According to the GPS tracker in my motorcycle, it has been waiting for me at the airport of Kuala Lumpur for 2 days. Today I'm going after it, with a little detour. I fly to Singapore to spend the night at the airport and transfer to my flight to Kuala Lumpur. Not the fastest, but the cheapest way.
The handling in Kathmandu goes quickly and after a flight of 4.5 hours I am in Singapore. Once there it surprises me how western it feels. It's been months since I've seen public areas this tidy. The airport is huge, I have to take a skytrain twice to get to the right terminal for my second flight.
To bridge the 8-hour nightly waiting time, I look for a spot in a lounge area, but all the loungers are occupied. Then on the 'soft' carpet that is located throughout the airport, but the floor is very cold. After hours of unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep, I decide to put on my winter coat, which I desperately needed in Nepal, and then I actually fall asleep for an hour.
The flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur is only a 45-minute jump and after arrival I buy a SIM card, withdraw money and immediately start looking for my motorcycle. The tracker allows me to see where my motorcycle is: in the cargo area 3 km from the arrivals hall. At the information desk they tell me that a taxi is the only way to get there and it has to drive 19 km around the airport!
A taxi is quickly found and for 60RM (€13) he takes me to the cargo buildings. But where should we be in this huge industrial estate? Barriers and security everywhere, so just driving to my motorcycle is not possible.
My taxi driver really makes an effort and together we drive from pillar to post. More than an hour later, we both have visitor passes and he can drop me off at the freight company that received my motorcycle. In the end I pay him more than double.
At the freight company I get the original consignment note and I am sent to Customs to import the motorcycle with my Carnet de Passage (import papers). Another 2 km walk. The customs officers have no idea what to do with my Carnet and one after the other customs officer is called in. I explain the process and show them what to do and where to stamp and am sent with all the paperwork (including their internal notebook!) to a custom checkpoint, who ask me if I want to get the bike first… Again 2 km walk back to the freight company.
And then finally my motorcycle is picked from the warehouse with a forklift. But now? I don't have anything with me to open the crate. My tools are in the box. All an employee can find for me is a screwdriver and a heavy hammer. Fortunately, it manages to open the crate.
With the help of a forklift that lifts my motorcycle, I can reassemble the front wheel and the rest of all loose parts. It's 34 degrees and I'm soon wet with sweat. Before I know it I've drunk a liter of water.
With the motorcycle and my luggage I then drive back to customs. They should check chassis number and luggage, but here too they have no idea what to do with me. I don't make them smarter and with the right stamp and their internal notebook I drive back to customs where I tell them which part of the papers are for them and for me and then, 7 hours later, I can really go on my way !
My gas tank is almost empty (that was a requirement for the flight) but luckily there is a gas station 6 km away. Finally quality petrol with a high octane content again and I can't resist giving the engine a good run again. Yes! I'm in Malaysia on my own motorcycle!
On the highway, without holes and with modern cars that don't honk, I drive straight to the BMW dealer in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, because my engine urgently needs a major service. 50 meters further on the industrial estate I will stay in a hotel for the next few days. After a night with 10 hours of sleep, all I can do is wait for my bike to be ready and prepare for my onward journey.
Picking up and importing a motorcycle? Follow these steps!
At Kuala Lumpur Airport, take the Level 1 exit (departures/arrival) and take a taxi to the LCCT Kargo terminal. This is 3 km from the airport, but 19 km by taxi. The cost is at least €65 (€14).
At the cargo area, first go to the police station for a visitor pass, and there's also one for taxi drivers. It's free, but you do need to show ID. The building is called POS Aviation or SCAF Building and is recognizable by the parking lot with its rounded corrugated roof. The police station is on the second floor.
Then take a taxi through the barriers to the MAS cargo building (2 km), where the taxi can depart. The rest of the journey must be done on foot. Go up the stairs from the walkway to Core2, on the second floor. The counters are immediately on the left, in the GM department. Check in there with your waybill. They will give you an envelope with the original waybills. Walk with that to the customs building (1.5 km back towards the entrance with the barriers). They will fill out the Carnet de Passage and register the waybill. Then return to the MAS cargo building, via the walkway to Core1, one floor up, to the 'Import Truck Dock Office' department. You'll pay approximately €55 for storage, after which they will retrieve the motorcycle from the storage area. Then you can start unpacking your motorcycle from the crate.
Don't forget to pick up your passport at the police station when you leave! There's a gas station right outside the airport.
This entry was posted in Azie, Malaysia
