Serendipity in Los Angeles
As I walked on to the street in the noonday sun without a hotel, tired after the long flight, this big black guy who looked like a tall giant suddenly appeared in front of me and said, "you need a hotel?" I said, "its ok, I'm fine". He grabbed my bags, and before I could say anything else, he walked up the stairs of a nearby hotel with me following like a little boy behind him.
He asked the reception if they had rooms. They did. He said, "ok. you're all set." I reached for my wallet to give him some money for his trouble. He said, "no, it's ok, you looked like you were in trouble so I was just helping you out. Keep your money."
And then he shook my hands as I thanked him and he walked out of the hotel, the Hollywood Palm Hotel.
I checked in, fell into bed to sleep and woke up around dinner time, hungry. I got up, had a shower then went downstairs to the hotel coffee shop to eat.
I did a double-take as I looked at the menu. On the menu was Laksa, Mee Siam, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak...all my favourite food items from Singapore & Malaysia.
Turns out the hotel was owned by a Singaporean lady who also owned the Duxton Hotel in Singapore at the time, hence the Singapore food items on the menu.
I ordered my Nasi Lemak and Teh Tarik and as I sat and enjoyed my meal at the Hollywood Palm Hotel in Los Angeles and thought about my first day in LA on that trip, how at first I thought I was having bad luck and in the end, I had such great luck and I think that angels (both from on high and here on earth) were looking after me.
The Hollywood Palm Hotel is no longer there, but my memory of my time there and of that great trip remains vividly in my mind.
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