Day 275 (March 23): The 36-hour Day
3/23: 10am in Malaysia, 3/22: 7pm in Portland
We pulled away a few minutes before 10 and drove to a gas station. Under the RMO, the pumps were operating but the store was closed. Fortunately, I was able to buy a toll tag (a debit card, really) and load it with the amount we were told we’d need for the drive (equivalent to about $15 plus some extra to spare).
We got on the highway and drove to a rest area just past the first toll plaza. We waited there for our companions to catch up, coordinating by facebook messenger as a modern day CB radio! For the next three hours or so, we followed them on a nearly-empty super highway with a painfully slow 110kph speed limit. Every five minutes or so a Mercendes saloon would come roaring by going at least 150kph. I mused that it was undercover police since it seemed to be a parade of the same make and model, always tinted windows, etc.
After the last toll plaza, we used our GPS to find a gas station close to the airport. With 2km to go, our friends texted that their gas was on empty! That was cutting it close. A minute after that text we passed a check point in the opposite direction; we’d be going through that after our fill up. Should we find a detour? Was there a detour?
3/23: 1:30pm in Malaysia, 4:30am in Portland
We got gas, which probably would have been easy if my mind was clear. I didn’t understand that I had to prepay by giving more cash than necessary. Then I forgot and was preparing to drive away when the cashier came chasing after me with my change. Now it was time for the checkpoint.
We had printed our boarding passes for just this occasion. Our friends were in front of us in line and it seemed like their conversation was not straight forward. The “manager” was called over. Their boarding pass was passed around. There were no visible smiles. A different officer approached our car. Was this going to make a good story, a bad story, or what? He looked at our boarding pass, looked at our friends’ car and the officers standing up there. He smiled at us and said, “Same!” and then waved us through as the officers ahead did the same to our friends.
Five minutes later we navigated through the strangest rental car return experience of my life. Cars were double- and triple-parked in the garage. More evidence that travel business is grinding to a halt. But soon I had paid the one-way fee and we were on our way. We reached the air conditioned comfort of the terminal, which was empty. We had been telling the kids, “we just have to make it through security in KL.” At 2:30pm, 18 hours after we booked the tickets, we were through.
Check-in wasn't available until about 30 minutes after we arrived at the terminal so we killed some time calming our nerves together. It was obvious that there was a lot of discipline in place. We had our temperatures scanned before we could approach the ticketing counter. Pretty much every single local/national had a mask on. Some travelers took it more seriously than others. I don't know if the kid wearing a trash bag with arm holes counts as "taking it seriously" but this sight wasn't rare:
Monday, 3/23: 10pm in Hong Kong (and Malaysia), 1pm in Portland
The KUL-HKG flight was merely 3.5 hours long. We arrived around 10pm and had an effortless transiion. We went through the transit/transfer security line and then found a lounge in order to pass about 2 hours in comfort.
Tuesday, 3/24: 12:00am in Hong Kong/Malaysia; 3/23 3pm in Portland
It was time to say goodbye to our friends. Their flight to Vancouver left at 1:00 and ours to SFO left at 12:55. We took a couple of pictures together and promised to reunite. Then we dropped them at their gate and wandered off to find our own.
Tuesday, March 24 - 12:15am in Hong Kong & 3/23 9:15am in Portland
This is the part where I remind you that we decided to indulge with first class tickets across the Pacific Ocean. Maybe the kids had seen these seats on our way into our out of another flight but they had never looked closely and definitely never laid down in one. We were offered a meal immediately after takeoff but the kids didn't wait for that to start watching movies, mainly Frozen 2.
Thursday, March 24 - 2:00am in Malaysia/HK & 3/23 11:00am in Portland
As soon as the meals were collected and the lights turned down, we were able to persuade the kids to nap and then able to sleep ourselves.
Monday, 3/23 10:00pm at SFO / Tuesday, 3/24 1pm in Malaysia
It was very exciting to arrive in our own country, even if it was shocking to notice how few people seemed to be wearing a mask or social distancing. It's one of those strange occasions when you arrive before you take off. In this case, 3 hours before we took off and on the day before!
Everything went really smoothly after we arrived: getting through customs was a breeze, our bags were waiting for us, the AirTrain seemed to be waiting for us arrive and there was just a little hiccup getting into the airport-adjacent Hyatt hotel.
Tuesday, 3/24 3:30am in San Francisco / 6:30pm in Malaysia
Everybody has been dozing around the room, watching shows or movies or whatever. It seemed inevitable but I precipitated a small fight and almost immediately two kids and I were asleep, leaving Elise, Lily and Cate to watch whatever nonsense they could find. In other words, there was a period of about 36 hours between when I woke up in Malaysia (7am on Monday) and when I fell asleep in San Francisco (3:30am on Tuesday) that included only a moderate nap on the plane.
More play-by-play in the next installment when we return to Portland, re-enter our home and begin to reconcile our new prospects.
We pulled away a few minutes before 10 and drove to a gas station. Under the RMO, the pumps were operating but the store was closed. Fortunately, I was able to buy a toll tag (a debit card, really) and load it with the amount we were told we’d need for the drive (equivalent to about $15 plus some extra to spare).
