The Low Cost Carrier Terminal

it's early. real early. I'm pretty sure the dairy farmers weren't even up when our alarm when off this morning. It's back to the LCCT for us as we are heading to Cambodia, more specifically Phnom Penh.

we live opposite a train station called KL Sentral. It's ideal really. It's the station which the LRT stops (the one Nate takes to work), the KTM Komuter (the one I have never taken), the KLIA Express (an express train directly to the international airport) and then a train which takes you to a bus stop where you board a bus to take you to the LCCT. A station where, if you flying from KLIA (the fancy airport) you can check in right there. So KL Sentral is ideal, and so close!

it is the LCCT journey that we have done many, many times. and I don't think I'll ever get used to it!

it begins with a 15min walk to the station from our house. not bad. chuck in almost 100% humidity, three sets of stairs and a life threatening mad dash across a 6 lane highway... it's a little bit of a mish to say the least. you will arrive at the station to board the train sweating and a bit frazzled!

no complaints about the 30min train to the bus stop. it's a good opportunity to gather whats left of your nerves and to prepare you for the next leg of the journey - the bus and the actual process of getting out of this country.

As we arrive at the transfer dock, its starts to rain. go figure.

When you look at the bus, it really looks rather modern. fuschia pink with a big bold LCCT on the side. but inside the seats are tattered and you quickly figure out that the shocks are pretty much, well, shot. the kicker of it all is that there always seems to be a Malaysian version of Celine Dion blearing through a distorted radio. Normally it's ok but I was not loving it at 5.12am!

Right next to the fancy KL International Airport is the Low Cost Terminal. low cost is an understatement. it's the home of air Asia an it provides what can only be describe as a crappy, first and last impression for visitors. it's budget all the way.

as you step off the bus, a ribbon of battered taxi's greet you, with drivers trying to hassle a few more RM out of their victims, some on the horn, some double parked. it's no relaxing, serene experience that's for sure! once you are in the brightly lit shed it's chaos. people sleeping on the hard concrete floor, no seats to be found, long lines, people coughing without covering their mouths, sniffing back great clumps of lord knows what... and a consistent stream of annoucements, again over a distorted system!

Once you go through passport control, there is not a loo in sight... not that you would dare use the ones in the terminal. yuck does not even begin to describe what they are, the squat loo's the Muslims use are enough to make you start gagging. duty free consists of about 7 bottles of very fake looking Cior perfume (yes with a C not a D) randomly placed on a trestle table!

The whole experience makes me wonder if Air Asia is really worth it. With only midnight and super early flights on offer, and then the whole LCCT experience... it makes me wonder! For AU$75, yes?