last night, i finally set foot on malaysian soil again!!!!!!! while we're in still in the terminal, i didn't feel much that i'm back home yet... (felt like Tom Hanks in "The Terminal" ^_^)...
however... when we get out of the the baggage claim section, really really on OUR WAY HOME...
the first thing i saw, was the long queue, oh!! queues, each of them LONG, in front of the taxi ticket counter...
just another note, before we came out of the baggage claim section, we saw a signboard there, written "
the next thing, is the gist of the events that i want to mention about...
since we've no choice, i have to be one of the 'members' in the long queue... just picked either one of them, it won't be any faster anyway!!!
most of us, we were just standing there, waiting in the queue, without knowing what's actually going on in front, at the cashier counter...
i kept looking in front, trying to grasp what's happening... even handicapped person, probably would have already printed and issued many taxi tickets... but none of the queue was moving on with the supposed 'normal' speed... (i'd probably would have already eaten a dozen or maybe even more cup-noodles already!!!!!!!!!!)
i was really getting more and more impatient... i was thinking.. come on!! i haven't been home for nearly 9 months.. don't tell me, my country is still LIKE THAT... (oh!! i won't be bothered to describe what's "LIKE THAT!!")
and during that time, i happened to have this elastic band in my hand... i was very, i mean, really very very very tempted to snap one of the ticketing cashiers there, with my elastic band... well... i rehearsed that many time in my mind, but didn't really execute it!!! (shame on myself!!!)
anyway... finally, it's my turn... something 'interesting' happen…
i was already having an extremely black long face... i was actually contemplating, if i should show a smiling face to the lady in front, or i should just pull a long face… then, suddenly, an indian businessman came in, and started to scold, loudly… saying, “why are there so many budget taxi outside? And you told me there’s none? Is this the way, for you to cheat money??”… none of the cashiers there make a noise, and they quitely made sign to their supervisor to show face and helped tackle this situation…, so, the supervisor and the businessman went out…
the first thing the lady told me was, “wait for a while…”, then, she just stood there, like a stone, no movement, no expression!!! I was stunned!!!! Absolutely stunned!!!!!!!!!!!!!
then… a second noise came out… the man behind me, asked, loudly again!!! “can you tell me what are we waiting for??” (oh, he asked everybody’s question)
NOBODY CAME OUT TO TRY TO EXPLAIN THE ‘SITUATION’ (oh well… there’s a small placard there in front of the counter, that said something like, “due to the traffic in KL, we’re running short on taxis (or something like that) please bear with us (or please bear with the limitation or something…)” something like that… well… when I first read the ‘notice’, I thought fine, we’d have to have a long wait outside then, which is not the first time, in fact… but I didn’t know what WAS to come after this…)
The lady stared at me, and I stared at the board behind the counter, with the words, “Services beyond Distinction”
So, I asked the lady… “are all the machines dead or what?” (I spoke in mixture of English, and Malay, for eg. “machine mati ke??”)
The lady, looked like she’s offended or what, reluctantly said, “NO!! the machines are not dead, but I can’t print the ticket for you?” so, I opened my eyes even bigger…. Ie. Asking her WHY??
She said, “we can’t have more than 30 taxi ‘tickets’ waiting outside in the queue, so, you wait outside and you wait here is the same, you must as well wait here!!!!”
GOD SAVE THE MALAYSIAN!!!!!
I was speechless!!!!!!!!
And that businessman that was complaining came in… seemed like he won the ‘war’…
Cos, I saw the supervisor threw the ticket to the cashier, and asked her to re-issue one…
And then, the third wave came…
Somebody elses behind said loudly!!! “This is the worst airport in Asia!!”
Cool!!! Ya!!! I mean Cool!!!!! I was soooo agitated by the situation as well, but somebody elses scolded all the words before me… save me my job!!!
So… I tried to ‘speak’ to the lady cashier in front of me..
I asked her, “why can’t you just give us the ticket, if we see the queue is long, and if we don’t want to wait, then, we can at least go drink a cup of tea, or do some shopping, instead of keeping us here waiting?”
(what I actually mean was… instead of keeping people queuing up in front of you, pulling long faces, and start scolding people, including me!!!)
She said, “I’m just doing my job!!!” (what she meant was, “I’m just a brainless chick, who works without brain!!”
Finally, we got out ticket, and I tried to explain to him what really happened at the TAXI ticketing counter…
- the fact that, there’s actually still an airport that you need to buy ticket to get a taxi, that exists in the world!!!
- the fact that, there’s actually still an airport, where only THEIR taxis (which they shamelessly called it limo) are allowed to pick up passenger, and RUN WITHOUT METER, that exists in the world!!!
- the fact that, this brainless somebody actually gave instruction to this brainless bunch of workers, to ‘capture’ all the travellers in front of the taxi ticketing counters, whenever the number of people outside waiting in the queue, exceed 30, actually exists…
- and the fact that, there’s another bunch of hopeless and choiceless passengers/travellers, who need to queue up to face this type of nonsense, made exist…
- and the fact that, I’m soooo ashamed to tell any visitors, that “ya!!! You need to queue up here, buy expensive tickets, to be able to get onboard a taxi to go to your destination!!!”
- AND the fact that, the taxi vehicles that they used, are mostly DAEWOO (I thought they produce DVD/CD player??) which do not have big luggage compartment, ie. You can’t even put a huge piece of luggage behind!! Why? Cos, half of the compartment is occupied by the gas tank!!!
Conclusion?? Oh!!! Very simple!! PLAIN STUPIDITY!!
I wish I could have the guts to ask them to take down the writing, “Services beyond Disctinction”
The problem is… 20 years ago, our airports, or train stations, were mostly operated in this manner…
However… after 20 years, it’s still operated in this manner… while the whole world beside you is progressing…
Regardless how NO.1 you WERE before!!! If you only step at the original spot… eventually, the last will also overtake… isn’t that simple??? Even a 3-year-old kid will also know the story between the tortoise and the rabbit!!! And let me tell you!!! It’s only a THURSDAY night, where there aren’t that many commuters YET!!!
Ooh!! I’d like to see what’ll WILL HAPPEN on a Friday night… (where there’ll be many commuters between
Lastly!!! I felt that, KLIA that day, was very gloomy… it didn’t feel like a welcoming airport, where everywhere is supposed to be well lit!! however… maybe it’s because of the MAS ‘issue’ that left me the impression, that somebody or some place is going to close shop soon!!… I just felt that, the airport was gloomy… and the worst thing is, when you went to the domestic terminal… gosh!! Like a dead factory… cos, they kicked out AirAsia… and there’s no more domestic commuter (well… not absolutely NONE, but, you know what I mean right??)… SAD! SAD! SAD!
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