The ticket checker took my bus card checked that with her hand-held machine and moved on... I was very hesitant to ask... however, there was no other way... since couple of my fellow passengers did not have any answer to my query... 'did this bus go to Changi Business Park (CBP)?'..... I asked the lady... She in her own accent said... this does not go to that place... you have to get down at....blurrrrrr... and on and on and on... I could not understand the blurrrr part.....since this was my third week in here and I was not fluent with names of areas around..... and I kept telling myself.. this lady doesn't know a thing... Google Maps has told me if I take the bus number 24 I would get to CBP... and I kept staring at the boards put up at each of the bus stops to find CBP listed for bus number 24.... and was clutching on the print out of the google maps print out...
Earlier in the day... since I had to go to this place for the first time... as my practice I kept an hour buffer time ...keeping in mind... if I err in my direction/lose my way in the middle.... I walked to the bus stop I believed I would get my bus.... and realised Bus number 24 does not come there... I crossed the road and checked out the other bus stop too... and that also did not have this bus number listed... I wondered for a few minutes before calling my friend for help... he using his I-Phone's google maps helped me with the direction to the correct Bus Stop...
While walking to the bus stop... I saw the Bus # 24 waiting for the Green at a traffic signal... a thought came across.. if I were in Bengaluru... I could have crossed the road... when pedestrian crossing light was still RED... walked up to the driver.... requested him to open the door and got in... Such a simple thing...... Alas, I was in SingaPura.... I had to walk up to the bus stop and catch the next bus....
While walking I suddenly saw a bus # 24 coming to a stop at the Bus stop... and I had to run to make it... I ran... and in between I lost the sight of the bus momentarily since there was skyway (to help people cross high way) steps blocking my vision.... I was fortunate the Bus was about to start and the driver saw me... running towards him... stopped and opened the doors for me.... As soon as I got in... The bus started taking the route I did not expect it to take.... that's when I asked a couple of passengers...'Does this bus go to CBP?'....
One Philippino (I came to know after our introduction later).. sitting behind me asked me.... are you heading to CBP... my eyes lightened up.. I said 'Yes'... He was not so fluent in English.... actually it did not matter at all... whatever he conveyed, I understood every bit of it..... He also told me he was heading that way too.... and he would help me to get there....
In front of me there was one more bus... and on its back glass... I was able to see the bus number I was travelling.. I was surprised to note.. it was 135.... In the urgency of catching the bus... I had got on a wrong bus... Stupid me!
The stop came where we had to get down... he had earlier moved to front when he found empty seats there.... I had stayed put.... While getting up and moving to the door... he gestured and I got out of the bus along with him... He told there were two ways to get there... Bus #24 and MRT (Mass Rapid Transit - Local Train)... bus would take 30 minutes and MRT 10.... he was travelling by Train.... he offered to get me to where I had to go....We got on a train....His name was Rodel.. He was working in a construction site in front of the building I had to go to... he was from Philippines... that's all I got to know about this 'Good Person'... whom I would remember for my life...
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