Tag Archives: Kuala Lumpur

travel

Darwin to KL

somewhere over Bali

My airport scenario sort of went as screenwritten—well, minus the songs and dancing. I was fifth off the plane and had my visa in 5 minutes (a security guard asked me where the hell I thought I was going, trying to jump a barricade, and when I told him my next flight was in the process of boarding, he took my passport and visa fee, went to the head of the long, long queue, and got my visa for me. Dirty looks from people in line. But the Helpless Female archetype has its uses.)

There is no transit lounge at Denpasar airport, I found out. One must first “enter the country” by walking out one side of the building (Welcome to Bali!) and then go round to the departures side of the building (Thank you for coming!) I got to the check-in desk as they were making a last call for me…for a minute my spirit soared: the ground crew sprang into action, a lot of urgent radio conversations ensued…but I was far too late: security gates had shut down long before, and I had yet to go through Customs…not enough time. There would not have been enough time even if Denpasar did have a transit lounge.

As predicted, I ended up having to buy another ticket. Another 150 dollars didn’t kill me, but it left me with 300 bucks for my entire stay here. Inconvenient, but it’s possible to get by on that. When I finally e-mailed Kris and tell him what happened, he replied simply “I knew my cat would land on all fours, no matter which window she fell out of.” This is as close to a pat on the head as I’ll get from him, so I lap it up. It’s sort of like being told “That’ll do, Pig. That’ll do.”

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Made KL by 12:30 a.m.—the bus station had closed but there was a small group of taxi pimps on the street in front of the station, trying to attract passengers. All I had to do was ask “Pulau Pinang?”

A big guy nodded “You come with me.”

He led me down a side street, and put me on the very last seat of an air-conditioned bus bound for Penang, (it took off 5 minutes later)

“Here your change, here your ticket, enjoy Penang!” he said, then opened his arms and asked “Want hug? Ah, only joking, lah!” I like it here, already.

I slept most of the way, and arrived at the Sungai Nibong bus terminal on Pinang Island at 5:30 a.m.

*oink*

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life, travel

*fingering my worry beads*

Butterflies in the stomach, and I’m not even out of Darwin!

One of the biggest worries on my mind right now, just as I am about to leave for the airport, is that: because I couldn’t get a direct flight to Kuala Lumpur, I booked two flights…the first from Darwin to Bali, and the second from Bali to KL. This is only the second time I’ve flown overseas (we usually travel by sailboat, and inter-island by ferry) so I didn’t realize when I was booking flights that I should allow a good two hours between one flight and the next, to check in and clear security and all that. My departure to KL is 30 minutes from my arrival in Bali. By that time, even without luggage to collect, the gates and check in counters should be closed, I’ve been told. It’s a promo flight, so there’s no changing things now. Hoo, boy!

My deepest, visceral desire right now is to rock back and forth, moaning and groaning quietly.

Thank God I have Brian Thacker‘s book “Where’s Wallis?” with me…his travel misadventures make mine seem light, by comparison. It will probably, in the end, all boil down to paying more money for a second flight to KL, if I miss the one I mis-booked. That’s okay, but I only have 400 dollars, so another flight will leave me quite poor. Will deal with that. Just get me to KL!

But I am trying to stay optimistic about it…I may just get ushered onto my plane by friendly, sympathetic crew who hold up the pilot, at the very last minute. Something dramatic with the whoel airport rooting for me as I run by…arrive on plane, flushed and glared at by everyone else, but happy. It’s a crappy scene from a la-di-da Hollywood movie, totally unrealistic, I know I am deluding myself. But I will move with that happy ending in mind, anyway…meaning, I’ve got my running shoes on, I am ready to kick and elbow my way off the plane in Bali ahead of everyone else, and ready to sprint through an unknown airport, jump hurdles, bellow across the room at the boarding gate security, papers in hand, in a desperate attempt to get on my flight. Ready, in other words, to make an utter disgrace of myself.

*groannn groann groannn…rock, rock, rock*

What’s the worst that can happen? I end up living in an airport, like Tom Hanks? No, it will boil down to monetary punishment, I think, and the sour looks of the unimpressed staff who have to deal with enough shit without this idiot woman who books her flights, one on top of the other, as though she were hopping city buses.

