So, I went hiding in one of the rental cars. And the only car I could rent at that time was, I told you, the stick shift. I had never driven a stick shift in my whole life. […] (How Master drove a stick shift first time ever on a high way? Keep watching to find out!)
So I asked the people who were queuing with me, “Do you have a taxi number so that I can call a taxi for me?” So one kind lady dropped from the queue, and said, “Over there, there is a shop. Inside you have a free phone to call for a taxi.” […] She even showed me how to call that phone: “Just pick it up and somebody will talk to You, and then You say You want a taxi, and You tell them where You are, and they will come.” I also didn’t know where I was. So I said, “The shop.” And they said, “We have so many shops like that. So You have to tell me the address.” So I asked the shop workers to come and talk to the taxi (driver). I was a “stranger in the land of Egypt.” So they helped me and I got a taxi.
And then later, I got a hotel room, a small, cheap one. I went to change some money, and then I was feeling safe. But then the hotel asked me so many things – not just passport, but driver’s license – God knows, I don’t have. And then credit card – I was not willing to give, because it’s not my name – I borrowed. Oh, my life is not all that simple. You thought it is – it’s not. I already thought my life was simple – it’s not. So I couldn’t stay in that hotel either because I’m not “credible” enough. They don’t believe in your face, your talk, your look – however gentle you look or are, or however soft you talk – they believe in the printed credit card. For example like that. So I couldn’t stay there in that hotel. I had to leave in the night with a taxi because I didn’t know what else to do – no more shops, no more trains, no more buses at that time.
I went with a taxi from London to where I was supposed to go. It was about two hours. And the taxi driver was a Muslim. He told me he was a Muslim. Fine, good. So I greeted him in the name of Allah. But maybe he had a bad time with his wife or something at home; he kept talking very harshly to me all the way, for anything, any reason – just talked harshly. But then, suddenly he changed his tune. He talked about how he didn’t want to eat this and that because of allergies. So I said, “Oh, then you’re almost like vegan.” He said, “No, I’m not vegan. I just eat that and this because it’s non-allergy. I drink almond milk and lactose-zero milk.” I said, “Oh, I know, I know. Because I’m vegan, I drink this and that vegan milk. I don’t drink lactose milk.”
And then when we stopped at the shop because he needed to fuel his car, I went in and bought a lot of things for him, all vegan – biscuits, cakes and different types of vegan milk to try. And then he began to be very harsh to me again. He snatched all the things from my hands and threw them back on the shelves. I said, “But why? I will pay for it.” He said, “No, no, no! I don’t want! I don’t want! I don’t want!” He was so very harsh. He must have had some trouble, bodily or something. Or maybe it was late at night and he wasn’t willing to take me so far away, but he had to because he was on duty. He was in the line to take customers so he had to. I apologized profusely all the time. I said, “Sorry, sorry. It’s late at night and I will make it up to you. I will pay more than you ask. Don’t worry about it. And here, take some first. Here. It’s £50 for you. Please, that is for you alone first. And later, I will pay more. OK?” Then he said, “No, no. You keep it. Pay all together later – fine.”
He was not about taking money or trying to make trouble. He was just in some kind of trouble at that time. Then, I talked to him about Islam, something I know about the Hadith and the Q’uran. Then, he began to like it. So, we were OK. We were friends until the last minute. And then, I went to where I was supposed to go. Then I said, “Please stop here in front of that vegan restaurant. I need to eat something.” Also, I didn’t want him to know where I was going next. I often change my taxi midway to keep my safety. That’s what I’m thinking. It is safe anyway, a safe country, but I always try to take extra precautions because I often travel alone. Anyway, so I went in the restaurant and ordered some vegan food, and then after that, I called a taxi and I went to another place.
Sometimes I just stop the recording and record again, so my voice doesn’t always match with the previous voice. I hope the viewers don’t mind.
The reason why I keep changing taxis, if I have to go by taxi, is because I’m mostly generous to the drivers. I give them a good, very generous tip, or I invite them to have vegan meals that I order from a restaurant, and then I give it to them to take away. And they know I have money then. So in case, just for safety reasons, I change the taxi. And I always stop where it is safe, and then maybe I walk to where I want to go, stop in front of a hotel, or I ask for another taxi from the hotel, a new taxi driver, for example. It’s just an extra abundant precaution because I’m in the world alone. And you know this world is not all good and honey to everyone, and I have to take care of myself.
