For the next few days ( 21-23 Oct ) I was transiting from Sabah Borneo to Kuala Lumpur then Delhi then Bagdogra India to meet my pick up for Darjeeling.
Kulala Lumpur hotels were fully booked due to the Formula 1 motorcycle race on the weekend., I was staying at a hotel right beside the track so it was hopping. Loads of riders and at least one team were staying there so it was lively to say the least.
Delhi was everything I expected and more. Just as busy dirty, noisy as my other most hated cities in the world, (Bangkok then Jakarta). The roads were mayhem, again, not unexpected but I did manage a to mark a first in my travels. The hotel that I was staying was located on a four lane one way road that ran parallel to the highway. This cab driver pulled onto the road from the highway at full speed against the flow of traffic, crossed all four lanes and motored along the edge of the road for about a kilometer. All the while laying on his horn and shouting obscenities at the oncoming traffic for not letting him pass quick enough.
The hotel was incredibly noisy so sleep was rare. Thankfully I decided to get up at 4 am and head to the airport and sort out my luggage storage. One of the flights from West Bengal to Assam only allows 20kg with very pricey overage charges so I decided to leave any items I could live without at the airport luggage storage.
Unfortunately I went inside the terminal expecting the storage to be inside. Classic mistake, it was outside in the car park. You almost require a parliamentary decree to leave the airport terminal building once inside so it was an exercise in patience to convince the door guard to let me out.
Not only did I have a spoken language deficit, I was completely unprepared for the subtleties of the body language in play here. The differences between head nods, head shakes and hand gestures were barely perceptible but god help you if you miss a cue.
As it happened I finally dealt with the logistics got through security arrived at the waiting lounge with a 1/2 hour to spare, then relished in the fact that I had an upgrade to business class so had a great flight in the lap of luxury!
Kulala Lumpur hotels were fully booked due to the Formula 1 motorcycle race on the weekend., I was staying at a hotel right beside the track so it was hopping. Loads of riders and at least one team were staying there so it was lively to say the least.
Delhi was everything I expected and more. Just as busy dirty, noisy as my other most hated cities in the world, (Bangkok then Jakarta). The roads were mayhem, again, not unexpected but I did manage a to mark a first in my travels. The hotel that I was staying was located on a four lane one way road that ran parallel to the highway. This cab driver pulled onto the road from the highway at full speed against the flow of traffic, crossed all four lanes and motored along the edge of the road for about a kilometer. All the while laying on his horn and shouting obscenities at the oncoming traffic for not letting him pass quick enough.
The hotel was incredibly noisy so sleep was rare. Thankfully I decided to get up at 4 am and head to the airport and sort out my luggage storage. One of the flights from West Bengal to Assam only allows 20kg with very pricey overage charges so I decided to leave any items I could live without at the airport luggage storage.
Unfortunately I went inside the terminal expecting the storage to be inside. Classic mistake, it was outside in the car park. You almost require a parliamentary decree to leave the airport terminal building once inside so it was an exercise in patience to convince the door guard to let me out.
Not only did I have a spoken language deficit, I was completely unprepared for the subtleties of the body language in play here. The differences between head nods, head shakes and hand gestures were barely perceptible but god help you if you miss a cue.
As it happened I finally dealt with the logistics got through security arrived at the waiting lounge with a 1/2 hour to spare, then relished in the fact that I had an upgrade to business class so had a great flight in the lap of luxury!
