Their are two urban monstrosities in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. One being Pudu Jail, a prison that was built back in the day when the Brits were still at large in the then called Malaya. So far, since it was pretty much unseemly (and unwise) to have a maximum security jail in the heart of the city, so they decommissioned it. They brought it back as a museum for awhile, but people don't usually like to see the history of a prison so they closed it again, then after awhile they turned it back into a minimum security correctional facility for women. That being interesting all in all, it still isn't what I want to write about tonight.
What I want to write about is Pudu Bus Station, or at least an experience I had there a couple of days ago. To give a bit of a background to Pudu bus station, it is a station (duh!) that was built and put into operation way back when KL was a small city and not that many people wanted to go there. Thus, it's facilities are somewhat limited and very, very dated. My office is just across the street from the station and I can actually see it from my window on the 38th floor. Since KL has grown almost exponentially since Pudu was first put into operation, the station has had to cope with an excessive influx of busses, tourists and travelers to the point where it literally spills out into the streets. I'm not joking, busses line up right in front of my office and park on a main road because they have no other place to go. Since it is a literal cross-roads for travelers, all manner of savoury and unsavoury characters stroll in and out and hang about outside and it's the unsavoury ones (hmm, does that make them sweet?) that are give reasons to worry.
Anyway, the other day I went down stairs for a smoke and walked all the way down to the front of my office building as I needed to get away whilst I light up my and unwind. It was just passed sun-down and the streets were pretty dark if not empty. I was standing there, puffing away, minding my own business when I noticed a gritty looking chap, with greasy long hair under a lamp post just staring at me all grim looking. I kinda shuffled away thinking, well he's just bored maybe someone else will catch his attention. But no, I had his undivided attention. The guy was just straight out eye-balling. Then, as if he'd made his mind up, he pushed himself off the lamp post and slowly sauntered towards my general direction. I tried to look unconcerned and non-chalant but his slow progress towards my vicinity was kinda intimidating. When he finally reached me he leaned real close and whispered...
"Mahu pergi Hatyai?", do you want to go to Hatyai (Thailand). I was like ,what? "Mahu pergi Hatyai? Ipoh, Pinang?" he prattled on a few more destinations at me while I just stood there with a dumb look on my face. It finally dawned on me that he was trying to sell me bus ticket. I was like what? No no I don't want to go to Hatyai, or Pinang or where ever. Even after I said that he just continued on trying to impress upon me that his ticket fares were dirt cheap and his bus could get me there in record time and I'd be a fool if I didn't take him up on his offer. No, no, I don't want to go anywhere, I said. "Tapi ticket murah bang." But my tickets are cheap, he then asserted.
I'm thinking what person in his right mind, would succumb to this? I mean I've heard of impulse buying, but impulse traveling? It was pretty obvious I didn't want to go to any of those places but he still insisted I did. I mean, I didn't even have any luggage with me. It makes me wonder if his tactics have ever worked before, I mean it must have if this was his way of getting travelers. Does this mean that there is someone out there who actually during his lunch break suddenly decide to go to Thailand because the tickets were cheap? Well, I suppose it takes all sorts to make up this world.
What I want to write about is Pudu Bus Station, or at least an experience I had there a couple of days ago. To give a bit of a background to Pudu bus station, it is a station (duh!) that was built and put into operation way back when KL was a small city and not that many people wanted to go there. Thus, it's facilities are somewhat limited and very, very dated. My office is just across the street from the station and I can actually see it from my window on the 38th floor. Since KL has grown almost exponentially since Pudu was first put into operation, the station has had to cope with an excessive influx of busses, tourists and travelers to the point where it literally spills out into the streets. I'm not joking, busses line up right in front of my office and park on a main road because they have no other place to go. Since it is a literal cross-roads for travelers, all manner of savoury and unsavoury characters stroll in and out and hang about outside and it's the unsavoury ones (hmm, does that make them sweet?) that are give reasons to worry.
Anyway, the other day I went down stairs for a smoke and walked all the way down to the front of my office building as I needed to get away whilst I light up my and unwind. It was just passed sun-down and the streets were pretty dark if not empty. I was standing there, puffing away, minding my own business when I noticed a gritty looking chap, with greasy long hair under a lamp post just staring at me all grim looking. I kinda shuffled away thinking, well he's just bored maybe someone else will catch his attention. But no, I had his undivided attention. The guy was just straight out eye-balling. Then, as if he'd made his mind up, he pushed himself off the lamp post and slowly sauntered towards my general direction. I tried to look unconcerned and non-chalant but his slow progress towards my vicinity was kinda intimidating. When he finally reached me he leaned real close and whispered...
"Mahu pergi Hatyai?", do you want to go to Hatyai (Thailand). I was like ,what? "Mahu pergi Hatyai? Ipoh, Pinang?" he prattled on a few more destinations at me while I just stood there with a dumb look on my face. It finally dawned on me that he was trying to sell me bus ticket. I was like what? No no I don't want to go to Hatyai, or Pinang or where ever. Even after I said that he just continued on trying to impress upon me that his ticket fares were dirt cheap and his bus could get me there in record time and I'd be a fool if I didn't take him up on his offer. No, no, I don't want to go anywhere, I said. "Tapi ticket murah bang." But my tickets are cheap, he then asserted.
I'm thinking what person in his right mind, would succumb to this? I mean I've heard of impulse buying, but impulse traveling? It was pretty obvious I didn't want to go to any of those places but he still insisted I did. I mean, I didn't even have any luggage with me. It makes me wonder if his tactics have ever worked before, I mean it must have if this was his way of getting travelers. Does this mean that there is someone out there who actually during his lunch break suddenly decide to go to Thailand because the tickets were cheap? Well, I suppose it takes all sorts to make up this world.
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