Parking Woes

Getting around places in Kuala Lumpur wasn’t tough, and Langkawi was no different. Self-driving rental cars were the most popular way of transport in this beach town. We were offered placards by multiple vendors for their rental cars, the minute we stepped out of the airport arrival area. Randomly choosing one of them, we proceeded towards the area where these vendors had their offices.

Going through options, we discovered there weren’t any manual cars on the list, only the automatic ones. Though the popularity of automatic vehicles has been growing in India, we haven’t driven one. We tentatively chose a silver Honda City, being familiar with the vehicle make. The vehicle was available for pickup at the airport itself, which would also be its dropping point. The drive from the airport to our resort by the beach was exhilarating, but our main focus remained on mastering the controls of the vehicle. P quickly got the hang of the car, and our drives became smoother, though parking remained an issue throughout our stay at the island.

We observed, parking rules weren’t very clearly mentioned in this city for a tourist to understand. For the first instance, we understood the markings on the road and parked our vehicle inside the box designated for cars. But when we returned from our shopping spree, we had received our first-ever denda because we hadn’t marked our vehicle as parked on the authorized parking app. Where was that mentioned? On a board, hidden between the shops, that too in the local language. When all major information was written and advertised in English, parking instructions were mentioned in their local language, that too with small letters. We found out later that it was a deliberate attempt and happened with many tourists, since they were unaware of the local parking rules.

Moral of the day : Park only where you understand the process.

Following that day, we discovered different parking processes everywhere. While visiting Eagle Square, things were similar to back home, a person gave an entry ticket while entering and payment was made during exit using the card at a touch-and-go box. The whole ‘moment of love’ incident happened the other day because it was easier to circle the block than to go through the pains of parking.

One of the days, we visited the Langkawi Skybridge. There were two levels of parking available, premium and normal. We opted for the normal one, the entry boom barrier opened as we entered, scanning our car’s number plate. No Parking ticket received. We parked the car in an empty slot and made our way to the Skybridge counter, walking through the Oriental Village.

After spending hours, we were mesmerized by the tropical beauty and exhausted due to the heat. On the walk back to our car, we saw payment options for the parking. One of them suggested using an app to pay online by entering car details. The other one was Pay-and-go at the exit. Since parking was unmanned, we thought it would be prudent to pay through the app. We scanned and downloaded the app using the displayed QR, but weren’t able to get the OTP for the payment through our cards. Dejected, we went ahead with the second option. While exiting, we paused and tapped our card at the Touch-and-Go device. As the amount was deducted, the boom barrier opened. Phew! That was easier than we thought.

The next day, for our duty-free shopping, we picked a mall which had its own designated parking space to avoid unnecessary struggles. Upon entry, pressing the button on the counter, a parking card slipped out of it. It had entry timings for our vehicle. We were relieved to see the old method of the parking system in place. Few hours later, at the time of the exit, the sight amused us. The cars ahead of us fed this parking card into the machine and the barrier opened. We could see no payment made at the exit. Few meters before the exit, stood a sign stating ‘Please Pay Parking charges before exit’. No other information was given about the modes of payment, moreover where to make the payments.

P then parked the vehicle at the side again and went off to search for some help. Minutes passed, and I waited on. When he came back, a few minutes later, he explained the entire story. People are supposed to pay at one of the self-service kiosks inside the mall before exiting. The kiosk took in the card, displayed the parking charges, accepted the payment through only cash (no cards here surprisingly!), and returned the card stamped as ‘Paid’. This explained why the card had an instruction on it – Please exit within 20 minutes of payment. The device at the exit gate would take in the card, read the ‘paid’ stamp and open the barrier.

What amazed us what the fact that every time we parked our car somewhere, it led to a different parking and payment process. Never thought driving would be easier but parking in another country would be a learning experience.

Follow me this April as I take you on a journey through our unforgettable Malaysian adventures, chapter by chapter.