My Scary Ride On Brunei River The Other Day
Last Updated on Monday, 01 June 2009 15:20
Written by A Thankful Girl Monday, 01 June 2009 15:00
Most Brunei water taxi boatmen operating in Kampong Ayer are good, honest and polite who are ever ready to courteously help their customers and others. But I must warn you that there is a rouge element here and there too. They are only a few but they tend to give Brunei a bad name.
Take my case, for example. I am a young foreigner working as a waitress in a restaurant in Kiulap. I am a university student in my country but forced to work abroad for a short time now because of sudden, unfortunate family circumstance. In Bandar my staff house is in town centre, a flat in Kianggeh.
I was on very early shift that morning. And it so happened that I missed the bus to work. So I took a water taxi instead from the town jetty and headed for Kiulap. The driver was about 25 years old or so.
Everything went well as I got into the boat and rode away. I was sitting at the stern, near the driver.
He seemed a friendly sort of guy. We soon struck up a conversation. He told me I was very pretty. He asked me where I came from and how long I have been here. Then he fell silent. He seemed to be thinking about something.
Then he said when we were well on the way in the middle of the river, "I am charging you $100 for the ride. And I want it now."
"My God! That's a lot of money. I only pay $1 normally. It is only a short ride. Besides I don't have so much money with me. I am only a waitress," I told him.
May be I thought he was joking. But, on second thoughts, perhaps he was not.
Then he said, "$50 will do then. I give you special discount."
"Fifty Dollars!" I said, "I only have $2 in my bag. I am sorry."
By this time I was beginning to get extremely nervous and really frightened. And I began to tremble and shake when he then said, "Ok you don't have the money so you can pay me in some other way." Then he turned his boat round in midstream and rode toward an isolated place that looked like a park. There was no doubt as to his intentions.
This time I was in real panic. I got up from behind the boat near him and made my way towards the bow and there I stood screaming at the top of my voice, "Help! Help! Tolong! Tolong!" I continued to scream with all my might.
Very luckily another boat passing by heard my cries. He was a middle aged man. He immediately understood the situation and drawing near got me on board his boat. In the meantime he gave the other boatman a good telling off.
This man about in his mid 40s was very kind indeed. He took me to the Kiulap jetty in his boat. He was really sorry for me, I felt, perhaps because I was in a deep state of distress. He declined to take my money and then rode away, asking me not to cry and not to worry.
You see now we have some very good people among us and as in any other country there are also a few "black sheep" as well. Fortunately they are not that many. And despite my ordeal I still believe that the good are more in number than the other.
And I must really thank the kind Haji who saved me that morning. I shall always remember his kindness.
But I am also writing this letter to warn other single girls to be careful. If you are travelling alone don't put yourself in harm's way. Above all, use your commonsense. Or you may not be as lucky as me.
Source: Brudirect Have Your Say
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