By Joseph Raj, Blog for The Houston Chronicle
I have tried to make it a point to see as much of a city during my one-hour daily morning jogs, which are often interspersed with walking as I try to catch my breath, whenever I visit another country.
Being the 'experienced' world traveller that I would like to believe I am after having been to 18 countries in various continents, I am always careful to stick to the main streets during these morning sojourns - both for personal safety and not wanting to get hopelessly lost.
Retracing the path is a good option most times but I have found it to be somewhat rewarding at times to take a slightly different but not too confusing route back 'home'.
It was a case of deja vu for me on my second day in Houston on Tuesday (Oct 16). Back home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, about the only time I get up at 6.45am is when I want to get in nine holes of golf before work.
As always, it was a tough battle pulling myself out of bed on Tuesday as I am not much of a morning person - thanks to my 15 years of being a journalist.
(For those of you who might not know where Malaysia is, it is the mass of land to the north of 'tiny' Singapore in the middle of Southeast Asia.)
It was a bit humid in Houston although it was just 7am (compared to Washington DC where I had earlier spent a week), when I stepped out of my 'adopted home' at Hopkins. But it was nowhere near the humidity levels in beautiful KL, where it could get up to 90%.
And guess what, the roads were just as busy as in KL, with people driving to work very early in the morning. It was also rather amazing actually, to see the 'going-ons' in these American, Japanese, German and Korean automobiles. It seems that practically everyone in the United States holds a cup of beverage - coffee most of the times - while they are on their way to work.
It was especially fun to see how those driving took sharp turns with their left hand manoeuvering the steering wheel while holding a hot cup of coffee in their right hand.
This pretty lady in a white, two-door convertible caught my attention while I was waiting to get across the street in Elgin - she almost hit the kerb as she took the corner while trying not to spill coffee onto what looked like a designer dress!
In Malaysia, where drivers are not exactly rated very highly for their road manners, one can get into big trouble with the law for even talking on the mobile phone without a handsfree kit, let alone sipping coffee during the morning commute.
To be fair though, almost all drivers in Houston are courteous, which is very heartening to see. But then, there are also some who definitely are not!
There was a puddle of water at a bus stop along Westheimer and somehow a few vehicles could not help but 'drive' through it, including a SUV at high speed while poor ol' me was walking nearby.
It was just as well that I had passed by the same spot on my way back from the morning jog.
I stayed well clear of the puddle when I turned around and saw the SUV speeding towards it and managed to avoid an unwelcome drenching. And I also decided to wait for the bus downtown about 10 feet away from the bus stop to stay clear of this 'water hazard'.
The bus arrived on time and before long I was at the Houston Chronicle.
By the way, I have been told not many people take the bus in Houston, for various reasons. Actually I did go through a rather scary experience on the way to the airport from downtown San Francisco during a previous trip to the US.
But that's another story, perhaps I will talk about it in my next blog. For now, I shall enjoy this feeling of deja vu.
Selamat tinggal (that is 'goodbye' in Malay)!
JOSEPH RAJ
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