This is a short, but hopefully meaningful post. It's easy to get down about humanity, but just when you're thinking people suck, a stranger spreads love.
Today was not supposed to be one of the better days for me. Nothing of much note was in the plans. I had to find the train, get off at the right stop for my hotel near the airport, enjoy the comforts of a real hotel room for the evening, get up at 4:00 in the morning, and get an Uber to the airport for a 6:30 A.M. flight.
This is a photo from the hotel room window I make it to at the end of this story...
When I got off at my stop at Salak Tinggi, I decided to try walking the five miles to my hotel. I've come to appreciate walking in these situations. I like the randomness of what I may find; today I found kindness.
My decision to walk was quickly turning out to be foolish. I thought the train stop would be around something, anything, but it wasn't. I walked for about a mile and a half down a road that had the train tracks to the left of me, and empty land to the right of me.
Guess what? It was hot, and there was no shade except for the brim of my baseball cap. It was actually extra hot, and I was carrying all my bags. Somehow I was still content walking in the sweltering heat. It gave me quiet, solitude, time to think...Fuck it was hot! My monk-like demeanor wasn't going to last much longer. The road seemed to be stretching out like it was taffy that stretched and never broke.
Just about the time I was thinking I'd made a bad plan, and started hoping to pass some kind of building so that an Uber would have a place to pick me up other than "the side of the road," something wonderful happened. A small neon green hatchback stopped on the road after it passed me. I walked the fifty feet until I was alongside it. The driver, a pudgy Malaysian man wearing glasses, leaned toward me and asked where I was going.
I said, "The Empress Hotel. ...The uh, Empress..." I looked at my phone, searching for the rest of the name. Before I could find it, he replied.
"Get in. I will take you." He said.
Here's an accidental photo of the front of his car at our destination (It's all I've got. I figure an image of the front quarter adds more to the story than no image would)....
I opened the passenger side door and got in. He asked, "You did not call Uber?"
"Um, I thought it might be a nice walk. Like, with stuff around, maybe stuff to see or somewhere to stop."
"No, there's nothing around here." He said.
"Yeah, I was kind of picking up on that." I said.
"The hotel is far. It's hot out." He said.
"Yeah. It's pretty hot. Thank you again for this." I said. I'd already thanked him when I stepped in the car.
I told him more about traveling and how I liked the walking option sometimes, and we laughed about how I'd picked a bad day for it. He worked in IT and he had just dropped his uncle off at the train station. He has the day off because it is a big holiday here in Malaysia today. There was a lull in the conversation. He said, "It is very hot today." Emphasizing the fact that I must have been crazy to be walking like I was.
I laughed, "Yes, It's VERY hot!"
He laughed.
I asked if he lived here all his life. He said, no. He was from an island on the Eastern coast of Malaysia. I asked if he missed it, he said he did. He said the eastern coast is much nicer, good for backpackers (like myself), lots of good seafood, diving, and cheaper. He told me the name of the island. It began with a "P." I have to google it to remember what he said.
After a ten minute ride, we arrived at my hotel. I asked for a photo with him. He dropped me off in front of the hotel and said he would park and then take the photo. I walked to where he parked. He sat in the car for about thirty seconds freshening up and fixing his hair for the photo. He got out, I asked his name, he said "Rice" or "Bryce." It was one of those times where you don't want to keep asking and you just nod your head hoping you got it right. We shook hands. He had a very soft handshake, as though it was something he didn't do a lot. It made me wonder if handshaking was less of a thing in his parts.
We took the photo. I said thanks, he said "Welcome." I walked away, he drove off. Random kindness! Once again. I needed a ride, he saw my need, and he filled it. People are good when they have the opportunity. The password at the hostel on Langkawi was "spread love." Bryce (Ryce?) did that today.
That's all.
As always, if you like what I'm throwin' down then please upvote, resteem, and bore everyone at the water cooler at work talking about this awesome guy @travelman on this site you're on called steemit. Then write down the web address for them so they can throw it away when they go back to their desk.
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happy traveling
Thank you @nightgirl, it has been the case so far.
nice work
i like to comment your post because it's in Malaysia.
In East Malaysia, we have Sabah and Sarawak. it's really the best place to go for backpackers, but I myself haven't get the chance to visit there yet.
Island (english) = Pulau (Malay language)
hope you get to find the beach he mentioned! Usually names are after the word Pulau :D
Pulau Langkawi is the place you went recently.
Try searching for "Pulau P.... in east Malaysia" ? hope it helps :D
This is great! You're like my inside woman for Malaysia! Thank you. I hope you keep commenting even when I leave Malaysia, lol.
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Nice story. Guess it was your lucky day. Although I've never travelled to such exotic places, I've made the mistake of thinking I could walk to a hotel or a station, only to find myself lost and walking for hours...
All my life, I've seemed to fall into these situations. Maybe it doesn't really happen to me more than anyone else but they stick in my mind. Always nice to hear from you @ladyrebecca. And anyone reading this comment, please follow @ladyrebecca, she has great content!
The good thing is getting into situations like that means you're actually doing something. Those who stay put all their lives hardly need to worry about finding themselves alone in the middle of nowhere. It's pretty hard to get lost on the way to the office you've been working in all your life.
Thanks for the nice words.
so happy you were blessed with a ride on such a hot day.