One thing I decided when booking my flights to Denpasar was to ensure that we left enough time in KL for our non-connecting flight, as I knew we’d have to collect our luggage and also transfer terminals. We took the overnight flight from Japan to KL with AirAsia with our onward flight at 4pm, so we’d arrive, go to the hotel and sleep, and wake up the following day in Bali to maximise our time there. I planned that we could sleep on the plane and then go into KL during the day if time allowed… Right?

Well, even the best laid plans and all that… Our flight was delayed by one hour leaving Japan which doesn’t sound too bad, but it was delayed due to turbulence affecting the inbound flight. An ominous sign really! We ate our delicious cakes that I got from a patisseries in Daimaru in Tokyo while waiting, and finally got on the plane.

I’d paid extra for the quieter area with dimmed lighting in the hope of sleeping. The area was lovely and quiet, with not many people, so me and mum were able to get an entire row to ourselves! However the dimmed lighting was a lie; considering it was a red-eye flight, you would think that they’d turn the lights off like my 2nd Emirates flight to Taiwan did, however they just dimmed the aisle lighting a dim blue, but the lighting above the window was left on full brightness! In addition, the flight attendants were continually roaming the plane, trying to sell me souvenirs at 2am, offer me breakfast while I was sleeping with my hood over my face, and when I didn’t reply, actually shake me to wake me up…! Eventually I passed out around 3pm while lying across a whole row of seats. Mum on the other hand stayed awake and witnessed a lightning storm which she described as being like the end of days, truly apocalyptic – the seatbelt sign stayed on for the entire 7 hour flight, sheet lightning and massive turbulence!

I woke up during the descent and wished I hadn’t as the landing was appalling, shaking and bumping all over the place! As mum hadn’t slept a wink, I booked us into the Tune hotel outside the terminal for their “refresher package” ie 3 hours of sleep for 100RM. They wouldn’t let us check in until 9am as there were no available rooms so as it was only 7am, we left our bags and went back to the terminal for a drink and a bite to eat. At 9am on the dot we checked in. Mum thought the hotel was damp but to be honest I fell straight asleep and didn’t notice!

at 12pm we left the hotel and made our way to KLIA from KLIA2 on the KL Transit train, checked in (very very slow queue) and then went to Starbucks to while away the next 2 hours until the onward flight.

Flight was on time, we flew with Malindo Air and they were great! In-flight meal, entertainment and everything – brilliant! Plus it was still daylight when we took off so we even got to see natural light from the window!

We arrived and got through security in record time, went outside to find our pre-booked airport taxi… No one there to meet us 😞 Our driver was running late, eventually we found him, he brought the car round to meet us, and finally we were on our way to the hotel!….right??!

NOPE. The car then promptly broke down just outside the airport, on a corner, on a busy road, about 300 yards from the airport toll booth. The driver determined, after failing to start the car multiple times, that it had run out of petrol. He informed us that because he was running late, he hadn’t had time to go to the petrol station. “A lack of preparation on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine” sprang to mind! He left us in the car while he walked to the petrol station. Mum felt very unsafe as the cars were coming quite close to our broken down vehicle, so insisted we stand on the verge, which was about 1 foot wide before a deep wide ditch full of water! Luckily the driver found a kind person who gave him a lift to the petrol station and back on the back of his motorbike. After filling up, all was working again! We got to the hotel about 9.30pm, and promptly went to bed. At least we were in Bali 😊