Day 102: Leaving Malaysia
Unfortunately, we didn’t have any time for sight-seeing on our last day in Kuala Lumpur, as we had a lot of last-minute chores before leaving the country.
First, remember that credit card that got compromised in Bali? After three attempts to have a replacement card sent to us in Surabaya, Medan, and our first stay in KL we finally had success! A FedEx envelope with a secure new Citi card arrived while we were in Borneo, and the hotel at the KL Journal kept it safe for us, along with 2 extra bags of luggage! After breakfast at our favorite bakery, Igor made quick work breaking in our new card by buying a super-duper zoom lens at the Low Yat Plaza IT Mall, while Lindsay ran to the local laundromat to wash EVERYTHING in our bags (including the bags).
Our final pastry-breakfast in KL before finishing all our last minute chores, including testing out our new zoom lens!
We finished our chores and packing, and checked out of the hotel at 12:00PM on the dot. Our first flight didn’t leave until 5:40PM and we had plenty time to get to the airport, so we asked the hotel staff which would be faster/cheaper – the train or taking a cab? They said the train costs 110 ringgit, and a cab is “the same price” and much faster – would we like them to call a cab for us? We saw no reason to make ourselves uncomfortable for the same price as a taxi, so we said sure.
When the cab drove up, we saw the hotel manager run up to the driver and speak to him for a few minutes and exchange some cash. After we got in the car and drove a few blocks, the cab driver asked us, “How much did he say the taxi would cost you?” “110 ringgit.” We started to get nervous that this guy would ask for more, when he told us, “I only charge 80 ringgit for a ride to the airport. Never book at taxi from the hotel – I had to pay him 30 to pick you up. Here’s my card – next time you call me.” Sure enough, we passed a cardboard sign another taxi driver had outside his windshield that said, “KLIA – 90R,” and our taxi driver ran his meter during our drive to show us the true cost – the meter came out to 79R! Lesson learned – always hail your own cab in KL!
So we lost USD$7.50 from a hotel scam, but dammit, we still had the opportunity to make it back and more! When shopping for our new camera equipment, all the retailers told us we could get 14% back from the VAT refund at the airport. The Malaysian government certainly doesn’t make it easy (they are hoping you will run out of time and forgo your tax refund) – we had to visit a total of three different counters at the KLIA airport in order to get our refund. The first Global Blue counter outside immigration served no other purpose other than to tell us we had to visit the counter inside the International terminal. The second Global Blue counter then told us we first had to go to the Goods Verification counter – mind you, none of these counters were on the terminal map! At the Goods Verification counter, the government employees very carefully inspected our receipt, passport, airline ticket and the physical object we purchased before approving the tax refund paperwork. (We felt really bad for an Indian couple next to us who had purchased several pieces of jewelry – the woman had put her new diamond ring in her checked luggage, so she only got a refund for the ruby necklace she was wearing.) We finally returned to the Global Blue counter, and counted our cash refund *very carefully*. NICE TRY, MALAYSIA!
Igor is slowly turning into a backpacker-douchbag! He’s rockin’ a bandana and a 5-day stubble as we arrive at the airport. This hippie life-style isn’t going to stop us from getting our tax-refund, tho!
After all the running around, we only had about an hour before the flight boarded. We headed over to the Premier Pass lounge for dinner and as much free booze as we could get (no wine, just beer), as we weren’t sure our flight to Hong Kong was long enough for a meal. We needn’t have worried – we got fed on *both* the Cathay Pacific flight to HK and the South African Airlines to Johannesberg! Feeling very, very full (we’re going to gain back any weight we lost during our treks in Malaysia!), we went into a food-coma and fell asleep somewhere over the Indian Ocean.
Kicking back with some beers and dinner at the Executive Lounge in KLIA, before our double international flights to Hong Kong & Jo-berg
Checking Facebook at the Executive Lounge in Hong Kong before boozing it up on our flight to AFRICA. See you in the morning!
What you guys won’t do for a 14% VAT tax refund!!! I agree with you, I bet not many people have the determination or time to jump through all those hoopes….