No worries. The world is getting smaller and you can get anywhere in a day. Obviously if you are cutting your way through the Amazon jungle or if you are pulling a sled to the South Pole it would be a bit longer. Roger and Bev anxiously glanced at their watches β time for us to go. Roger called for the bill. Air Malaysia is on the verge of folding. Knowledge is power. Disembarking at daybreak in KL shagged out and jetlagged the last thing you want are immigration hassles.
My innate pessimism proved unfounded and with that hurdle negotiated I pushed the trolley purposefully through the terminal ignoring the urgent whispered offers by the taxi touts.
The bus station is tucked away in the dark bowels of the airport and the first bus to Nilai was already jam packed with bleary β eyed early morning commuters. I battled my way through the crush of passengers and presented a surprised driver with a ringitt note that I mistakenly thought was a ten! Franki snapped at me,. After an interminable tour of the outer reaches of the airport we staggered off in Nilai and shoehorned ourselves onto a connecting bus to Seremban, a busy, nondescript forgettable sprawl.
Daud Musa converted a traditional Melaka house into the Kancil Guest Lodge that exudes a comfortable and homely feel. An antique gramophone, a cluster of Chinese ceramic pots and an ancient trishaw helped give the place an air of authenticity. I was fully prepared for some verbal sparring with Daud but recent events in New York were set to add spice to our discussion. I hardly raised a cup to my lips when Daud put the Bin Laden bombings on the agenda and argued the corner of the Muslim hardliners.
Out of expediency I kept quiet and just listened. Daud was talking nonsense but he really believed in what he said!
