Contrasts

Up early when the dawn broke through our windows and started packing. About 10mins after I got up V sprang out of bed thinking I’d been up for ages…she almost went back to bed when she realised it was only 6.30am!
We got it all done then headed over to breakfast, having a chat to the snorkelling man en route about the photos he’d sent and the sharks, fish and turtles etc. He obviously wishes we were here long enough to do another trip and see the turtles…not as much as we do mind you!
Over to the buffet but we weren’t actually as hungry as usual (probably those desserts last night!) so stuck to some omelette, fruit and toast and some iced decaff coffee. Another stunning hot sunny day settling in here, and B&J had come down to wave us off before enjoying their own last day here. We watched the fish under the jetty and said some sad goodbyes, then hopped on the boat for the short journey over to Kota Kinabalu and onward to the airport in a nicely cooled car. We chatted whilst we waited for the car with the lovely Dutch family we’d first seen at Danum Valley…they’d seen lots of elephants near their river resort and showed us photos, and are now off to Kuching to do more wildlife spotting…we were a bit jealous of their plans…maybe another time?
Had to wait around quite a while at the airport so caught up in journals and had a cup of tea and a stolen pain au chocolat from the breakfast buffet then boarded. Packed flight! I read the rest of my book The Hunting Party…an unusual murder mystery that I’d enjoyed, and we had some chicken curry and rice and veg and some more of the lovely peanuts we’ve had so many places here.
Bit bumpy on the way down…which led to lots of screams from some women near us and was a bit disconcerting, but otherwise straightforward 2.5 hour flight. Not really looking forward to the longer ones going home!
We organised a Grab car when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur…not quite the standard of the ones we’ve become used to but it got us to the hotel. Loads of traffic and toll stops, and as we emerged from the airport it was pouring with rain…the first proper rain we’ve seen the whole time we’ve been here! We were laughing about only needing our brand new ponchos here and not in the rain forest! It stopped after about half an hour though…so I suspect was just one of those quick downpours that happens in the tropics.
Took an hour and a half to get to the hotel and we were feeling a bit down having driven through some dull and grotty bits of the city to get here, but once we arrived at the Shangri-La all became better. Wow…what a place! Gorgeous reception area filled with orchids, then we were whisked up to the club reception and encouraged to help ourselves to canapés and cocktails til they sorted out our registration for us. We made full use of the buffet and V enjoyed a Singapore sling whilst I had a margarita…yum!
We were taken to our room and that was also gorgeous…a suite with a study, sitting room (seen here with V nibbling on grapes!), a huge bathroom with a TV above the bath (!) and an enormous bedroom with electrically controlled curtains. Oh my! We’re on the 24th floor so I’m not looking out of the windows too much, but it’s lovely.
Decided to go out for a wander and to buy some bits and pieces to take back for the kids. We went to one centre we’d been recommended by D&S who professed to know KL well….but it wasn’t very good. Lots of the stalls were closed, so maybe although advertised to be open 10am-10pm many of the traders go early? Whatever, we weren’t impressed so headed to the fancy Pavilion mall which was huge. We couldn’t find the Japanese stationery shop we’d been looking for that the lady on the plane from Singapore had recommended, but did get some things in an art shop and then some little decorations for V’s grandkids’ croc shoes (although not the orangutans or turtle ones we’d hoped for). V also picked up a little bag like mine (that Remi our first guide on this holiday always referred to as my ‘poosh’!) and we browsed some other nonsense but then decided to come back to the hotel as we were tired. The streets were really busy and full of atmosphere, lots of lights on all the buildings and huge amounts of traffic, both cars and scooters ( some with a family, casually holding a toddler between them!)….such a contrast to the forest and the beach! We decided to walk back…took about 20 minutes which was more than enough in the heat (even at 9.30pm!) and then we had tea in our room whilst we planned out what to do tomorrow.