Thanks for the memories, Gold Coast (Part 2: The Journey Begins)

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Penyayang.

Okay. Hari ni ada masa terluang sikit. Habis dah vacuum satu rumah dan mop. Kita dah start countdown untuk Ramadhan kan? Cepat betul masa berlalu ye? Mudahan Ramadhan kali ini kita lebih istiqomah dalam beribadat, lillahita'ala.

Jom sambung cerita pasal trip Gold Coast yang dah lama terbengkalai ni. (sorry korang!)

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29 JANUARY 2015 (Thursday)

So, sampailah hari untuk fly tu, flight kitorang malam tau. Gerak dari rumah petang and then had early dinner. Texas Chicken (yes I know you're thinking of the recent controversy which I think is ridiculous by the way *facepalm laju2*). Flight at 10 pm from KLIA2-OOL (Coolangatta Airport a.k.a Gold Coast Airport). ETA lebih kurang pukul 6 am local time.

This is the first time we're flying out of the country together. All the while we had short honeymoon trips within the country. So after 2+ years of recovering from our wedding reception (we're talking about ka-ching here), we've decided this will be a romantic getaway, and thus, let's splurge!

Taxi : macam biasa, we love using the MyTaxi app (now known as Grab A Taxi). You can download this app from Playstore or Appstore. Easy to use. Straight forward. Just make sure you give an accurate address. The driver might call you to confirm location but all else is good. You can also leave a comment on their service after on the app. According to the husband, drivers who got bad review will be kicked out of the taxi app group. Took us only 20 minutes to the airport. Yeah, he was that fast.

A little bit about KLIA2 Airport. Super huge. After dinner, we walked pass the first immigration checkpoint. The direction board says it will take us about 40 minutes walk to our departure gate. (they're not kidding). Passport checkout was super fast too as it was done electronically and you just step into the booth and follow instruction on the screen. We passed by a row of free duty shops and decided to stop for prayer. One last phone call to my parents before the long flight.

Yes the walk was 40 minutes. I had to catch my breath and we took a toilet break halfway after the second immigration checkpoint. All liquids is not allowed to pass through so I gulped down the whole bottle not wanting to waste any.

The flight journey was ok I guess. We got middle aisle and I have a quiet Australian lady on my right. For the long flight we packed light blankets and neck pillows. Blankets purchased at IKEA at RM9 and neck pillows from DAISO at RM10 each. I read for the first two hours and then decided to sleep. Lights out except for reading lights. Reading: For One More Day by Mitch Albom.

It was almost a year since the Malaysia Airlines MH17 flight disappeared from the radar. To be honest I was a little nervous about the flight. Weather forecast showed good weather ahead. Asked for friends and family to say a prayer that we go and come back safely.

30 JANUARY 2015 (Friday)
I woke up to the sound of the captain's voice. Window seat passengers started to roll up the window shades. Sun began shining in. Wow. That was fast. Australia - Gold Coast is about 2 hours ahead of Malaysia (no jetlag there). I decided to freshen up in the toilet. Need to move them legs after sleeping in a sitting position for  6 hours. I remembered sliding off my seat and subconsciously corrected my posture a few times throughout the night. Before disembarking the plane, there was an announcement about bringing in plants/animals/restricted items into Australia. There was an Ebola breakout during our trip there so upon landing, the flight attendants sprayed insecticides? all over the plane. Then another team came in and just quickly use infrared scanners to check everyone's temperature. The ones with cough/flu will probably be escorted to a holding room for further checks.

Good morning Gold Coast. I was still a little groggy. Picture taken at the airport's car rental parking bay.

The husband rented from Hertz. Arrangement all done when we were back in KL. Before you leave the airport, do stop by a convenience store at the other end of the airport to purchase OPUS SIMcard with free internet. The reception is good and the internet is fast. SIMcard comes in micro (for most Android users) and nano (for Apple people, woot!)

A Toyota Corolla hatchback for only AUD30/day.

Australia is right-hand driving so shouldn't be a problem ya? Did a quick check on the car (be sure to capture photos of any dent/mark on the car). Waze was super helpful (I say super alot don't I?) Along the way we dropped by Robina Town Center for lunch. For Halal food restaurant list, you can use this website: http://www.halalsquare.com.au/gold-coast/ . I stopped by at an Apple Store just to borrow their SIMcard tray pin because I forgot to bring mine. Off we go to the hotel!

The drive from airport (Coolangatta) to Broadbeach. Can't remember which highway was this though.

Here we are. You can view the room from any website online like booking.com, etc.

The view from our balcony on 27th floor. Pacific Ocean for the win baby!

Oh! Don't forget to buy the power socket adaptor. They use a different type of 3-pin sockets. I got them at Ace Hardware for RM20?

Had our afternoon nap and then out for dinner.

Of course I have to have rice. Else I die. (kidding). This was Curry Express, I think, right in the centre of Surfers Paradise on Clifford Street.

Took a walk through the night market along Surfers Paradise beach. Was tempted to buy handmade candle.
Cool breeze from the Pacifics. I just love being at the beach!

The night was uneventful. 

The first night was a pretty laidback day for us. Stopped by at Coles to pick up some fruits, bread, and drinks. It was halfway through summer when we were there. (the initial flight was during fall, sobs). Even if it is windy and slightly chilly, just remember to stay hydrated as if you're back in the tropics.

Sebenarnya ada la jugak interesting thing happened. Time parking kereta kat tepi jalan tu and isi coins dalam machine dia, husband ada cerita nanti kat pantai we might bump into the Parking Angels. Diorang ni minah-minah yang dress *coughs* minimally and kerja diorang ni tolong isikan coin kat parking orang supaya tak kena saman. Huhu. Tapi tak ambik gambar diorang sebab... aurat... Tapi sexy la. Hahaha!

We decided to call it a night and head back to Broadbeach. Surfers Paradise ni a little drive up north je. Helpful jugak sini after working hours dah sunyi dah so takde traffic jam pun. Oh, since kedai semua tutup awal, most restaurants tutup pukul 9 some sampai 12, mostly lepas tu tinggal bars and pubs je. Takkan nak duduk situ pulak kan? So makan awal. Tapi tengah malam macam biasa lah lapar lagi. So beli lah roti! Bila beli roti tu bolehlah cari roti halal macam ni : Nina Hamdan Blog , ada gambar sekali kat blog dia. Credit to her so I decided to post je blog address dia sini.


To be continued...

xoxo