Waitaing in transit - Kew bew

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We have twenty-four hours in Kuala Lumpur and I haven’t slept since Rome. The Euro made us penniless but the Ringgit makes us kings. We bus to China-town for DVDs (which cost $5 N.Z.). Malaysia smells like Weet-Bix and I can feel moisture on my tongue when I breathe. China town is one long street with blue tarpaulin protecting the seller’s merchandise. Adidas shirts cost five Ringgit, Nike shoes for ten, billabong bags for fifteen, Rolex watches for twenty, and fruit, every fruit that was ever made, all shoved in your face.

‘Kill Bill, do you have Kill Bill?’ asks Julain
‘No Kiew Biew, but I got blue movie’ he shoves some porn pics in our face.
‘You like that huh?’ His accomplices around him egging us on.
‘No, I just want Kill Bill… and… Lost in Translation… and Adaptation’ Julian’s sweat has soaked through the back of his shirt. The guy selling the movies looks around nineteen or twenty. His hair is spiked and bleached with an Adidas headband keeping it tight. He is wearing an Adidas tracksuit with Nike shoes and a Rolex watch. The DVDs are displayed on a small collapsible table. He’s holding a walkey-talkey, which warns him of impending police raids. There are scores of tables and guys, just like this, down the street.
‘Wad abou you, wadda you want?’ He blurts. I place my order, he talks on his walkey talkey. ‘I got lotsa movies at my office but you gotta come with me now,’
We follow him through the alleyway, past McDonalds, round the corner, in a building, through a prayer room, up the stairs and round another corner. He knocks three times slow then two times quick, the door opens. There are about fifteen Adidas clad teenagers sorting through thousands of DVDs. We choose our movies and pay the Ringitt. He gives me his card and tells me if I ever need anything for a good time contact him.

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