those hitch-hiking days of yore (iii)

hitch-hiking had its ups and downs. when 'business' was good, you could choose the vehicle that you wanted to ride in but when you were desparate, you just hitched on anything that came your way.

when the picking was good, we would go for posh and air-conditioned cars but when we realised that we could be stranded, we would stop anything. once when we were still at senawang at around six in the evening, we stopped a taxi in desparation. yes, the taxi driver gave us a free ride all the way to kuala lumpur. we even had rides on motorbikes and trucks.

of course, there were the risks and dangers. once, we rode in a car driven by someone who had too much to drink. then, there were those who liked to push their cars to the limit. i had ridden in a car that was speeding at more than 180 km/hr.

the fringe benefits of hitching a ride included free meals. when the driver stopped for a drink or a meal, he would invariably invite you to join him.