FROM 0 DEGREES WITH WIND CHILL FACTOR to…….

Wednesday dawned, our last full day in Venice. It’s very cold; 3 degrees overnight, and overcast with an expected top of 5 degrees. Where are the warm beanies, scarves, windproof coats and gloves? The wind blowing across the Laguna is wickedly cold, (wind chill factor is serious) and multiple layers of clothing are essential!

We decided to do our travel card justice and have one last grand cruise down the Grand Canal. We hopped onto the No. 1 from Ca d’Oro, and managed to get ourselves seats outside, essential for those last few photographs. (and terrifyingly cold. Pete)

Rialto market, under the Rialto Bridge, past St. Mark’s Square and the Ponte di Sospiro, under Academia Bridge and across the lagoon to the Lido. We had passed it several times on our way to orienteering related stuff, but had never got off to have a look around.

The Lido is disappointing, a summer holiday hotspot, with multi storey apartments, currently unoccupied, wherever you look. Can’t imagine what a hellish place it must be in the summer, with people and cars everywhere. The stuff of nightmares.   We went for a walk along the beach, just ‘cos we could, and found it to be very uninspiring. No shade anywhere. In summer, an entry fee has to be paid for access to the beach. Nothing is free, not even a visit to the loo.

According to the official Italian weather bureau web site, heavy rain was forecast for our departure on Thursday, but as usual they got it wrong, and we set off to the water bus stop in overcast and cold conditions. The bus took us to the airport via Murano. We spent a couple of hours just wandering around waiting for our flight.

TO 32 DEGREES WITH 90% HUMIDITY

We got to Dubai just after midnight, and had a 4 hour wait for our connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur. The Dubai airport is absolutely massive and never sleeps. Even at 3 am you can get a massage (Pete did!), and a feed of the best fish’n’chips you ever had (we did). I hate the way the body clock plays tricks on you while travelling, and you want to eat and sleep at strange times of the day, night or early morning. Our flight to KL departed at 3.40 am, was very uncomfortable and seemed to take 7 days, not 7 hours.

Kuala Lumpur airport is about 80 kms away from Kuala Lumpur city, and it took us an hour by taxi in peak hour traffic to get to our hotel. The cost for the trip was around   A$60 but by that stage all we wanted was a hot shower, some dinner and bed, and the public transport options from the airport were too confusing for our addled brains to cope with. It’s monsoon season here, and as in Darwin, KL experiences daily afternoon tropical thunderstorms.

After collapsing into bed at 8 pm, it’s no surprise that we were awake, and bright eyed and bushy tailed at 3 am.

What to do, it’s dark outside, and nothing is stirring. No time like the present to start this blog while Pete surfs the internet courtesy of the Park Royal Hotel.

Breakfast proved to be surprising and utterly delightful. True international cuisine, from Indian curries and roti bread, to pizza, Japanese noodles scrambled eggs, baked beans, smoked salmon, not to mention the best fresh fruit I’ve tasted in a long time. Pete said not to forget to mention the pineapple doughnuts!

We had intended to go to the local bazaar, as well as the textile museum and other touristy places to fill in the day, but wouldn’t you know it, there is a large demonstration in KL today, and the Concierge advised us that it would be very dangerous and we should stay in the local area only. Very disappointing, but it can’t be helped. Who would have thought that when we booked, this would happen? So, off to explore what’s around here.

Ilze.