Driving in Kuala Lumpur - Not too crazy after all

Driving in downtown Kuala Lumpur is madness (although it is not as crazy as driving on the Penang Island). But in all the madness that the roads of KL city has to offer, I've found some sanity too - pleasing and comforting to my already-tormented soul of a driver.

I was driving to work on Wednesday along Jalan Tun Sambathan, Brickfields KL - a road that is partially brick-paved and partially tarred (with countless potholes), and part of it, still under construction which seems never-ending. If the condition of the road did not already kill me, the strings of traffic from all unpredicted directions - left and right - would have! The bumper-to-bumper jam suffocated me. Some drivers practised their "kiasu-ness" (fear of losing out) in their driving which caused me to "kiasi" (fear of getting killed), struggling to control my steering wheel. And if that was not bad enough, the motorcyclists could easily cause me a major heart attack every time they weaved in and out the traffic; not to mention, my 2.5-month old car! I will die if someone were to hit into or scratch my car's beautiful and muscular white body... *touch wood*

Alright. So you understand now how crazy driving in downtown KL on a weekday morning is. Yes, very crazy indeed. Stressful, frustrating, scary - all in one! But something which was rather pleasant took place on that particular Wednesday morning. An accident happened right before my eyes involving a red Perodua Kembara car in front of my car and a black Toyota Vios car in front of the Kembara. When I thought that this accident would be the start of a major jam of the already existing jam, I was wrong. Instead of seeing the two owners arguing over the accident, I witnessed a very heart-warming scene between them. When I thought that the Vios owner would alight from his car and start scolding the Kembara owner for hitting into the back of his car and causing a hideous dent on his bumper, he silently took a look at the damage to his Vios and smiled instead to the Kembara owner who at that time, was profusely apologizing for his mistake. They spoke for awhile, then shook hands and returned to their respective cars. So ironic!

I, for once, felt relief. The scene was so heart-warming and pleasant that all my stress, frustration and fear just melted away. The comforting thought lingered in my head throughout the entire journey to work. I wish more Malaysians to be like the Vios and the Kembara owners when an accident occurs, no matter how bad it is. Then the whole world would be a much better place to live in.