Ash The Ox Has An Adventure

Well, not really an adventure. That's just a title I thought would bring more people to me blog! What DID happen however, was something that made me rethink some things, and remember others. I was in Sungai Wang this afternoon, making some purchases. As I was walking towards the HSL in BB Plaza, an elderly mat salleh man beckoned to me in the walkway. He was smartly dressed in a light jacket and shirt and more importantly looked very very lost. As I found out a minute later, he WAS. According to Allan (as I found his name was), he'd just bought a little pendant from one of the numerous arts and crafts stalls in area and decided he needed to make an alteration to it. Unfortunately for him, he found himself on the second floor of Sungai Wang with no idea where the entrance he came in from was.

I remember looking him up and down whilst he was explaining his predicament. It sounds mean, I know but I guess living in a big city it becomes almost second nature to do so. He was a typical old Briton, slightly stooped and quite pink (we're legendary for roasting tourists, you see). He was clean, didn't smell of liquor and was quite obviously embarassed having to explain to a young man like me how he got lost. I did what anyone else would have, I think: I offered to help him find his mysterious "entrance". Besides, it's not like I was in any kind of rush, anyway. I nearly laughed when this bent old man suddenly straightened up and asked me "Shall we have an adventure, then?". I could only nod.

So as we walked (and sometimes stumbled) I found out several things about my new friend: that he'd been retired awhile, that he was in transit after visiting (of all places) New Zealand and Australia and that he was amazed just how much things have changed since the war. He told me that he used to be an engineer, and before he retired he worked in the Education Department back in the UK (in a place near Manchester, I think). After a group tour earlier today he felt like walking, so he made his way to Sungai Wang from his hotel (!!). We spent the better part of an hour looking for anything that could remind him of his bearings but to no avail. I could see that he was putting on a brave front (lost people tend to do that regardless of age) and he was trying very hard to remember where he'd been. From time to time he'd grab my arm to steady himself, or instinctively put his hand into mine as we made our way down the escalators. I remember thinking how vulnerable he must feel, all alone in a bustling shopping complex and putting his trust in a (rather absent minded) fellow he hardly knew.

As we stopped for the umpteenth time outside the complex he suddenly brightened when he saw the ParkRoyal hotel across the road. He said he remembered having some drinks there the night before and he'd be able to find his way back to his hotel. I was worried, and offered to call him a cab but was cheerfully refused: "Don't worry about me, even I don't worry about me." With a very firm handclasp and some profuse thanks, he made his way into the crowd and melted in the throng.

I stood there for several moments, hoping to see him (or his jacket covered back, at least) but somehow the little old man had gone. As I walked back into the complex, I thought of how brave he was, not letting his age and physical condition stop him from travelling ("The doctor says I ought to walk at least a mile a day,") and how frustrated he was that he couldn't remember how he got to the second floor of Sungai Wang. It's a fear I know well, since my family has a history of Alzheimer's. But the thing I remember the most was how for a moment he had this twinkle in his eye and a cheeky look on his face and invited me on an adventure. It was like in all the Enid Blyton books I'd ever read.

So, Allan (I didn't even get his last name) I hope you're okay. I'm terribly sorry I couldn't have helped you more, but I trust you wouldn't have wanted it too. I DO know that if ever someone asks me on an adventure (or something like it) I know exactly what to say:

Yes, let's. An adventure sounds good.