Osaka: Part 5

Homeward bound

I got up at 05:00am, the mind was already kicking into work mode.
First order of the day was to prepare meals.
I fired up the room's hot water kettle and made tea.
We managed to save up some teabags from our previous hotels to use it at the Granvia.
Why? Because a teabag costs 220 Yen. Nothing is free!
The best treat is the Nissin instant noodles. 
We bought a bowl noodle with a piece of tofu in it.
This was really good as we slowly downed our breakfast.
Soon, it was time to check out and head down to the Hilton Osaka where the City Air Terminal is located.
A single-journey trip to the airport costs 3,800 Yen.
And to our surprise, there was a huge crowd waiting in line to board the bus to Kansai.

Sayonara Osaka! 

Checking out

Our ticket to Kansai

Downtown Osaka on a Sunday

Getting our bearings right

The city skyline 

A cool manhole cover

The waiting game..

It took nearly an hour to get to the airport. 
And by the time we checked-in our baggage, the hustle and bustle was mixed with a familiar lingo.
Malaysians were heading back to Kuala Lumpur and the flight was full.
Lucky for us, Michelle is a frequent flier and her Silver card meant we can jump the queue by getting priority treatment.
Right before us was two guys, one of them had the "boss" look. Stuck up and arrogant.
Beside us, there was a Malay family. I think they work and live in Japan judging from their clothing.
We didn't waste any time to catch the 11:50am flight to KLIA.
As soon as the baggage were in, we went to the departure get for security clearance.
While waiting at a cafe, I heard Michelle's name being called about 15-minutes before boarding.
She got upgraded to Business Class.
I was all alone.
Then, when I queued at the line, my boarding pass went: "EEEEERRRGGGHHH!".
It was swapped with a new boarding pass.
I too got upgraded to Business. What a surprise. I made my way to my seat, which was next to my wife. I saw her face and her eyeballs were bug-like... hahahah!!!

Checking-in

Upgraded! 

Reunited: The Samos bound for KL

A small world...

I was seated and a steward came up to me and asked: "Excuse me Sir, are you Sam Cheong?". 
I responded and he introduced himself as Eric Ong, a fellow cyclist.
Ong told me that he had seen some of my trips on the social media as well as my blog.
So, while trying to kill time, we chat at the galley and caught up with what's happening on the cycling circuit especially when it comes to folding bikes.

Satay anyone?

A chilled glass of beer for the soul

Soba-time!

An awesome end! 

Six hours of flight from Osaka to KLIA seemed pretty short.
Pat, my mother in-law was waiting at the arrival area to pick us up.
We headed home and our kids were waiting.
Seeing Shiba Inus in Japan made us miss our Huskies even more.
We caught up with Michelle's dad and brother over dinner and headed back home to get some rest.
The rest of my off-day, I took time to recover from the long journey.
Japan is a place worth visiting if you head there at the right time.
Michelle picked late Autumn where the trees are colourful and no time was wasted in getting some really good shots.
I brought all my cameras to Kyoto and Osaka and did not regret doing so.
Hopefully, we will be able to return to other parts of Japan especially during mid-Spring to witness the Cherry blossom in full bloom!