KL

It must be a sign of old age, but Sue and I are finding that travel knocks the stuffing out of us these days.  Last Friday night we arrived at Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Carrier Terminal (KL LCCT) at ten at night after an hour and three quarter flight from Kuching and a five-hour drive from Saratok barely able to stand.  We got it together to find a taxi driven by a trim Malay lady complete with headscarf and cruised near empty neon lit motorways as palm oil plantations, mosques, smart new housing estates and industrial units flashed past.

After forty long minutes the Petronas Towers came into view, illuminated like two giant feature lampstands and I suddenly realised that “play that funky music white boy” was coming softly out of the car stereo.  I looked at the driver’s eyes through the rear view mirror and noticed they were beginning to flicker shut and the car to drift over to the outside lane.  “I like this song” I said, loudly.  “Mmm, me too” she said, snapping awake.  Soon we were crawling through crowded brightly lit city centre streets and I’m thinking: “I’m in South East Asia being driven through what looks like Oxford Street by a female Muslim taxi driver who likes 70s soul music – my how this world is a changing.”

We’ve spent the last three days shopping and sightseeing – the main reason for coming to KL being Sue’s urgent desire to buy Marks and Spencer’s bras.  By my calculation, including flights and hotels, they worked out at about £100 a cup.

We also got to see our first hornbills at the KL aviary.  They are indigenous to Sarawak, look like something out of a Punch and Judy show and bark like an Alsatian.  Honestly, I’m not making this up.

Next stop the holiday island of Langkawi for a few days rest and relaxation.