Dawn was just breaking and the huge freight cranes were silhouetted against a rising sun, the sea calm, Georgetown waking up silently, it's white buildings appearing from the gloom - more people arriving.
School girls taking the ubiquitous selfies, elderly folk (they had their own area to sit and wait), workers, other travellers & backpackers - monks; all waiting patiently to cross that small stretch of water.
It was only a ten minute sail across the straits, the Komtar tower clashing culturally with the colonial waterfront buildings - travellers like me photographing the disappearing frontage whilst the ugly industrial vista of Butterworth got closer.
The railway station is conjoined to the ferry terminal, a new state of the art one in the process of being built, soon there will be a seamless travel system, so says the advertising blurb. Finally we were in the station concourse and waiting to be called forward by the white jacketed ticket inspector. He would also be on the train, no fare dodging with him around?
We set off on time, got to the first station and stopped. There was no explanation why we had been at a standstill for 45 minutes, then we were off. This was the 0800 from Butterworth to Johore Baru, the last stop in Malaysia before Singapore, we would be getting off at Kuala Lumpur Sentral, journey time five hours ten minutes.
The inside of the carriages were immaculate. Clean, air conditioned and with reclining seats it was a bargain price at £6 per person. There was a buffet car that most locals seemed to be visiting - every five minutes and there were two types of toilet - sitting or squatting!
Our Subway rolls and bag of crisps did not last until eleven o clock, as planned but we resisted the noodles from the buffet.I tried to sleep but failed and spent most of the journey staring at Malaysia out of the window.
Most of the rail side was covered in palm plantations, growing what, I didn't know but there were acres and acres of it along with lots of other produce growing in the perfect conditions. I have to hand one thing to them. They have plenty of pedestrian walkways across the line and also a ramp to allow motorcycles to cross safely. The track itself was well maintained as we saw many gangs of workers busily tending to the track and ballast, this is no third world railway.
We stopped and passed through well kept stations, so modern, white and clean looking, a clash against the the beautiful green agricultural and natural vista. This pattern of moderninity was halted at Ipoh, nevertheless its old colonial station building was immaculately clean and white, befitting the tittle the town has - gateway to the Cameron Highlands.
After here we began to see more livestock in the fields. Cattle, water buffalo and ducks, well, those little fellows are on the menu everywhere!
Gathering momentum we started to hit commuter belt as station after station was jammed with cars of those working in KL, we began to gather our things and prepare to get off.
Travelling slowly into the station I spotted two things. The hotel I'd booked and the massive Petronas Towers building, it seemed a taxi would be in order to the lodgings.
We got the taxi from the pre-booking kiosk and were soon on our way through the very modern and clean inner city roads to the Seri Pacific Hotel adjacent to the Putra World Trade Centre. It was one of those moments again when on arriving and being shown into the elegant reception hall we both thought we were in the wrong place. Plush is not the word to use and yet it probably wasn't one of the plushest in town, to us though, it was.
There was no trouble at reception, they were expecting us and we didn't get thrown out onto the streets. The room was immaculately laid out with a view of the pool, eleven floors below. A quick change then it was downstairs to the shopping centre across the footbridge, a swift look around and then back to the hotel for a light snack. The prices, believe it or not, very reasonable for such an opulent place.
It was now time to hit the town as we attempted to buy a ticket for the subway transport railway.(immediately adjacent to the hotel) We must have looked right Charlie's as we faffed around in the ticket hall. Eventually, thanks to a kind local and a surly official we had a token (50p each) in our possession - destination: those two towers we'd seen on the way in.
Although the rail system was packed, possibly because of rush hour, and we had to make a change, we actually made it in one piece and to the correct station. What took our breath away outside was amazing. The Petronas Towers are over 84 floors tall, you can't even get yourself in the photo from the ground and, well, we weren't going to get Lynn up there either.
At ground level and added to the towers is the Suria KLCC shopping centre. Not a Home Bargains or Poundland in sight. I informed Lynn there was nothing in there she wanted, or I could afford. Although, I did part with RM2 - about 36p, so she could use the premier loos.
We did have a drink in Mamasans. It's in the park and lake area, accessible from the centre. It was a nice way to start the evening as people drifted into the park to see the water ballet performed by hundreds of multi coloured fountains expertly moving to a computer program with music blaring in the background. What was even more spectacular was the sight of the towers, lit up at night and a quarter moon nestling between them. We didn't want to leave.
We caved in and got a taxi back to the hotel, £3, the towers were omnipresent, you couldn't turn a corner without seeing them. Even from the elevator going back to the room they were there in the distance but never far away - they are the city, the city is them.
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