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Monday 12 September 1996
After two & a half months travelling through Thailand and Malaysia, I was taking my time in Kuala Lumpur, resting before Sumatra. Got up late feeling a bit sleepy from a few beers the night before in an English style pub. I headed off towards Merdeka square to post my recent photos home, dressed in a now dirty grey T-shirt and faded orange shorts.

Kuala Lumpur black jack story

Stevemonty
2005-09-23 19:16:40

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said they could find ways around that.

Then I had a sudden good idea and gave them two choices. "I will do one of two things here", I said. "One, I will just walk away and remember this as an interesting afternoon or secondly we reduce all stakes�". Jolan interrupted with an angry, astounded tone in his voice. "What did you say?", He said. "I said, or we reduce all stakes by a quarter to $20,000..", said I. Now with planned confidence in my voice. "No the first option!", said Jolan "I will walk away and put this down to experience or reduce all odds and winnings by 25% if Mr Tom will agree".

I was now playing their game and bluffing them back better. "How can you not be interested you're travelling to Australia that money will be extremely useful!" "I'm not motivated by money, I'll get a job in Sydney, I'm going to enjoy working!" This had the desired effect. I felt their attitude change and the father agreed to my second alternative. Provided Mr Tom agreed then they would telephone me later at my hotel. Two other men had appeared and were waiting downstairs. They all got into the car with me and I was driven back into KL.

I asked them to please drop me off back near the post office, they were listening to Nat King Cole on the car cassette player. After the car had stopped Jolan got out with me. I said goodbye and made a pretend friendly attempt to shake his hand and said I had friends to meet.

"You can't leave yet, what about my money?", He protested "What money?" "The 6 ringgit from this morning!" "That was a gift I said, you said so" "No it wasn't, you give me it back now!" His voice escalating to a quiet shout. He unbuttoned his shirt at the top and squared up to me. "I have no money, you know that!" "Well lets go to the bank and cash some" "No I can't, I've got to go, I have no money" Shouting now, "You don't fuck around with me here, this is Malaysia you are not fucking Malaysian!" His voice and attitude suddenly switched here and it was obvious he was performing a different kind of act now. He did not want to be short of pocket when his set up failed to work.

Checking the dual carriageway behind was clear I made a run for it. I reached the intersection and turned around to see if he was following me. Doing this I fell over but managed to catch hold of a bush. He was still shouting from the other side of the road. I ran a long way around jumping over a wall into the railway station and barged through a group of startled Chinese commuters making sure he could not cut me off. Funnily this part felt to have escaped, just likes being in a movie when things are going your way. (Hollywood ending)

That evening I changed my last cash US $5 and went up the KL communications tower with my friend Jen. It had opened recently and we looked across at the nearly completed construction of the twin towers that would soon be the tallest in the world. The Eastern sun setting for miles around and the neon lights of tiny matchbox cars below.