Kuala Lumpur

Well, we have landed.
For those who haven't been here before, this is a satellite lounge in the shape of a cross. All the big aircraft plug onto gates all along the four arms of the cross. Out of the end of one arm is the train line, that connects us to the main terminal, where the domestic planes park, and where we do customs and pick up our bags.
Kind of like Vegas. I'm sure there are others.







This place is not so much an airport, than a mall with parking spaces for Boeing. Didn't dally, because we had a car waiting. KUL airport is miles away from KUL city, so walking is out of the question. They have a fast train, but that ends up at the sentral station. And yes, I have spelt that correctly.

The hotel has a package to pick you up from sentral, or from the airport. With Sarah's big pink bag, as well as my modest collection, the single trip from the airport is just the simpler option. And it isn't much more than the train+car package.

So, through customs and off to the baggage hall. Kinda big, as you might expect.
Look at the screen, carousel G, that way, now wait.
The screen over the carousel showed 2 flights. One from Frankfurt, with a note saying last bag. It was done. Belt was stopped, no activity.
Then there was our flight, from Auckland. The note said first bag in 5 minutes. Really?
That'll be like the FIDDS screen in Auckland, check-in opens in 60 minutes. Merely a guide.

While we wait, I notice the baggage trolleys. Weird looking things. Something from Mad Max.

Back to the bags. First bag in 3 minutes. 2:59, 2:58... Seriously?

Alright then, lets test this. At about -2 minutes, the belt starts. Aha! Merely a guide.
But no bags. First bag in 1 minute. Still nothing appearing.

If you've been to Sydney, you may have seen two things. First, they wouldn't even pretend to have bags on the belt to any kind of schedule. You got your bags didn't you? Nothing broken or missing? Then you're ahead of the curve, Schappelle.
The other thing you will notice is the design of the arrivals carousels. They are oval, and sit in the middle of the room. You can walk all the way around them. The are quite deep, and angle quite steeply, so that bags are always against the bottom rail, for ease of pickup. Ours are plugged against the wall, loaders putting them on one side, us taking them off the other. If we don't take them off, they go all the way around to the back, so that the loaders have to look for gaps to put new bags on.

In Sydney, there is a row of these carousel islands, all fed from belts coming up from below into the middle of the oval. Bags then drop onto the belt and do the circuit. If we don't pick them up, the next bag lands on top of the old one, building a wall of bags up the belt till they are out of reach. Can get interesting.

So. The belts at KUL are like SYD. the bag drops onto the belt from inside the oval.
The first bag will arrive in 10 seconds, 9, 8... Nothing.

5, 4, here comes a bag. 3, 2,... and...1 as it hits the belt. You've GOT to be kidding me!