Should I go or should I stay?
I had been toying with the idea of going back to Kuching to see my 93 year old Mum. I had already missed two trips, one in April and another in June, due to Covid-19. And my next trip to see her is booked via Taiwan, Japan and Singapore, so that’s unlikely to eventuate with the current Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Airfares are high at the moment and flights are subject to cancellation due to travel restrictions, low demand and other factors (eg. some countries limit the number of incoming passengers to match availability of quarantine facilities).
It was a very tough decision to make as I would need to be quarantined in Kuching for 2 weeks (free) and same again upon return to New Zealand (possibly at NZD3100). Add to that, the uncertainty as to whether flights would be operating from Malaysia to New Zealand. Transit through third countries like Singapore are currently impossible.
However, a friend David had recently told me that he had Malaysia Airlines miles that were expiring soon. I could pay him for the use of those miles. That took away the sting of the high airfare.
I had less than 2 months to use up David’s points so I didn’t rush looking up flights until a few days ago. I notice that Malaysia Airlines was operating a very limited schedule. There was only one flight on 09AUG and nothing for a month after that!
That put the pressure on me to make a this very difficult decision. I gave myself till today to make the final call, as there were approvals required before I could travel.
Decision made!
Well, I decided around lunchtime today that I’d commit to the trip. The beauty of the new Malaysia Airlines fare is that for about NZD55 (per one way) more than the base price, I would get 35kg of luggage (instead of none), unlimited changes for no fee, seat selection, priority luggage etc.
The return fare was around NZD2030 including taxes but doing a deal with David, I only ended up paying around NZD1230, a savings of NZD800. I make it sound so simple here but the airline’s award booking engine broke when I was ready to make the booking. I was in suspense for a few hours before it came back to life again.
I felt a load off my shoulders once my booking was made. I leave in three days time. I don’t think I’ve ever booked so closed to departure.
A bloody good decision
I didn’t realise till a day later, that the New Zealand government announced that those being quarantined would be charged NZD3100. That announcement was in the news about an hour after I made my flight booking but would apply to those leaving the country two days after my departure. Am I lucky or what? I appear to have made a bloody good decision.
Approvals
I had kicked off my approvals in the morning in anticipation of deciding in favour of going. I emailed the Malaysian High Commission with a Letter of Undertaking and Indeminity (LOU) to agree on paying for my quarantine in Malaysia even though I’d be transiting to Kuching where it was borne by the state. In return I promptly got a Travel Notice which represented my approval to fly.
For Sarawak state, I had to do an online application. This wasn’t very prompt and required a follow-up phone call. Then the electronic Health Declaration Form wouldn’t work based on an overseas internet connection. A VPN didn’t seem to help so I had to wait till I arrived in Malaysia.
Packing
With a two week quarantine, I needed to be well organised with stuff to make the stay bearable. I started packing even before I made my decision to fly. I had my yoga mat, other exercise paraphernalia, a keyboard and mouse and food.
All in all, my checked-in baggage ended up being 23kg. It’s probably the first time I’ve been packed even before finalising the decision to embark on a trip.