Sepang, Malaysia

No matter how many times I have done a domestic transit it always feels like the first time I stepped out of a train in Japan. Super confused and always mentally cursing the guys who designed the place.

The KLIA transit experience was surprisingly easy, especially since MHA provided a lengthy explanation of having to take the aerotrain from the international terminal to the domestic terminal.

Also my last memory of KLIA was one of extreme scents, and you know those memories last forever. Seet and I were finally on our way back from Koh Tao (so 3 years ago?) transiting in KL from Surat Thani. Without any ringgit at all and starving, we were - hippie looking backpacks and all - trying unsuccessfully to withdraw money from one of atms. Thats when the scent hit me...I'm sure it was a combination of the heat (which also hit me earlier) and the throngs of locals using the toilets. But the waft of layers of dried piss and the layers of air freshener that was a bleak attempt to cover it up travelled at least 500 metres past the toilets, through the walkway, past the atm attempting to escape into the world. I'm amazed I could still feel hungry after that.

So comparitively, this KLIA experience is infinitely better. Although I can still smell the sickly sweet frangipani scent of air freshener and I don't know if it's just in my head.

Pros: plenty of toilets, cleaner than expected, decent views, loads of natural sunlight for frozen, shagged out selfies
Cons: 10 degrees too cold, no smoking rooms!

Literally minutes after I wrote that glowing piece the brilliant airport staff moved everyone from one gate to another, only to discover it was wrong, and they moved everyone back again. And 20 minutes before the flight is expected to leave, the plane is still not at the gate 😫Read more