I can't be perfect always.

Brisbane Airport – 8pm Friday. Arriving at the check-in desk for the 11-20 flight to Kuala Lumpur (KL) we were told we could not be found on the system. Of course, we have no paperwork, everything we do is by computer and we cannot carry a printer to print out itineraries as we would do at home- so we have to fire up the computer to look at the details- which takes time. Horror of horrors- we were there on the wrong day- booked for Saturday, not Friday. Of course it can’t be my fault – must be the computer has done it wrong…..

After going on bended knee and pleading poor English pensioners the booking lady took pity on us and transferred our flight to the Friday. (It might have been that the Friday flight was almost empty!) Having kissed her feet and swore undying love we slinked away to join the flight.

Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea after all- we had a screaming kid just in front of us- she screamed for an hour shortly after I dropped off, so I had no choice but to don the ear-phones and watch a film. Little b****r- should have been drowned at birth.

It’s a long way- 8 hours flying and two hours time difference, so it was two tired bodies that made it to KL. The airport is 50+k away from the centre, a taxi job, just £15 ($22) so not expensive at all. Took about three quarters of an hour, but when we got there they gave us a room right away so we could recover.

The Istana is a lovely hotel, 23 floors right in the heart of KL, with a great swimming pool in the garden, and the staff are so helpful.

A couple of hours sleep and a swim to wake us up got us back on our feet, so we took a walk to Suria KLCC, a large mall underneath the Twin Towers, KL’s famous landmark building. As expected it contained all the store names that are found worldwide in every large mall- including Marks & Spencers! Not a good start.

We would have liked to take a tour of the Colonial District but were warned off- apparently a riot was taking place there with some 400,000 students protesting about electoral reform, we believe there were 800 arrests and many broken heads. Made the world news it did. So that was out.

Same the next day, although the riot was over the police were still restricting access so we had no alternative but to go to the Central Market and Chinatown. For shopaholics like Anne ( and myself  but we won’t mention that) it was heaven. Shoes for £5, shirts for $7, dresses for a similar amount- bargains to be had all round. A very full day if you include a couple of hour’s swim and tea round the pool!.

Of course now we are overweight for traveling on- hmm- I really must get Anne trained to pack lightly…..

Due to meet Patricia at lunchtime on the Monday, we had half a day to go to the Batu Caves. 13k north of the city, it is a huge Hindu cave complex , their principal place of worship in the area. The central temple cave is reached by a flight of 272 steps, which ascends beside a 43m tall statue of Lord Subramanium, the patron deity..

Getting up there is one thing- at least we are fit and could make it with a couple of stops on the way up. We passed a young man ascending on his knees, we are unsure whether he is crippled or making a penance, it seems the Hindus do this sort of thing in thanks for deliverance from serious illness or the like. He was still only two thirds of the way up as we came down.

There are monkeys in the caves, they bite and rob unsuspecting pilgrims of anything they can get their hands on. We had been warned by our driver.

I have to say that the shrine was a little disappointing, I didn’t really know what to expect but the outside looked better than it did in- apart from the stalactites, which were quite impressive.

It had been fairly easy going up- but just to look at the steps going down gave me vertigo.

I had to hang on to the rail, and as there was just one in the stair’s width of some twenty feet it was a fight with the people coming up!

Anyway, back to collect our luggage, and off to the railway station to meet Patricia, then to Kl airport to meet the chaps from Workington and Accrington. There will be a party of 14 of us from the UK, initially making our way to Ipoh to be hosted by the Rotary Club of Greentown, then on to Bangkok for the convention, and beyond for more fun and frolics!