Day 1 Saturday 26 July

On my way. Packed all my stuff last after dinner at Wine Connection with Roger last night  and finished cleaning  and clearing the flat this morning. Took some more stuff to Store It  on the grounds  I might as well use  as much as possible of my 2 cubic metres.   

Using up my 2 cubic metres. 

90 minutes of handover with the owner, his wife and two agents checking every lightbulb, every mark on the walls, every spot of grease in the cooker, comparing notes and long intense discussion in mandarin. By the end of it was thinking I would have done better to forgo the deposit and spent my last days on the beach instead of cleaning and scrubbing. In the end I had to agree to pay for additional cleaning and refurbishment based on a quotation they will obtain. My taxi was booked for noon so had about 15 mins wait while I talked with owners agent. She agreed the owners were picky but pointed out that she has to comply with their instruction. Got to the KTMB ticket office and bought my ticket from Woodlands to JB for S$11, then crossed the road to the food centre where I had a chicken biriani and a coke which I stretched out for an hour until just before 1.30 when I crossed back and joined the crowd waiting for the train. 

Last Lunch in Singapore

The  romantically named “Woodlands Train Checkpoint” fully lives up to its title. What a change from the Imperial era 1930s style station built in a style befitting “a station worthy of its role as a gateway to Asia” in Tanjong Pagar which was closed about three years ago. I am waiting on an enclosed utilitarian bridge over the tracks with cream painted corrugated metal cladding and grey aluminium windows protected by horizontal grey metal bars, presumably to stop people getting in or out  The gates to Immigration opened on time at 1.30, change from the last time I was here when the train was 2 hours late. The automatic gate at Singapore immigration wished me 'Bon Voyage' and the Malaysian Immigration  official stamped my passport before I  put my bags through the x- ray machine and got on the train. Left dead on time at 1400 and were in JB 5 minutes later. Price per mile Woodlands to JB, less than 2 km,  must he one of the most expensive train journeys in the world!  On the other hand the 8 hour, 300 km  journey from JB to KL is only 33 ringitt, less than S$15! At least JB has a proper railway station! Window seat so  I can see the palm oil plantations go by. Strolled down to the first class carriages near the front of the train. Obviously first class gets the glacial air conditioning; Second Class doesn't!. At 7 we  reached Gemas,  shiny new station and the beginning of the electrified section of line. Can't work out why, because Gemas is an insignificant place that owes it existence to being on the junction of the two main Malaysian railway lines.

Arrived in KL on time at 10pm. Took me longer than expected to find Hotel Sentral since it is not adjoining the station as I expected. The website states "Located within KL Sentral Station" which is blatantly untrue.

Needed to ask two people for directions walking through a large shopping mall and little back alley before I found it.  Once there the hotel was good. Got a room with a window, very clean and comfortable.

Lots of local restaurants outside in the street. Decided to opt for air conditioned comfort at the Old Town White Coffee part of a chain. OK nasi lemak and iced tea.