A Dark, Dark Night...

One of my darkest experience of the North-South highway happened when I was driving back to Penang from KL on Thursday night.

My mother and my sister was in the car, and we just recently stopped at Tapah and had a bite when it happened. I was driving up to around KM240 on the highway, 11.30 pm, when suddenly a long whitish metal thing appeared in front of the car. It was almost as long as the car's width, and I went through it with a dreadful BUMP unlike other bumps I've heard. I thought it was all right, but then the car start losing speed and I know I'm in deep shit.

True enough, when we stopped at KM242.5 later, we discovered not only one tire busted on the left side, but BOTH tires... Damn! One tire, we can change into the spare and go, but with both tires gone we are stuck. It was a dark stretch, and we have not the PLUS's emergency number. Later another Viva stopped in front of us, and luckily only his front left tire was busted, but his back bumper was split into two.

After calling up Perodua for the PLUS's number (that took about 30 minutes) we waited for another 30 minutes for the PLUS help to arrive, while the front Viva changed the flat tire for a spare. The family in the Viva was very kind and was willing to wait for us until the PLUS people arrive but we asked them to go off first, as they have small children aboard. Not 10 minutes after they left, a dodgy guy in a Proton Saga stopped on the other lane and asked us whether we need tires. Of course we don't trust him, and he dared to charge exorbitant prices for the tire as well! But we don't have much choice either way... We waited until the PLUS scouts arrive, and the PLUS trooper changed one tire while giving one of the flat tires to the dodgy guy for replacement (the dodgy guy insisted in changing both, that the spare tire can only reach the speed limit of 60kmph, but he charged RM350 for each tire, more than double the price! A flat no.) The PLUS guy told us that it was a metal pipe, dropped by a lorry with a broken canvas covering, and that 3 or 4 other cars were at the back of us with the same situation. After laying out some cones for us, the PLUS people left, and we waited another hour before the dodgy guy came back, but this time with his wife, which is much friendlier than her husband. Overall he still charged us RM385 including services (curse you for taking advantage of us that way, damn you!) but at least we can move again... or so we think. After they left, we are left with a flat battery (due to all the emergency light flashing perhaps?) so we waited another 30 minutes waiting for the PLUS guys again... We only started moving back around 2.15am... at 60kmph... and only reached home near 6am...

And regretfully, I am a failure as a man, for I managed to do nothing except spreading panic and sleeping on the back while my mother drove all the way back to Penang. At 60kmph.