Running to catch the next plane at Kuala Lumpur

Isn't' that such a fabulous name...
I was driven to the airport by my friend's chauffeur – very grand! Despite their protestations that the new system at the airport only required me to be there 2 hours before I decided to give it 3 ½ just in case and wasn't I glad. The girl at the Malaysian airline desk asked whether I had a visa to get into New Zealand and when I told her that I didn't need one she impounded my suitcases and made me stand in a roped off area and told me to wait for her superior – half an hour of standing in the pillory being stared at by all and sundry was enough and I started getting agitated. Then the same desk had three Thai women arrive who were sent to join me as they were not being allowed home because they didn't have visas to get into Thailand! Eventually a rather dapper man came and looked at the computer and decided there was probably a glitch and we all were released. But just to cover himself he said it would be my responsibility if I had problems when I arrived in Auckland! By that time all I could do was get through all the formalities and only had a short while before boarding. But then boarding was delayed by head winds making the incoming flight late but I was intrigued by all the different religious garb worn by the other passengers so time passed quickly . Two of the most extraordinary men sat next to me in the plane - one with a straggly beard sported a tall white hat rising above his high domed head by at least 1 foot and his acolyte had a rather nice warm astrakhan Nehru hat on with a huge black bushy beard billowing out below. They wore beautifully cut wool coats and woolly beard first looked avidly at the in house magazines and then watched the Lion King. Because of the late start when we arrived at Kuala Lumpur there were 8 of us on board who only had 15 minutes to catch our next flight on to Auckland so we were allowed to move to the front of the plane before landing so we could get out quickly . We were met at the exit and were made to run to the next plane. I hoped the luggage would make it too and await the result. (written on the plane) Long tedious flight to Auckland – I do hate long haul – it is an old plane and the films aren't very good and those I manage to find are in Spanish or German with subtitles that are so small you can't read them.

So now I'm in Auckland with friends – and this photo was taken around midnight between Delhi and Auckland time but it is now 2nd. I didn't sleep a wink on the plane and am ready to crash now. My luggage did not arrive so I have one laptop, one camera, one book, one diary, a comb and the clothes I stand up in. They gave me the equivalent of £30 to buy toothpaste and underwear and the luggage won't arrive until the next plane on tuesday when I shall have flown south to Timaru so when we will meet up again is in the lap of the gods. Snow is forecast for Timaru and rain and sun here so I' relying on my hosts to come up with suitable clothing...