Wee hee! I'm in Malaysia. The Prehension sorry make that, Perhentian Islands.
Michael and Rich left for Sumbawa - for a boys surf trip. I flew to Singapore. After a hectic 16 hours arranging tickets and frantically emailing with Christine I made it to the train station. Our plan was for me to get onto the train in Singapore, and for her to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Gemas, where she would board the train that I was on. Of course all the best laid plans.......
I arrived at the train station with plenty of time to spare - no way I'm risking missing the train. Departure time was 6.15pm and Christine was due to board in Gemas at 11pm. From where we would continue overnight to Wakaf Barhu, the drop off point for the Prehension Perhentian Islands.
At about 6pm I wandered to the ticket desk to find out when I could board the train. The train was delayed until 7.30pm. At 7.15 I wandered to the ticket desk to find out when the train was leaving. It's scheduled to depart at 9pm. At 9pm - just for laughs - I ask when the train is leaving. At 10pm. All this time there is no announcement, no notification of any delay, nothing but silence and a lot of people wandering around.
At 10pm I board the train, again - no announcement, just luck. I'm in an upper sleeping berth, so I heft my luggage up and get settled in for the night. At 1am we're still in Singapore. Still in the train station, still not going anywhere. I decide to go to sleep.
All the while Christine is sitting in Gemas. Equally clueless as to what time the train will arrive. After midnight the train station clears out and she is the only person left sitting on the platform, in the dark. The ticket clerk takes pity on her and gives her a key to a porters break room, where she can lock herself in for a few hours sleep. They promise to wake her when the train arrives.
We pull into Gemas at 6am - 7 hours behind schedule. I am the only person awake on the train, struggling to open the door hoping that Christine will be on the platform. She is. In fact she's been there for a staggering 14 hours!
The train continues on it's way North with both of us sleeping for a couple more hours. But it's not over... We wake up and discover that I slept through Singapore/Malaysian immigration! Apparently, 30 minutes after the train departs from Singapore, right before we cross into Malaysia there is an immigration check point. Everyone gets off the train and is processed by immigration. First you 'leave' Singapore, then you 'enter' Malaysia. I am in the North of Malaysia without a Singapore exit stamp in my passport, and no Malaysian entry stamp. In fact they just don't know that I am even here!
It's a bank holiday, so all official offices are closed. Bugger it. We decide to head to the Islands and deal with it later!