I used to come back to Taiwan (Formosa) or somewhere else sometimes and tell people in advance to come and pick me up with a car or something. But later, I didn’t want to anymore. Because, for example, all the Taiwanese (Fomosans) would come, and it was very crowded at the airport. I don’t want to disturb other people’s traveling. And I don’t want people to block others in any way at all. They would bring a sedan chair and then put me on top of that chair and carry me with four people – two in the front, two in the back – on their shoulders so that everybody else can see. Oh my God, it was really something challenging, and I was very shy. So after a while, I didn’t dare to let anybody know that I was coming back or going anywhere at all. I just ran away.
Even when I went around in the Europe tour – remember the European tour during the war, at the invitation of one of your sisters begging me to come to stop the war at that time – I went all alone with my simple luggage. And I would not dare to go in any of the disciples’ cars or go with them or anything. I went all alone. And when I saw them coming toward me, I immediately ran somewhere else. So that one time, remember I told you, in Slovenia, there were no more taxis there at all. And all the disciples saw me because they were also going to hear my lecture on the tour. They followed me everywhere at that time to different countries. But I always went alone. And they saw me and said, “Oh, Master, Master, come here, we have a car.” No, I didn’t dare, because everybody would come. If I went there, stayed there, waited for their car, then everybody else would come. And it would be chaotic at the airport.
So, I went hiding in one of the rental cars. And the only car I could rent at that time was, I told you, the stick shift. I had never driven a stick shift in my whole life. And it was the last minute for the shop. The man was so eager to close his shop to go home. And he just told me, “You do this. Do that. Do that. And then the car will go.” I said, “Please, no, I have never driven this kind of car before.” He said, “You will know it.” How? Because in Europe, I saw a lot of cars were only stick shifts. So he took it for granted that I would know, that I just wanted to sissy sassy with him to delay him from going home to his wife and kids and having dinner. I said, “No, I really don’t know. Please show me.” He said, “You will know how. Just do it. Just drive. You press the gas and you press the...” I even forgot what he told me. And now if you tell me to drive a stick shift, I would not know how anymore.
So, at that time, I drove all the way from the airport to the capital, and the car stopped many times. I had to stop, write on a big piece of paper, and tape it, put it on the back glass window: “New driver! Please pay attention!” And then people driving past me saw me “kachum, kachum.” The car almost stopped or didn’t want to go. They kept looking at me with friendly smiles. People there were so kind, so kind; they understood, they just avoided my car. And I was praying all the time: “Please let the car keep going.” And I don’t know how – stop, start, stop, start, “kachum, kachum, kachum,” half-stop, half-start, all that… And still, I reached one of the hotels somewhere on that motorway. Then I went in and I let the hotel staff take care of that car, call that company to go pick it up tomorrow or whenever. “Please tell me if I can get a taxi to go to the capital.” So they arranged all that. Because I needed to go quickly, I couldn’t “kachum kapom” with that car anymore. It’s dangerous and I would be delayed too long. Because at that time, every two days was one country lecture. You remember that? Every two days I had to be in another country. So I couldn’t just play with that car.
Luckily, Heavens protected, angels helped me and, somehow, I reached a hotel and arranged that. And they said, “Oh, it’s very expensive to go to the capital with a taxi.” I said, “No, no, I don’t care. Please, please. I have money to pay.” Of course, when I went on the road, I prepared, I had cash and also some credit cards. Anyway, so I said, “Don’t mind, I have money.” That’s why I always have to change the taxi wherever possible, because people would know I have money. Because sometimes they don’t want to take me. They worry it’s too long a distance and if I have money or not. And I’m a stranger; I’m not European. Stuff like that. It’s very difficult to be on the road by yourself and you have to protect yourself as well. And you have to convince people that you have money for a long distance. Now I remember all that. It’s like a Hollywood story.
Photo Caption: Lovingly Present Your Best for Other to Feel Pleased!
