It was a beautiful autumn morning in Stalybridge as we locked up the house and set out on the first leg of our long journey. We took the train to Manchester Airport and were soon checked in for the 13.30 Emirates flight on one of their new large A380 planes. We could only imagine the luxury that awaited the business and first class passengers on the upper deck but even in economy there was lots of leg room and a state of the art entertainment system. We sat either side of the aisle. Keith was plagued by screaming babies for long periods of time whilst I was disturbed at least once an hour by an octogenarian lady with a weak bladder.
It was a 7 hour flight to Dubai where we had a couple of hours to kill before embarking on another 7 hour leg to Kuala Lumpur
. Although heading for Thailand we had found that there was a considerable saving to be made by flying, not to Bangkok, but to Kuala Lumpur and so the itinerary was tweaked to include a few days in Malaysia. It was a night flight and there were plenty of spare seats to stretch out on but we both found it hard to sleep.
We reached our destination at 3.00pm on Friday. It was a grey day in Kuala Lumpur but we were hit immediately by the humidity. It took the best part of an hour to reach the city centre by taxi. The driver was chatty until he failed to interest us in booking his services for future transfers. He reverted to chatting to his mates on the radio and we struggled to keep awake as we sped along modern motorways through palm oil plantations. Eventually, out of the mist and murk, emerged the skyscrapers of the city and of course the unmistakable outlines of the KL Tower and the Petronas Towers. It was our third visit to the city and we had developed a love affair with the rather plush Crowne Plaza Hotel
. It was a little above our budget but we couldn’t resist it and compromised by booking a “Deluxe” instead of our usual “Grand Deluxe” room. It was as luxurious as ever but the room was a lot smaller and there was no view of the Petronas Towers.
After showers, cold beers and a change into shorts and sandals, darkness had fallen and it was time to head for the nearby restaurants and bars. It was Friday night and so very lively. The colourful “food street” known as Jalan Alor had even more restaurants to choose from than we remembered from previous visits, all with tables spilling onto the road and a selection of mouth watering dishes. We ordered a mini feast and tucked in. Later we made our way to the Ceylon Bar, one of our favourites on previous visits. It was still there but a lot more expensive now and surrounded by dozens of new and trendy eating and drinking establishments. The area had certainly changed over the last few years.
We nevertheless, found a table on their terrace and relaxed with a couple of cold Tiger beers whilst we contemplated our good fortune in being back in South East Asia, enjoying warm tropical breezes in November. Unable to keep our eyes open for long however, we soon had to retire for an early night.
Arrival in Malaysia
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Other Entries
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1Heading for the Orient once more
Nov 143 days priorManchester, United Kingdomphoto_camera0videocam 0comment 0 -
2Arrival in Malaysia
Nov 17Kuala Lumpur, Malaysiaphoto_camera5videocam 0comment 1 -
3A weekend in Malacca
Nov 192 days laterMalacca City, Malaysiaphoto_camera50videocam 0comment 1 -
4Transfer to a Thai beach
Nov 214 days laterBang Niang beach, Thailandphoto_camera10videocam 0comment 2 -
5Balmy days at Bang Niang beach
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6One Night in Bangkok
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7Mingalaba Myanmar
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8On the pilgrim trail to the Golden Rock
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9Limestone crags and riverine towns
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10Ancient Temples by the Irrawaddy
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11Royal Capitals and Record Breakers
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12Overland by dusty roads
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13Birthday on the lake
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14Christmas on the beach
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15Crumbling pagodas and putrid pork
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16Slow journey home
Jan 0145 days laterManchester, United Kingdomphoto_camera45videocam 0comment 2
Comments

2025-02-11
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Lou
2011-11-23
So Mr Ross, you are Malacca eh !!!!