Kuala Lumpur - Kuwait

Although our flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuwait is not until 01:40 in the morning, we need to leave the hotel at around 21:30 the night before to get to the airport on time. Thankfully there is not as much traffic this evening as there was when we arrived a couple of days ago.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport

At the Kuwait Airlines check-in area, a long queue has formed, waiting for the counters to open. Yoga, who has been our guide here in Kualala Lumpur, asks for a wheelchair. “Not until after check-in” he is told. Really? I am not allowed to be disabled until then? That’s a first for us! He is also refused priority check-in, which is normally offered throughout the world for less-abled passengers. Another first.

Yoga tells me to go and sit down, while he and David join the queue. After their lack of customer service, when the lady at check-in insists that she wants to see me, Yoga insists that she has to walk to where I am sitting. We finally manage to get a wheelchair with a porter, who takes us to a holding area, a dull room tucked away far from the departure gate. I feel a little uncomfortable and concerned that we might be left there and forgotten, especially when there is a change of shift, and nobody arrives to replace the staff who are leaving.

We aren’t forgotten, however, and someone comes to collect us and takes us through security to the gate, and along with another disabled lady from London, we are the first to board. At least that is something. The stewardess who meets me at the door of the plane seems surly. She is the first crew member who has not offered to help me up the step into the plane, or with the overhead bags. Not that I necessarily require assistance, but the lack of care is very noticeable.

The seat configuration is 2-4-2, and once everyone is settled into their seats, another stewardess comes over and asks if I would like to move to the back, where I have a complete row of four seats to myself. OK, my confidence in Kuwait Airlines’ customer service has been restored. David is also happy, of course, as it means he now gets two seats to himself. It’s a nine-hour flight, so I am thankful for the extra legroom and being able to spread out.

Overnight flights, also known as Red Eye Flights, are great in that we both manage to get plenty of sleep in, making the time go so much quicker. Dinner is chicken biriyani, which is pleasant, and breakfast, served soon before we land in Kuwait, consists of a choice of omelette or a waffle. I choose the latter, which is absolutely delicious.

Just after we touch down on the ground in Kuwait, the power goes on in the plane. Even the stewardess claims thst is the first time it has happened on all her flights.

Kuwait

Welcome to our country number 147. A porter pushes me in a wheelchair to the Visa Hall, where they convert our e-visas to paper visas. So much for being paper-free. Our fingerprints and photographs are taken, and we are on our way immediately, unlike the number of overseas workers from the Indian subcontinent who are waiting around in the hall.

Once through security where our bags are X-rayed, we grab a taxi and head to our hotel. The taxi driver appears not to recognise the name Grand Majestic Hotel, or maybe his English is not very good (it is probably still way better than my Arabic, and after all, we are the guests in their country), so I show him our booking and he heads in the general direction of the address shown on the paperwork. David spots the hotel and points it out to the driver.

Grand Majestic Hotel

While there is a comfortable lobby on the ground floor, the reception (and restaurant) is on the 17th floor. Check-in is smooth and quick, and we are shown to our room on the 8th floor.

The lobby

We wander back up again to the 17th floor, to grab something to eat.

Hummus, tabuleh, fuul medames, labneh - some of favourite Middle Eastern dishes

Feeling pretty exhausted from the nearly eight weeks of travelling (and the overnight flight, of course), we spend the rest of the day chilling in the airconditioned room. When it starts to get dark, I get my tripod out and take some pictures of Kuwait City from our room.

Dinner

The dining room is bright, and the menu features Indian, Middle Eastern, and International dishes, and the portions are absolutely enormous!

David's chicken curry with accompaniments

My chicken shawarma comes with fries, coleslaw, ketchup, mayonnaise, pickled vegetables, and olives.

Thank you to Undiscovered Destinations for putting together this amazing itinerary, including some destinations that they don't normally cover (such as Kuwait)