A stranger from Ulu Michigan US...

It was one of those things that happen in cyberspace. Some years ago an American who was doing works in the tsunami devastated region of Acheh, Indonesia visited my blog and posted comments. With that I visited his blog and left some comments too. Eventually we continue our communication via email and soon we began exchanging personal information. With information of us going to and fro we soon became a close friend in cybersphere. One of the greatest things about the Internet is that anything in bits could be transmit to anywhere in the world in mere seconds. With that my communication with this blogger soon became sort of a friendship rather then just a blogger. We even had the opportunity to see each other on web-cam, using G mail chat and it was really nice to be able to speak and see the person who at that time is still a cyberpal. If we could transmit atom we cold have met in person already but since as yet we are unable to transmit atom like we do with bits now, that personal meeting was not possible. I believe in the future we could do just that as we progress further in science and technology. To me it is a matter of time and we would one of these days get there where atom could be transmitted like we do with bits now. In the meantime we have to be satisfied with transmitting bits like now. And with that we have manage to see and talk with each other in real time. Amazing that was not being possible just two decades ago.

From the personal information exchange between us; among other things he told me that he was once an American Peace Corp volunteer working in Malaysia in the midseventies and that he could communicate in the Malay language. In one email he wrote that he lives in Ulu Michigan. Ulu is a Malay word to mean the outback or rural. I thought that was nice of him to use the Malay word Ulu. For not always that an America would associate a place like Michigan with an Ulu place. Only folks who have live in Malaysia know of how to use the Malay word Ulu. Interesting Eh! One thing lead to another and we continue to communicate via email and of recent via facebook. As usual with me I told him we should meet whenever it is possible, in the US or here in KL.

On arrival in KL last week he posted an image of KL as seen from the window of his hotel in the vicinity of the KL Sentral. In a way saying that he and his spouse are now in the capital for a short holiday. I then post a comment in his Facebook and suggest that we meet for coffee. Soon afterward I got a reply in my inbox telling me the possible date when we could meet and his cell phone number. With that the stage was set for us to meet. Since he was free on Thursday January 7, we decided that we should meet at the KLCC. A place that is easy for him to get to since one could get on the LRT at the KL Sentral and within minutes would be in KLCC. As for me the KLCC is just five minutes away from my home in Ampang Jaya.

At noon on that beautiful Thursday we met for the first time, in front of the Kino bookstore. It was like meet an old friend despite this is the first time we had ever met in person. Cyberspace has a way of making one close in friendship despite have not met in person. Like old friends we chat and then I invite him to lunch at 'Little Penang' where both of us ordered Chow Kueh Teow, which he say that he had not had for a longtime. We enjoy the food and chat on various subjects that come to our minds. Soon he pops up some familiar names and that makes the conversation more interesting. Imagine just a moment ago we were total strangers and now at this lunch we seem to have some mutual friends who are very close to me. What an interesting coincidence or is it a part of the whole scheme of things that often happen to folks with common thoughts; I sometime wonder! Since it is lunch time and there are many folks trying to get a sit in the restaurant we divided to end our lunch and move to another location and continue with our chat. We decide to walk to the park nearby and chat while we walk in the cool shade of the tropical forest. Not many tourists take the trouble to walk outside the mall. I hope the authority of the KLCC would put up a signage to tell folks about this miniature forest just outside where they could see many varieties of trees that are found in our jungles. Both of us walk and chat as well as snapping some images of the place with our cameras.

After awhile and had enough of the walk we decided to move to another location. We walk to the parking lot and then I drove the Honda taking the Elevated Highway where my friend had a glimpse of this side of the city and Ulu Kelang. I then took the Jalan Ampang/Jalan Pegawai where there are many Government Quarters that I believe reminded him of the bygone era of the seventies when he was in Malaysia as an American Peace Corp volunteer. Perhaps he stayed in one of those type government quarters when he was in the country. That short trip did trigger his memories of that period in time and with that the chat became more interesting and nostalgic. We eventually emerged at Jalan Tun Razak near the American Embassy building and then I drove on to the Pavilion, a new Mall at Jalan Bukit Bintang. After parking the car at the basement car park we took the escalator to the ground floor and went to have drink at The Coffee Bean outlet at the lobby of this cozy mall. He was truly amazed as to the rapid development of KL especially this mall. It was no longer the Jalan Bukit Bintang that he was used to in the seventies. The place was crowded with folks enjoying themselves. We got a comfortable table and continue our chat over the drinks and cakes.

I then call a mutual friend on my cell phone and told her that I am here having a drink with a friend whose spouse is her good friend, that she had lost contact. I hand over the phone over to Howard Yamaguchi who gave her his spouse cell phone number. Amazing that amid all the happening in the world, here two strangers got connected and then another chain of event continue to happen. A few minutes after that his spouse Pat call saying that Wirah had just called her and they had a great chat and now connected again after a lapsed of some years. I was indeed happy that they got connected again. We continue to chat on various subjects that cross our minds and as usual in a situation like this time passes by fast indeed. We had been chatting for almost five hours since we met at KLCC. It was about four in the afternoon that we call off the day. He did not want me to send him back but says that he would take the Monorail straight to the KL Sentral.

Well folks it is a story of a stranger from Ulu Michigan who met a stranger from Ulu Kelang. A story of how powerful the Internet is for folks like us who enjoy traveling and friendship. An exciting happening indeed and now we are stranger no more. Have a nice day.