We left a cold and foggy UK in the morning of the 23rd December 2007, for the warmer climate of Malaysia, and our home in Bukit Mertajam, on the Malaysian Peninsular near the Island of Penang.
In the heavy fog at Heathrow Airport, we were slowly bused out the waiting aircraft. For some reason, MAS (Malaysian Air System) had not allocated enough buses to take the full load of passengers for the Jumbo jet, which delayed our take-off for two hours. At least we took off, unlike my trip to Gaziantep. (click to read).
Despite all my flying, sleep on and aircraft I find is difficult to achieve, I sleep in bouts, but in a sitting position, it does not give a truly refreshing sleep, so I watch about three films on the 11 hour flight.
As we departed London two hours late. so we arrived in Kuala Lumpur’s KLIA airport two hours late. It amazes me that flying all those miles or kilometres, they can predict to the virtual minute the landing time. Why can’t we get this right on public transport, trains and buses, in our major cities? There seems always to be an excuse for the late arrival on every journey of London’s Southwest Trains, wrong sort of snow, leaves on the track, broken rail, person taken ill or under the train.
We had half an hour on landing to cross between KLIA airport’s International Arrivals terminal, get through passport control, to the Domestic Terminal.
With such ease, about twenty people of the London flight were gathered like sheep on disembarking the plane, and herded via the connecting AirTrain, and with five minutes to spare we were sitting on the Penang flight.
My eyes were heavy with sleep, my head was spinning with lack of sleep, but there was no time to get some shut-eye on the 45 minute flight. Just time to eat the complimentary peanuts and Milo drink. I love Milo made by Nestle, a malt chocolate drink I remember my Grandmother giving me as a very young boy. Oh great taste and memories.
We picked-up our rental car from Bob Rent a car, a local company that always gives a good service, with pleasant staff, who were waiting at arrivals to see me through the rental agreements and hand me the keys. Oh, the air conditioning of the car, it was so hot and humid, I needed it, as I find the climate a little too much sometimes, especially having just arrive from London’s freezing zero degrees.
A short drive later, and we arrived at our Malaysian home. All that I needed to do, was to make the bed, put the air con on, and sleep.
It was now the 24th December, Christmas Eve, and I had left Santa Claus, presents, decorations, roast turkey and Christmas Pudding far behind me in the UK. This year I will celebrate Malayasian style.