Our first flight in 17 months. I wondered if I had forgotten my time-tested air travel rituals and wearing face masks, using hand sanitizers and maintaining social distancing would spoil the fun of traveling?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been one of those rare creatures that enjoy being on a plane. Back in 2020 we had many travel plans: Uzbekistan, the USA, attending a family reunion in The Netherlands, trips to Indonesia, just to name a few. But then came COVID-19, none of that happened. But this pandemic has not killed my travel bug. I have not lost my travel appetite, and I looked forward to board the plane which would fly Francien and me from Kuala Lumpur via Doha to Berlin. Governments kept turning lockdown measures on and off according to spikes in COVID-19 cases. The rules were not always clear, and that made planning this trip difficult with many last-minute changes. One requirement for us entering Europe was a negative PCR test which would not be older than 72 hours. So, Francien and I took this test at the local clinic. The nose swap felt like a brain scraper: I tilted my head backwards and the nurse pushed the swap into my nose. It was as if water was running into it, so I naturally flinched. It took a few seconds and 12 hours to get the result. Then we printed out our digital vaccination certificates and at the police station we got an approval letter to drive to the airport. Because of the ongoing lockdown measures in Malaysia, without that clearance, the police at the roadblocks around the airport would not let us pass.
We decided not to return to Malaysia until all travel restrictions have been permanently lifted, which we expect to be the case not earlier than January 2022. That begs the question what to pack for a trip with unknown duration and destinations? We packed our toiletries, summer and winter clothing, laptops, chargers and sports attire, knowing we will have to buy ‘stuff’ as we travel around Europe for the next months.
Before we entered the terminal building in Kuala Lumpur, we had to show our PCR test result. Check-in was a bit slow, because all passengers had to show health related documents depending on their final destinations. Francien and I had to provide proof of a negative test result, the German pre-arrival approval and full vaccination certificate. Other than that, the entire check-in, security and immigration procedures were exactly the same as during pre-COVID-19. Alas, still too many physical touch points, which should be improvement soon.
Only one of the three international terminals was open and three flights still departed to Europe after midnight: Emirates, Etihad and QATAR. At immigration there were no queues at all. I had to remove my face mask to confirm my identity, which somewhat defeated the purpose of attempting not to touch your face once the face mask is on. Asking no questions, the officer stamped our exit visas, and we strolled to the boarding gate. The airport was eerily quiet. We were alone when we went through security. All the shops and restaurants were closed, there was no music or boarding announcements, and none of the usual din of tens of thousands of passengers making their way to their gates. Looking at the handful of flights listed on the announcement board, we realised we could safely assume that any other passenger we encountered in the terminal was on our flight. There was a sense of peacefulness in the building.
Kuala Lumpur airport: the terminal train was not running
Kuala Lumpur airport: normally here hundreds of passengers are rushing to their gates 24/7……..
Finally, at 2:00 mid-night we boarded and the cabin crew, wearing their signature burgundy uniforms, welcomed us at the door. The passengers were calm, with none of the usual stressed urgency of air travel: no one was in a hurry to get anywhere. On schedule, the plane pulled away from the gate and a few minutes later I heard the familiar rumbling of the engines. The pilot released the brakes, both engines roaring, pushing us back into our seats. We lifted off the ground into the air: we were on our way to Europe. As we reached cruising altitude, I saw lightning strikes above the Malaysian peninsular, typically for these tropical regions.
The cabin crew wore facemasks. At our seat, there were hand sanitizer travel packs. We felt comfortable and there was a sense of togetherness inside the cabin. I guess most passengers were of the type not deterred by the more inconvenient and unpredictable travel circumstances. I saw several Malaysian families with children, a few business people (however without the typical loosened ties and laptops), an elderly couple clinking their champagne glasses and individuals who behaved like experienced travellers. Like us, some would see loved ones for the first time in many months, others on their way to their vacation destinations. No doubt many splurged for a better experience after being stuck at home for too long. There were 100 passengers on board, leaving half of the seats empty.
Sunrise over Iran
Before take-off on our way to Berlin, Germany
As soon as we reached cruising altitude, we laid down and slept until the flight attendant woke us up for breakfast. We changed planes in Doha, Qatar. That airport was bustling with foremost holiday makers, busy as in pre-COVID times: all the tax-free shows were open and packed with shoppers: in front of the lounges, long queues. The people rushed to get to their boarding gates. The departure announcement monitors showed many flights leaving to all corners of the world very much like we had seen the many times we used this hub-airport before. All people in the terminal buildings wore facemasks. One passenger was even wearing a full paper protection overall, a woman wore a gas-mask to cover her mouth and nose. If that is not funny, I saw a number of people wearing facemasks, covered by face shields and on top of that their entire heads wrapped in cloths! The pandemic certainly was on the minds of many.
As soon as we were airborne again on the last leg of our journey to Berlin, I gazed through the window and enjoyed seeing the world slowly gliding below. I recognized the deserts of Iraq, reminding me of our time working and living in the Middle East. As I was writing this blog posting, between the scattered clouds, I glimpsed the Taurus Mountains range in southern Turkey and one hour later the Black Sea which we have crossed so many times before. The highest mountains in the Alps were snow-capped, and as we descended into Berlin, I saw the familiar sight of the green German plains. Finally, after a 16-hour journey, we arrived as the plane hit the ground and wallowed and juddered a bit when it hit the brakes on the runway. We were back in Europe for the first time in two years.
Waiting for our luggage at the carousel, I noted the many Eastern European languages spoken around me and wondered why in Germany you always have to pay with a one-Euro coin to use a luggage trolley! At immigration I used the ePassport gate which checked my biometric data. However, there was a problem with the facial recognition and the German immigration officer seemed to enjoy lecturing me how to stand correctly in front of the camera. Say good bye to Asia, welcome to Europe: our first cultural moment.
Moments later it was great to see our daughter again after 17 long months.
The moment Francien and I stepped into the international airport in Kuala Lumpur, everything felt different, but once airborne all was familiar, bar the face masks the cabin attendance and passengers wore. Great, we can travel again, albeit cautiously as the corona virus is still out there.