Kuala Lumpur

It strikes me in the airport that I was here not that long ago, on my way to (and from) Singapore for the on-site audit we did last summer.
I take the “Ekspres” train into town from the airport and a taxi from the train station – this gets me to Bank Negara Malaysia (the Malaysian Central Bank) cheaper and faster than taking a taxi from the airport. The taxi driver has never heard of the Lanai Kijang training center of the bank, but they have a shuttle from the main office building.
The place is run like a hotel - check-in is fast, I jump into my suit and end up in the conference room two hours after touchdown (and only about 10 minutes after start of the workshop). Given that it takes a bit of time to get baggage and exit the airport, and that the airport is an hour and 15 minutes away by taxi (that’s how everybody else got here, only yesterday) I am quite proud of myself.
The organizer tells me to take the afternoon off – they’ve got a few presentations schedule for which my input isn’t needed at all (and which I’ve heard before, in one form or another) and they take pity on me. Which is nice, only – if I go to sleep now (which is oh-so-tempting), there’s no way I’ll sleep at night. I need to adjust to the local cycle, and that takes daylight. And I need a haircut. So I take a cab into town to the mall suggested by the very friendly people at reception.
It’s right underneath the Petronas Towers, so I even get a bit of sightseeing done. I get a haircut, and buy a pair of eye goggles for swimming on sale while I’m at it – they have a pool at the training center.
I try it out when I’m back – I still have almost two hours before the bus takes us to an arranged dinner, and am sorely in need of some movement, as well as some relaxation. Swimming provides both. It’s a 25m outdoor pool, with a pleasant water temperature. The goggles keep the chlorine out of my eyes and it’s the best thing that has happened to me in days.
In general, the facilities here are brilliant. While WiFi doesn’t work equally everywhere, it is often possible to get a pretty decent connection, the room is nice, the bed is large and firm, the shower is nice, they have a huge fitness room and apparently you can book a massage. If it wasn’t for me worrying about home all the time, this would be a brilliant trip.The evening entertainment features traditional dance. It’s in a dimly lit hall, and after a few bites from the buffet I literally almost fall off my chair as the fatigue catches up with me. I cannot keep my eyes open, so make my apologies to the organizer, get a cab back and fall into bed. I sleep for nine hours straight.