I left my camera battery and charger charging in the Cameron Highlands the morning I left, weeks ago now. And on the bus fifteen minutes down the curvy mountain road on the way out of CH, I realized it. I couldn't exactly ask the bus to turn around, although I considered it. The schedule alone would prevent the turn back. Not to mention, where would a bus make a U-ie on a two-lane mountain road? So, at our first stop, two hours later, I called the Lodge (Daniel's Lodge) and asked the lovely woman working the counter if she could pass it to Rad, one of the guy's staying in my dorm. I had met him officially only that morning before leaving CH and we exchanged email addresses. Here's how my first phone call on a Malaysian pay phone went:
Shuffling through receipts, aHA! I found the receipt for my bed and called the number at the top. Up walked the bus driver as I'm dialing, my purse spilling it contents on top of a trash bin. What a mess.
"Yes, hi. My name is Anne." I said to the woman on the phone. "I just left the Lodge this morning and I left my battery and charger there. Charging..."Phew. I hung up. Have I mentioned that one could use an interpreter at times, even though all parties are speaking English? The driver draws a circle with his hand pointing at my bag. Accomplished, I wanted to give him a high-five, but it didn't exactly work out.
"Bus is leaving," says the driver. "Wait! I left something at my hotel in CH. Can you just wait a moment?" I reply. He hovers and lights a smoke.
"Hello? Hello? Hello??" says the woman.
"Hello? Yes, hello!?!" Repeat my lead in.
"Oh, yes! Hello, Anne!"
"Yes, Yes! Hello! Do you see my charger and battery? Are they still there?"
"A small square one?
"Yes, yes! Can you leave the them with Rad? He's in the same dorm I was in?"
"Sorry...what?" Another Malaysian 50 cen piece into the phone.
Repeat.
"Rad? Rad is not here right now," she informed me.
"No, no. Can you leave my charger with Rad when you see him next??"
"Oh, yes, Rad? Sure!"
"You'll leave my charger with Rad?"
"Sure, I'll give it to Rad. No problem."
"Ok, ok! Thank you so much!"
Now, I know it sounds silly. A battery and charger? But my second day in Singapore, my camera battery almost dead, we cruised the electronics mall for a replacement. Two asides: in Malaysia and Singapore, like goes with like. There is a mall for electronics, a luxury goods mall, a mall for massages. Sometimes, one mall may diversify and simply do a floor of each, one floor hairdressers, the next shoes, the next Oriental rugs, and so on. Also, in Singapore there is apparently a discount for every single thing. It's an expensive city, so people are always looking to save dough. Back to the charger, we couldn't find the same one. So I picked up one that would suffice, although didn't ask for the discount, and, therefore, the dude didn't give me one. Bastard!
So, again feeling superstitious about having lost the first thing on my trip, and unable to find another one, I panicked!
My mind starts to think, "Uh, oh, your luck is running out..." Silly, right? Not to mention, now my charger is going to be passed to a random guy who doesn't even really know me. And me, I have to do my best to be charming (no problem), and yet subtle about asking if someone I hardly know could get me my charger (a bit more problematic for me).Over the period of the last three weeks, Rad and I exchanged a couple of emails. Nothing dire, but I expressed the difficulty associated with losing the charger. I offered to meet up with him, even head back to CH, whatever worked best with his travel plans. And, then, I let it go. A week and a half of no response and today, I got an email from him. He left the charger and battery in a hostel in Singapore. He held on to them for weeks, and left them practically on my folks' doorstep. God bless him. Good people do good things. And sometimes things just work out. Superstitious I shall remain, and I hope I can return the favor, whether for Rad or someone else.
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