticket for Zade so that he has his own seat because I thought it will be easier for me on the flight. This is my first time travelling on Air Asia X, so I wasn't really sure of what to expect. Usually when I fly with MAS, the flight attendant will find empty seats and offer that I change seats onboard the aircraft. I wasn't sure if that will be the case with Air Asia X. Anyway, I couldn't cancel Zade's name on my ticket so Zade was double booked. They had to spend a few minutes sorting it out.

After checking in, we proceeded to the departure lounge. It was such a hassle to go through security. Poor Zade, he was beyond tired. He had a full day at child care today, and it was almost 11 pm. He dozed of in the cab on the way to the airport for 10 minutes. But he doesn't seem to want to sleep at the airport. Maybe there was too much going on around him. At the departure lounge I let him out of his stroller so that he walk about. I ended up chasing for half an hour as he ran all over the place. I was so relief when the time came for boarding.

Zade fell asleep after we took off and woke up about an hour before landing. I got some rest and read the in flight magazine which was quite good, even better than MAS which I've always thought to be a tad pretentious. Just before I fell asleep, the flight attendant came around with some food. It was not too bad, but it might just be because I was hungry. I had chicken rendang and french beans served with parsley rice. I ordered the meal online, so it came with a bottle of water and a Kit Kat. I ordered a meal for Zade too, but declined since he was asleep. We landed in LCCT ahead of estimated arrival time at 6.45 am. It was a good flight and the flight attendants were pleasant and helpful. I have to admit that I had low expectation of the service, but I'm glad I was wrong.

After going through immigration we headed straight to baggage claim. And as usual we ended up waiting for Danial. He was waiting for us at the immigration but somehow missed us. I had to call him to come down and meet us. Words can't describe how I felt when I saw him, and looking at Zade, I know he felt the same. He was so excited to see his Papa. I'm so happy that we're home again.