Out Of Time

We found ourselves at some local government offices in Gombak around the middle of the day, trying to pay some sort of bill connected to the title deeds of the house. The offices seem to have put in one of the most out the way locations you can imagine. We got there by asking a taxi to lead the way, once we admitted we were hopelessly lost, and the driver told us that it was not unusual for people to give up and ask for assistance in getting to the place. That helped in that we didn't feel quite so foolish, knowing we were not alone in our incompetence.

The offices themselves are quite large, but very quiet. The grounds are nicely landscaped but the buildings look slightly run-down, as if no one can be bothered to properly maintain them. There seemed to be no system of queue numbers or the like. It took us quite a while to pay as we were shunted between a couple of counters, one of which was deserted when we got there and remained so until the gentleman manning it got back from his lunch. Fortunately we were in no great hurry and used the time to get a cup of tea in a desultory sort of canteen and do the prayer in the surau there. There was actually somebody asleep there when I was praying.

It was very hot and quiet and laidback in the Malaysian way. Like a trip back to the 1950's, we felt. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, but not exactly productive either.