13th March - Langkawi to Subang (?) - KL - birthdays

Thursday 13th March

We got to Kuala Lumpur…just… It was a big rush to get to the 11am ferry.  Pete had a last-minute panic when he couldn’t find his passport which he KNEW he had put in his shorts pocket.  He unpacked his pack, uttering dark and slightly despairing imprecations, until I went and patted him down and found the passport, yes, in one of his MANY pockets.

Whew!

I took one last photo of 2XS, abandoned in her pen.  I hope it is clear how clean and shiny all of the top surfaces are – I got up very early, before it got too hot, and had a big scrub with the hose and the broom.  I also wanted to show a bit of the ridgeline on the other side of the marina, where the jungle walk track is.  I saw Misty as we were leaving, and she said the Rope Track will be ready for me to tackle, on my return… The Rope Track is VERY steep…

Hornbills on the beach!

When we checked in Pete looked at the departures board with deep suspicion.  Langkawi to Subang – what did THAT mean?  Where exactly were we going??  Hadn’t I booked tickets to KL?  I said, as confidently as I could manage, that I was almost certain I had bought tickets to KL but that if we were in a different place – well wouldn’t that be a nice adventure??  We flew off into the unknown and landed after an hour or so.  A kindly man shuffled past us in the narrow aisle (It was quite a small squashy plane) and said, Welcome to Subang.  Oh good… It wasn’t until we had walked a long way through the hallways of the airport that we came to a sign saying Subang – City Airport for Kuala Lumpur.

Once again…Whew!

We went to a hotel I had found in the Eyewitness Guide, very confidently called Quality Hotel Sentral.  I took a photo of it so that I would recognise it if I got lost…

200 ringgits per night (($67)

We are on the 12^th floor, and there is a constant stream of traffic down below.

At the traffic lights while we were waiting for our bus were two delightful men.  One oldcodger with a bright red henna-ed beard, the other younger codger with a black beard.  They crossed and came up to us, beaming hugely.  God bless you! they said, as they clambered into a taxi.

We spent nearly three hours on the hop on/hop off bus, trying to orient ourselves. as the bus went round, up, down, round again, backwards, forwards along the streets, big and small, of KL - a very well-spent $30!  We found the Petronas Towers, looming out of the smog: 

It took more than 2 ½ hours to get around the circuit., but it was well worth the effort – we now have just a bit of a grip on KL as a whole, and today we will be able to sally forth with some knowledge and some plans in our heads.

Somehow we were drawn to a restaurant called The Ship, because it was not far from our hotel, and we could get a glass of wine - most of the eating places in this district are Muslim and you can't get any alcohol at all..  It was curiously like going back into early 70s Hobart… Fillet steak, chicken Kiev, heavy black beams, lots of red napery, lanterns.  We were too tired to do anything more adventurous…and it was all very soothing and pleasant.

A very fortuitous day… happy birthday to two of my BestGirls.

Nicky with two nieces, Eva and Jemima

My daughter Nicky, born in 1973, and a source of joy and light in the world.  She is an extremely brave person, confronting what she sees as injustice and sometimes bringing down wrath upon her totally innocent head.  Being the brave one, the one who steps up, can be very risky…She is a wonderful sister, daughter, friend, wife, mother and…aunt!!

Monique with Elektra

And…my own sister, Monique, also a much-loved aunt, mother, daughter, sister, friend.  And suddenly –a grandmother to five!  Three years ago she had no grandchildren, now there are: Justin, Elektra, Blake, and twins Mia and Bailey.  Where did they all come from???  And aren’t they lucky to have Monique as their slightly surprised grandmother??