Returned by bus, crossed the sea with ferry and took a cab...

It's been some time I travelled by bus, ferry and cab. Today I had the opportunity to do that and I got to experience again some of those weird stuffs you likely to see, for example, how other people's weird behavior in the public.

7:45 AM, Ipoh, Sri Maju bus station - a couple of foreign tourist sat by the bench beside the office's entrance waiting for their bus. Lots of bus exhaust fumes were spilled by the buses that parked in front of them and the lady begun to cough and coughed non stop. The fume was unbearable and this bus driver was revving up his bus's engine. More fumes sputtered out from the exhaust pipe. The lady coughed so much that her husband had to give her a bottle of water to drink to subdue her coughing.

8:00 AM, Ipoh, Sri Maju bus station - another young Chinese couple arrived. The girl wore a strapless yellow color tube showing her bare shoulders and a short jeans exposing her fair legs. Nice! She had wavy long black hair and light make up on her fair face. Adorable! Lovely! On the other hand, her boyfriend, I have no words to describe him but one expressed impression - typical Malaysian Ah Beng. They were waiting for the KL bound bus. They were hugging each other and some old aunties were looking with dissapproval.

8:15 AM, Ipoh Sri Maju bus station - a group of Indians came and they looked very happy and cheerful. Of course, today is post Deepavali so I am thinking they are now returning back to their home. Later, I get to know that they are going to Butterworth in the same bus with me. Then another Malay couple came and they were very quiet and they looked very exhausted too. On one hand, I had gone twice to the toilet before the arrival of my bus. It always fascinates me when the graffities in the men's toilet always had GAY numbers on the wall. Do you notice that?Why not offer numbers to win 4D? It is always GAY numbers...

8:20 AM, Ipoh Sri Maju bus station - the damn bus finally arrive later than the initially scheduled 8:15 as departure time. The clerk said the bus was probably stucked in the morning jam. As per my knowledge, Ipoh's traffic usually is quite free especially on a Sunday morning. Mom said the bus is due to come from another bus station probably got hold up over there picking up passengers. Anyway, the bus arrived and I sat next to one young Malay man (or student?). He was quiet throughout the journey occasionally playing with his phone. I whipped out my HTC and SMS-ed my darling that I am now in the bus.

8:50 AM, entering PLUS highway - I took out my book, "The Last Empress", and read many chapters until I reached Butterworth. The bust stopped midway, god knows which Rest & Relax Stop, for passengers to go to toilet, and stretched themselves. The bus driver went for a smoke. I think the bus stopped, predominantly, for the bus driver wanted a smoke. Bah, smokers, they can't live or live without a stick in between their lips and their fingers. We reached Juru at nearly 10:00 AM.

10:30 AM, Butterworth Jetty - After I alighted from the bus, I felt quite lost and disoriented because I had read non stop all the way from the last stop to Butterworth. My eyes had yet to adjust to the bright sun light. In addition to that, this was also my first time taking the ferry on my own. All this while I had my darling wife to guide me around in Penang. I acknowleged the fact that I can get very lost without my wife being my compass when I am on a travel. Luckily, a Malay girl who sat a few rows in front me, passed by me, and I asked her for directions to go to the Jetty's terminal. "You can follow me, I am going there too", she told me. I smiled and thanked her for her kindness. I am indeed embarassed by my lost of direction in the terminal. 

10:50 AM, the ferry arrived - I boarded the ferry, thanked the malay girl and she went her way. I took one seat near the ferry's food counter and SMS-ed my parents and my darling again. To my parents, "On the ferry" and to my darling, "I am on the Star Cruise, going around the Island, wanna join?". She replied, "Get your arse back on the island as soon as possible". That was it. Around that time, an old man, not really old, sat just two seats away to my left. He was coughing and clearing his throat a lot of times. Suddenly he got up and moved towards the railing and picked up an empty Twisties packet! Strange! He sat down again and spit his phelgm into the Twisties packet! Damn you! I am not going eat Twisties anymore. Imagine his phelgm was so much, and it glistened, that went into the Twisties packet. I turned to the other side to avoid looking at him. Of course, I felt revolted and disgusted by this old man. When I think about it, if I were in his shoes, I would also be finding a way to discard my phelgm. Swallow or spit it out. Well, at least the old man was not doing it on the floor. On one hand, it was a good thing he did it with the empty Twisties packet. Unfortunately, the old man has tarnish my impression on Twisties snack. Probably, I will not eat Twisties for a period. Argghh... Yuckiieee!!!

11:30 AM, Reached Penang Island's Jetty - Got out and headed down to the station for my last mode of transport back to Pulau Tikus. My mind was deciding whether to take the RapidPenang or the cab. Perhaps, the first cab driver I see I will take the cab. Of course, one will always see the taxi drivers first before the buses. "Adventist Hospital", I told him. Wait, why I chose to stop at Adventist. I must be crazy and I could have just told him to stop at One-Stop. Or better, stop at Midlands Condo. Damn myself and so silly of me. It must the travelling that had screwed up my mind. Finally, I reached Adventist, went to One-Stop, bought some boxes of orange juice and went home. Finally, it is nice to be home with my darling. Oops! I have not gone down to see my mistress...

williamwilstroth... bus-ferry-taxi adventure