Basically - I am a right jammy dodger!! So, on the plane, I get sat next to a 75 year old retired Businessman named Errol (the spitting image of Mr Miyagi), who turns out to be incredibly sweet and interesting...
For most of the 12.5 hr flight we're chatting and he's telling me all about his 3 children, his daughter who has a PhD and is researching cures for Cancer, his son who has an MBA and a young family and is an extremely successful IT consultant, his other son runs a company in New York!
Next Errol pulls out a copy of a Business magazine (unknown to me) and points at the guy on the cover, a billionaire 91year old Chinese Businessman (again someone I've not come across). He tells me for some time how this man made his money, then drops into the conversation that it's his friend!!! He worked for him for many years, built six factories for him and then retired 30 years ago at the age of 45!!!
Throughout the conversation he says that he grew up in KL, asks me where I'm staying, and says he'll get me to my hotel the other end (bless him)! We arrive in KL airport, get the monorail together to KL Sentral (yes it's spelt with an 'S' lol) all the while I'm getting my own personal tour guide telling me every interesting fact you can imagine about the city as we pass things out the window :).
We arrive in the City but my check in isn't until 2pm, and it's only 8.30am! Errol offers for me to come back to his to freshen up and rest until I can get into my hotel... Hmmm my dad's words of safety are running through my mind at this point haha! But I'm weighing it up - it's 34 degrees, I'm wearing a 15kg rucksack, I've had 4 hrs sleep across 2 nights... Besides, I trust my own judgement on these things....I've seen his passport and the airline obviously have a record of him :p.
We get a taxi together and along the journey he explains and points out low/middle and high class housing across the city. We go a bit off track and then pull up to the gated property of an estate of 8 HUGE houses, I start to think OMG this guy is someone really big, of real importance! (Maybe he is ACTUALLY Mr Miyagi!!!). Who on earth is he?! He winds down the window and the guard peers into the car, nods that we can enter and then the gate opens.
Errol has a mansion lol!!! I have never seen a front door this size in my LIFE! It's got to be 7ft tall by the same wide!!, with a huge bars covering it (the same as all doors and windows). Once inside, he gives me a towel and a cool drink and shows me to the guest room! It is HUGE! All of the 5 bedrooms across 3 floors are.
Once I'm ready (having ditched the polo-neck, Poncho and Cowboy boots for some flip flops and a skirt!) he gives me a tour of the house, including and OUTSIDE shower (so high up the neighbours can't see!), each of the corridors leading to the rooms is bigger than my flat LOL! From one of the platforms he points across to the Penthouse he owns in another building, and all the other flats he owns across the city!
Then we go to the 'guest' lounge and he brings me an orange sealed in plastic (unusual!) and another cool drink. I feel AWFUL for thinking suspiciously -due to his kind hospitality, allowing me to shower and rest - but it does cross my mind that at least he gave me a sealed can and not an open drink lol! (always be Rohypnol aware girls!).
Errol likes to talk. He talks ALOT. Mostly about money and success, at first I viewed it as a bit boastful, or money obsessed - listing all the Mercedes he owns etc... (In fact it was starting to get on my t*** a little bit) but then I began to understand that it's just a cultural difference, success and hard work is measured by owning these things. I have respect for that, but secretly feel glad that I'm not of the same viewpoint :). One thing that does amuse me is that Errol always pays the 'economy' rate for everything, cabs, train tickets etc... but then that's maybe why he's so godamn rich haha :p.
He then drives me to the MEGA MALL, I've never seen anything like it, but by this point I'm severely flagging due to lack of sleep! Errol insists on buying me lunch and walking me around. After 2 of 5 floors, I'm done. We get stuck in traffic on the way to my hotel, and I'm severely nodding off but Errol isn't turning off the 'tour guide' and my patience is wearing thin as he keeps nudging me awake, pointing at things and just saying what I can already see they are: 'look!, hotel!', 'look, 'train' etc..LOL.
Errol is a big shot - all the staff at my Hotel instantly know who he is! He takes over, orders my bags to my room and I keep trying to politely lose him at this point (DESPERATE for sleep), but he insists on checking my room is ok (bless him). Once in the room, he notices what a good view I have and the 'tour guide' starts up again Noooooooooooooooooo!! LOL.
Finally, we swap numbers and I thank him for everything and...
SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
What a great first 24 hrs to this trip! :D