Flying Solo at Kuala Lumpur

Home feels - that was my state of mind during my layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last August 9.

My layover in this city took place on my birth month - August. It was my first time to bid alone, which means I would have a random flying partner. I got the same line with the pretty Egyptian girl. Her name is Hend.

Considering it as a long-haul flight, crew are given short rest while in the sky. They are divided into two. Half of them rest while the other half look after the cabin. I was able to sleep for 2 hours in the so-called OFAR or overhead flight attendant room.

All my colleagues in this flight have been to this Malaysia's sultry capital already. It was only me who haven't seen it, who haven't laid eyes on the popular skyscraper, Petronas Twin Tower. So, each and everyone had various plan. As for Hend, she planned to pamper herself in a salon. So, I opted to stray away from the group and roam around by myself. I was hesitant about the idea at first. I was scared to go solo in a place I am unfamiliary with. At 6 pm, I was all set. I already asked hotel personnel where Petronas is and how to get there. The moment I stepped out of Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur hotel, I fidgeted and ran back to my room. Haha! I got nervous. I messaged my housemate Andrea and him to boost my enduring drive.

It was already 8 pm when I had the courage to go out, even though one personnel reminded me to take care of my sling bag for it's already dark outside.

I passed by a cafeteria. There was one local whom I asked for the direction to the metro train. He showed me the way. Then, I asked him if it was safe to walk alone through the bridge. You know what he did? He left his food and directed me to the metro train. He looked very generous and he really was generous! Inside the metro, I approached another local so as to know how to get a ticket and know which station should I go off. He was a nice Muslim guy. I got off at KLCC.

Finally! The word's tallest twin towers came into sight. It was surrounded by bunch of tourists. I was one of the tourists who struggled getting the perfect picture with the tower. I got my DSLR and selfie stick with me, but they were not enough. That's when I realized that I really need to purchase a GoPro. Haha!

After having dinner at Nando's, I went back to the hotel.

 

 

And by the way, I just want to commend Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur hotel for its beauty, cleanliness, and friendly staff. I also enjoyed their breakfast buffet, just like in Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila's Spiral. I was able to devour Malaysia's very own anchovies. Yay! What I enjoyed most was the dessert counter.

 

For me, Kuala Lumpur is like a big version of Makati in the Philippines. However, there are several tourist spots that I have yet to visit. And hopefully, I will roam around it with my loved ones. Plus, a better picture with the twins.

 

Crew on Reserve

Reserve line is one of the peeves of cabin crew. Sometimes, it can be advantageous, but most of the time not. Reserve means being on standby or on-call, waiting for a call from the check hostess or crew scheduler who will assign you a flight to any destination.

There are 2 shifts given to us. A Shift starts from 3 am until 3pm, whereas B Shift is from 3pm-3 am. You should be ready in between. Because sometimes, you only have 10 minutes to prepare. Usually, you are the substitute for crew who is sick or simply cannot operate the flight.

I, myself, never wanted to see this on my roster. But I did last July.

My supposed-to-be flying partner Jessica and I unfortunately had reserve lines. We were not the most junior thou! But marked by my lack of responsibility, we passed the bid sheet after the deadline (which we were not aware of).

Gloominess pervaded in us.

Our schedule was a headache. We even got low flying hours, which is equal to low salary. Cabin crew are paid an hourly wage after reaching certain minimum flying hours. We prayed to get 2 or more layovers. Jessica got Cochin layover. And guess what? Manila layover was given to me.

I spent my days off in the Philippines from July 13 until 19, 2015. On October 22, I was sleeping soundly. I had been snoring since 6 pm. Suddenly, I received a call from the check hostess at 3 am, telling me I need to prepare within 10 minutes because I will be having a 47-hour layover in Manila. Yay! I was shaking while packing my things. I got rattled and giddy at the same time.

Manila flights are mostly operated by our Filipina seniors who are flying for 5-15 years and are already Manila-based. Of course, I was nervous working with these highly experienced crew. Everything was smooth and organized. Wow!

Before the aircraft took off, I just inboxed my sister about my unexpected layover and also asked her to relay it to my parents.

 

Rain was pouring when we landed. The supervisor, purser, and I were accompanied by Sofitel personnel to their hotel. When I disembarked the van, I saw my parents, cousin, and Uncle June all smiles and all eyes on me. I could feel how proud they were as they eyed me on my blue uniform. It was their first time to personally see me in it.

I just took my room key card, had dinner at MOA and went with them to Pampanga. The could stay in my hotel room. However, due to this sudden occurrence, they were not able to bring clothes and my little sister was still in school. I slept at home and went on an errand the next day. Jet lag has no room for flight attendants like me. Lol!

In the afternoon, my whole family with my cousin and his daughter drove me back to Sofitel. They mellowed out by the pool. After 2 hours, we dined at MOA. Then, dropped me back to the hotel.

 

I had wonderful Zzzzz's. I woke up early the next day to have my breakfast at the Spiral. Woooow! I was stunned by their buffet. They serve different dishes. And I like the idea of this crew biking around and offering newspapers PLUS the magtataho inside. Yay! The only thing I hate about Sofitel is the prohibition of DSLRs. One lady guard forbade me to use my DSLR. The reason she said was the camera creates a high-resolution images that can be zoomed in closer to the people in the background. Sofitel must be supporting the Anti-Selfie bill. Peace!

 

Afterwards, I just prepped myself for a flight back to Riyadh.

Before, I was not attracted to roster with Manila flight. I was like "Been seeing Manila ever since. There's nothing special about it. I'd rather choose Europe flights". But I ate my words! It is one for the books.

That's how I ended month of July with a reserve line. I am very, very happy with the layover I got but please no more reserve lines for me. Please? I will be responsible. I will always submit bid sheet before the deadline. Please?