Kris, the most hardcore traveller I know, is unsympathetic. “You’ll learn,” he shrugs. “You’ll find a way.” I am devastated, but I know he’s right. He won’t even loan me another two hundred dollars in case I have to buy another ticket or pay a penalty. LOL Nothing that really teaches you something is ever easy or unpleasant, and I don’t hold it against him at all. I just feel like knocking my head against a concrete wall for getting myself into this mess. It will not KILL me, I’m sure of that, and you’ve heard the old adage, “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger…” This I should know, I’ve been in many worse travel situations before…

so why do I feel like throwing up? Keep your fingers crossed for me! Here’s hoping my next post will be from an internet cafe in KL!

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embroidery and textiles

Wrapping the week up…

Langkawi sky

Selamat datang!

It has been a busy week. My day job boss (I do one day a week, as a kitchen hand and serving at the counter, for a vegetarian takeaway in the Smith Street mall) asked me to fill in for an absent co-worker.

I grabbed the chance to earn a bit more money because, last Wednesday night, I did a pretty crazy thing: my friend Jenni, who lives in Langkawi, sent me Air Asia’s latest Promo Flights e-mail, and as I was  clicking through the destinations and the prices I thought, “Why not?”

I’ve never been to Malaysia. I have a few friends there. I love the multicultural influences of their Indian, Nyonya, Malaysian, and Chinese cuisine. I’m comfortable and familiar with Southeast Asian culture. And the flights were thrillingly cheap…albeit travel dates were all the way in February 2012.

So I booked a flight to Kuala Lumpur, with plans of heading down to Langkawi, and over to Penang. In a daze, I told Kris that night “Um…I’m going to Langkawi and Penang…” His response was (and this is Kris, all over), “Great idea! When do you go? The food is Penang is fabulous…” Have I said how much I love this man? Well, I say it again. <3

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Penang MalaysiaThen that same night I received a comment over on my other blog from pc, the warm and enthusiastic craft and family-life blogger of MeiJo’s Joy. She lives in Penang. It seemed like a sign that I had made the right move. I wrote to her, and she replied with a thrilled “Selamat datang!” We’ll be meeting up when I get there. I know it’s half a year away, yet, but I can’t help it, I’m excited!

 The Royal Darwin Show

The Royal Darwin Show

An annual event, The Royal Darwin Show is happening next weekend (from Thursday, the 21st to Saturday, the 23rd). This is its 60th year, and so there’s going to be a bigger celebration this time around. I must confess that I have not yet been to a show…these large agricultural & community shows are a facet of Australian culture that I haven’t been able to relate to, not having such a thing in the Philippines. Should I get a denim shirt and a slouch hat? ;D

Well, that’s all about to change…I’ve been asked to come to The Show as a judge of entries in the newly created Bookbinding section. I had to laugh when they asked me…I haven’t had a chance to enter my own work in the event, and here I’m going to be judging! I fret that I’m not qualified to judge other people’s bookbinding creations…it seems like a big responsibility to carry around. But I said yes, and will try to do the job as gracefully as I can.

I’ll let you know what the Show was like, after I’ve been. In between being all big-gestured and swaggery, seein’ as I’ll be Ms. Judge an’all, and everyone callin’ me “Yer Honor,” (You’re not that kind of Judge, Nat!) I’ll be firing my camera like mad. What should I be on the lookout for at The Royal Darwin Show? Can you give me some tips? I hope I spot cowboys…I really want to shoot some cowboys. *yee-haw!*

Heritage Collection Banjo Patterson lady's hat in fawn

The Homemade Gift Wrap

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And a spot of color to end this post: I sold another wooden journal through my Madeit shop the other day, and the lady who bought it said it was a “gift to herself”, so I thought I’d wrap her purchase up…just a bit of ‘pretty’ to surprise her when she gets her parcel.

I know there are fancy cutters and dies that you can do this with, these days…as well as lovely printed papers and matching cutouts, decals, tags to be bought at shops. But I like to do things myself, using what I have, and putting a bit of playfulness and care into the job. Buy yet another machine, just to do this? Why? When my goal—half the time, anyway—is to be creative, see what I’m capable of, and make things intensely personal? (To spend less on ready-mades and mass-produced items being the other half). I don’t want to be dependent on companies, shops, specially-made niche-market products, and spending, just to make something pretty; and I don’t want to have to share my satisfaction, when it’s done, with a brand name.

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It isn’t perfect. I made a little tear in the red paper when I was pulling the masking tape off. But I don’t mind, and I don’t think my buyer will, either. After all, it’s just something she’s going to remove when she gets her journal.

I took some pictures when I did this (really, you don’t need pictures, it was that easy, but anyway…) and will put a post up on From Hell to Breakfast soon, if you want to see how it’s done.

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