May 21, 2004

Back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport again. It has got to be one of the swishest airports in the world, with the modern buildings, and quiet waiting areas. Compared to the chaos and bustle of Heathrow, most Asian airports except Bangkok are amazingly modern and spacious. The odd thing about KLIA is that it is built in the middle of nowhere, about 40 miles from the city, which must be why it's so spacious. Our Air Asia flight to Sandakan leaves on time, and 3 hours later we're arriving, having passed by Mount Kinabalu, SE Asia's tallest mountain.

In the last 3 days we've flown for just 6 hours, but we've saved ourselves almost a week's worth of overland travel. The most expensive part of the trip was the flight to Borneo, mainly because there is less competition on this route, and so it cost us £125 each for a return flight from Kuala Lumpur. But hopefully it will be worth it. The main reason for the flight is to visit the orangutans at the rehabilitation centre, one of only two places in the world where it is easy to see them in their natural setting.