klang—sydney

Impressive-sounding thunder announced the start of this day from about 4:30am, though we finally rose to heavy rain at 7:30am. We headed with the Ngs to their church, the Port Klang Gospel Hall, where we enjoyed their fellowship, the only white-faces in the crowd. The speaker, a Haematologist by day, spoke of the need for us to forgive people where they do wrong to us. Events of the last four years surely underscore the ongoing relevance of this. Thought provoking. Visiting with this warm and welcoming group highlighted again the way the Church internationally is under it all a worldwide family, even where form and practice may differ from place to place.

The Ngs were clearly taking responsibility for extending our culinary experiences, and in the course of the afternoon we had Roti with various curry sauces and an refreshing chilled coconut cream drink in a bowl, that contained shaved ice, cooked red kidney beans, and short gelatinous green things a bit like pasta but made with pea flour. Top it all off with a dollop of raw sugar, mix together, and drink with a spoon. Intriguing. Bronwyn found this one a little challenging!

All good things come to an end, however, and soon it is time to return to the airport to move on to our next adventure. On the way Mr Ng takes us via the town which is the new centre of government, Putrajaya. This impressive designed city has been built from scratch around an artificial lake in just five years. While still in its infancy this attractive town is clear evidence that Malaysia is going places.

Checking in over three hours early, still informed that more than 200 people have checked in before us, and that the exit row seats are all taken. D'oh. We decide in the end these are people checked through from Heathrow, as there is no one at the gate virtually. Turns out one of those zip-around tarmac vehicles crashed into yesterday's plane at Heathrow before it took off, causing the flight to be cancelled. They're all now with us, making our plane completely full. Can't be helping. So we fly the eight hour overnight flight to Sydney, with only an aisle seat for comfort, getting little sleep. To make matters worse, I was the guy on the plane everyone hates, who sneezes and blows their nose throughout the flight... the one you blame when you get a bad cold the following day. We stagger into Sydney airport at 8am Monday morning, to be re-united with my parents after two years, blurry eyed and fluey. Some triumphant return.