Well here we are in Abu Dhabi. Its 3.00 in the morning and our plane goes at 10.00. We have been here since about 11.30. Its extremely noisy and busy. Getting any chair was difficult but as we knew we were here for a while we waited for a couple of the deck chairs that are in the waiting "lounge" so that maybe we could get some sleep. However sleep wasn't easy as a 12 year old kid was in the chair next to us and he giggled away the whole time in a high pitched voice. Both he and his mother weighed more than me. But they were having fun. Opposite are four Russians who sit and stare....when I say opposite I mean about two feet away....its very crowded......and they look like the Russian mafia in the movies and are drinking scotch from the bottle.....but all part of the flavour of the place. Its noisy because its crowded but also I think because its a dome. Made of mosaics, in red and green and a very low ceiling.

Yesterday we spent in Kualar Lumpur airport.....about 8 hours. After a wild taxi ride....130 k/h where lanes just seem to be there as a suggestion we arrived at the airport. It is a magnificent building similar to the Sydney Opera House and there are signs saying it has won the best airport in the world for past three years. I know why. It was well laid out inside and out. Lots of space, clean, orderly, well organised....the way an airport should be. Everyone seemed relaxed and helpful....even the fellows with the machine guns. We found some quiet seats and slept and read novels. When we finally checked in we went down stairs to customs. There was a massive cheque and Amanda's fears of customs seemed about to come true.....especially as when we approached this crowd of people and an official approached us and ushered us off to the side. OK now we thought here comes the full bag search and the questions. But no he put us to the diplomat counter, just to hurry the cheque up. We were the only ones there and went straight through. On the other side we got straight into a train which ran us down to a lounge, where we had a coffee and waited for the plane. It was the way an airport should be.

But there was more to come. Etihad airlines! The plane was a little more roomier than the last one, but much more comfortable. Each seat had its own computer screen. You just dialled up the movie, the TV show, the computer game or the music you wanted.It was terrific.....I want this setup at home. The meals were ala carte and absolutely first class. They kept offering drinks and cushions, pillows, blankets.......I wanted to stay on the plane. But it was a 8 hour trip and you can only take so much.

Amanda is chatting to the Russians now as I battle to write this post. The computer is interesting as it contains Arabic letters as well as english and the address and password are around the other way but I think we have suceeded. The next post should be from Nepal.