We got on the highway and drove to a rest area just past the first toll plaza. We waited there for our companions to catch up, coordinating by facebook messenger as a modern day CB radio! For the next three hours or so, we followed them on a nearly-empty super highway with a painfully slow 110kph speed limit. Every five minutes or so a Mercendes saloon would come roaring by going at least 150kph. I mused that it was undercover police since it seemed to be a parade of the same make and model, always tinted windows, etc.
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| KL Rush Hour, COVID-style |
 |
| An interesting feature of the Malaysian freeway: motorbike rain shelters. Every overpass is also a place for a scooter to hide in a storm. The thing that looks like a sidewalk is the "offramp" for a motorbike to reach the rest area, which has several signs over the preceding kilometer! |
After the last toll plaza, we used our GPS to find a gas station close to the airport. With 2km to go, our friends texted that their gas was on empty! That was cutting it close. A minute after that text we passed a check point in the opposite direction; we’d be going through that after our fill up. Should we find a detour? Was there a detour?
3/23: 1:30pm in Malaysia, 4:30am in Portland
We got gas, which probably would have been easy if my mind was clear. I didn’t understand that I had to prepay by giving more cash than necessary. Then I forgot and was preparing to drive away when the cashier came chasing after me with my change. Now it was time for the checkpoint.
We had printed our boarding passes for just this occasion. Our friends were in front of us in line and it seemed like their conversation was not straight forward. The “manager” was called over. Their boarding pass was passed around. There were no visible smiles. A different officer approached our car. Was this going to make a good story, a bad story, or what? He looked at our boarding pass, looked at our friends’ car and the officers standing up there. He smiled at us and said, “Same!” and then waved us through as the officers ahead did the same to our friends.
Five minutes later we navigated through the strangest rental car return experience of my life. Cars were double- and triple-parked in the garage. More evidence that travel business is grinding to a halt. But soon I had paid the one-way fee and we were on our way. We reached the air conditioned comfort of the terminal, which was empty. We had been telling the kids, “we just have to make it through security in KL.” At 2:30pm, 18 hours after we booked the tickets, we were through.
 |
| Eerily silent and conspicuously uncrowded: the landside approach to Kuala Lumpor Airport |
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| HUGE lines at the immigration/pre-security checkpoint. |
Monday, 3/23: 10pm in Hong Kong (and Malaysia), 1pm in Portland
The KUL-HKG flight was merely 3.5 hours long. We arrived around 10pm and had an effortless transiion. We went through the transit/transfer security line and then found a lounge in order to pass about 2 hours in comfort.
Tuesday, 3/24: 12:00am in Hong Kong/Malaysia; 3/23 3pm in Portland
It was time to say goodbye to our friends. Their flight to Vancouver left at 1:00 and ours to SFO left at 12:55. We took a couple of pictures together and promised to reunite. Then we dropped them at their gate and wandered off to find our own.
 |
| Lily and Jacob |
Tuesday, March 24 - 12:15am in Hong Kong & 3/23 9:15am in Portland
This is the part where I remind you that we decided to indulge with first class tickets across the Pacific Ocean. Maybe the kids had seen these seats on our way into our out of another flight but they had never looked closely and definitely never laid down in one. We were offered a meal immediately after takeoff but the kids didn't wait for that to start watching movies, mainly Frozen 2.
Thursday, March 24 - 2:00am in Malaysia/HK & 3/23 11:00am in Portland
As soon as the meals were collected and the lights turned down, we were able to persuade the kids to nap and then able to sleep ourselves.
 |
| Lily is cute; the plane is empty |
 |
| Ali liked the goody bag waiting in her cubicle |
 |
| Cate was the first one asleep |
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| Empty! |
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| Ms. Cate, flying in style! |
Monday, 3/23 10:00pm at SFO / Tuesday, 3/24 1pm in Malaysia
It was very exciting to arrive in our own country, even if it was shocking to notice how few people seemed to be wearing a mask or social distancing. It's one of those strange occasions when you arrive before you take off. In this case, 3 hours before we took off and on the day before!
 |
| A whole sea of underutilized carts near baggage claim! |
Everything went really smoothly after we arrived: getting through customs was a breeze, our bags were waiting for us, the AirTrain seemed to be waiting for us arrive and there was just a little hiccup getting into the airport-adjacent Hyatt hotel.
Tuesday, 3/24 3:30am in San Francisco / 6:30pm in Malaysia
Everybody has been dozing around the room, watching shows or movies or whatever. It seemed inevitable but I precipitated a small fight and almost immediately two kids and I were asleep, leaving Elise, Lily and Cate to watch whatever nonsense they could find. In other words, there was a period of about 36 hours between when I woke up in Malaysia (7am on Monday) and when I fell asleep in San Francisco (3:30am on Tuesday) that included only a moderate nap on the plane.
More play-by-play in the next installment when we return to Portland, re-enter our home and begin to reconcile our new prospects.
I’m exhausted!!! Don’t know about you. Please sleep ASAP!!!!!
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