The Business End

So today was stressful.... I have been having trouble getting money out of my Bank of China (BOC) account and so today I figured that I would pay them a visit at their Kuala Lumpur branch. I got to the BOC at about 11:30 and waited patiently in line that the Malaysian BOC was not at all associated with the Chinese BOC and there was no way that I could make a withdrawal from my account at the largest Chinese Bank in Malaysia's largest city. Stressful....... Making me more angry was the fact that noone there seemed to want to help me whatsoever. I finally resolved the issue by explaining to them, in Chinese, that I was not going away untill they helped me. Desperate to find a resolution she invited me to call the BOC in Hunan to see if they could help. By the time this brilliant plan was hatched it was 12:00. The receptionist regretfulluy informed me that noone would answer the phone because they were on break. How did I resolve this issue? I went to an entirely different bank, where my card had previously failed, and asked them the name of their largest national bank. Sure enough I can pull money out of any Public Bank ATM.

After that i caught my bus to the Cameron Highlands. I have been spending too much money in KL and I'm looking foreward to actually sticking with the budget I set for myself when my trip started. My first impression of Tarah Ratah (sp?) is that I will love it. The basic idea here seems to be to relax or to hike and I've brought a couple of books and a pair of shoes that should satisfy those expectations. I think it is normal to get stressed when your travelling and sometimes it might even help you to return to calm and remember, "Hey I'm on vaca!" The main thing I hate about being stressed is that it makes it hard for me to eat. I always think, "OMG this food is gonna kill me."

When I first got to China I had trouble coping with the idea that I would be in a foreign country for so long. I became comfortable there and now have that same feeling about traveling in SE Asia. I don't want to complain too much though, I have been granted a crazy oppurtunity to see some amazing parts of the world and I'll be damned if Im gonna let a little stress get in the way of my enjoying the time I have here!
C. Johnson