The trip

It started well. Indra drove through a five o'clock thunder storm in peak hour traffic to deposit us at the KL Central railway station and we jumped on the express train to the airport with one minute to spare. Negotiating KLIA2, the domestic terminal was a new and confusing experience but we did find counter Z with a Jetstar sign. But no staff. This was three hours before take off when you are supposed to arrive. We have found that the staff doesn't arrive until 2 hours before take off. 
They did come and the connecting plane departed only fifteen minutes late which was going to make our connection in Singapore a bit tight. Jo hoped that we wouldn't have to change terminals.
When we arrived with half an hour to find our connection, I left my sweater on the plane and didn't realize it until we were well out of it. It is my hand spun, hand dyed, hand knitted, self designed guernsey. I could not leave that behind. So I fought my way through the still deplaning passengers, grabbed it and ran to find Jo at the information board which told us that our connecting flight had been "retimed". It wasn't due to leave until 0350, in four hours time. . . . 
We, eventually, were told that it had been held up in the repair shop in Melbourne. . . . doesn't Qantas have extra planes?
As usual the food was inadequate, the service was minimal and barely pleasant. So our dislike of travelling on Qantas has been reinforced.

We got home too late for me to pick up Sonic as I had organised. He had to spend an extra night with his French mistress. But I picked him up today. He has more baggage than I do.

Sonic's luggage

Battery dead

This is the view from Indra's office. The windows are not (too) dirty and there wasn't a heat haze. The buildings are built crooked.
The last photo was of the pair of foot rugs that I made to fit Indra's feet that go cold and cramp when she sits still for too long.

We had a great meal at the Grand Imperial restaurant. One of our dishes was ice leaf salad with miso dressing. The leaves come from the Netherlands and are have a very short season. Eating was just like crunching crushed ice and they left no aftertaste. Delicious. Even Pat had three helpings! (Jo didn't even try them because they were uncooked.)

This morning Indra and I walked in the park with her walking group. Twice around the lake makes almost 6K. The most exercise I have done in weeks.

This afternoon we head home.

Running out of battery

I neglected to charge my camera in Cape Town where I had borrowed a transformer plug from the hotel. So these may be my last photos until I get home because I didn't bring my Malaysian plug with me. Life in the electronics age is so complicated.

I spent today editing Indra's father's memoir which is fascinating. She would like to publish it as a web page but my capability only extends to a blog page. . . . which is perhaps a good start for the next helper who comes her way. 

Pat and I went to the Lake Club for lunch again while Indra and Jo were at IMU today. Then we all had a scales/fins only banquet with Abu Bakar et al which was delicious.

What happened to yesterday

It is confusing to fly eastwards. Time gets compressed so that your day is foreshortened but you seem to be able to fit in a day's worth of meals. 

We arrived safely in KL.The most exciting thing that happened was watching one of my knitting needles slip off my lap and down the aisle at take off. Singapore Airline hostesses are sweet.

Good Hope

We joined a bus tour to the Cape of Good Hope today. The scenery was great, the passengers undisciplined and the guide didn't know his business. I don't like being herded.

But the scenery is impressive.

Thee lighthouse on the Cape of Good Hope.

Amazing Kirstenbosch Gardens

Don't eat the daisies

This morning we rode the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. Jim, don't do it. It is seriously scary.

Notice the abseilers who pay to risk their life!

The views at the top are wonderful, if you can stay far enough away from the edge to appreciate them. The flowers are fascinatingly different.

Basking on the rocks near the cable car station was a scattering of dassies and a sign that said "don't feed the dassies, they might bite".

In the afternoon I went in search of something to knit with on the way home. . . . I didn't pack enough. After some internet research I set off in the bus. But I must have read the google map wrong, 'cause I couldn't find the street let alone the "shop" which may have been in a house which is a bit wary-making. There was a fall back position so another bus took me back to the V & A waterfront to Cowgirlblues yarn designers. T seemed appropriate to buy some merino from South Africa.

All the bus tripping was a good opportunity for people watching while seated. Some schoolgirls got on the bus wearing virtually the same uniform that we suffered except it was a nicer green with more ultramarine in the dye, but still green.

Tonight was the official dinner. It was poorly organised and exceedingly loud. We came away before desert.