Sometimes, when you expect Paris, you get ..... Malaysia

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Well there were macarons, but that's about where the comparisons with Paris needed to stop! Actually, once I got over the fact that we were not going to get to Paris today, and not going to stay in the lovely apartment we had booked, it was quite fun to think about visiting a city that wasn't initially in the plan.

By the time we got to Kuala Lumpur we had got over our initial shock , and I have to hand it to the staff at Malaysia Airlines, they were absolutely fantastic - both on the flight and once we arrived. It turns out that the flight cancellation was due to a strike in Paris which they only found out about when we checked in from Melbourne.

As we came out of the gate in Malaysia, we were met by an official who personally helped the few families affected by the strike locate luggage which had been booked through to Paris. He then accompanied us to a bus which was waiting, engine running, to take us to a really lovely hotel. While there were lots of tired people to accommodate, it all went very quickly and smoothly.

We laughed when we got to the hotel, as we were given the Honeymoon suite! Frank and Hugo took that one (as it was quite a long way from the other room we were given), but we could easily all have slept in one room if we'd known how big it would be. Isabel and I shared the kid's room, but both rooms were lovely. Hugo immediately found his favourite spot - a great big wing chair with footstool that he frequently curled up in with a book. It made him look quite small.

This morning when we woke up, we tried to work out what we should do in K.L, but as it was a very long taxi ride into the city, Frank and I made the executive decision that we would stay at the resort and relax in the pool. It was a great plan as the kids had an absolute ball, and there was also a lovely gym that I made use of - it helped work out those aeroplane kinks!

Really, looking back, it was luxury to sleep a night in a bed instead of getting straight onto another plane, and the

airline took care of all meals for the 24 hours we spent in Malaysia. The kids especially loved the dessert bar, with chocolate fountain, fruit jellies on sticks - and macarons!

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Photos

The chair
Hugo found a favourite spot to read in the "Honeymoon Suite"!