The first experience of bus ride in Sabah was unpleasant.
在沙巴（亞庇）第一次乘搭巴士的经验并不愉快。
After putting down the luggage in the hotel on my first day in Sabah, I could not wait to visit the City Mosque. I went to the bus station nearby Shangri-La Hotel (downtown) to search the right bus. Perhaps a single Chinese woman appearing in the bus station full of the Malaysian was conspicuous. There were many enthusiastic Malay men coming to help. I preferred to seek help from a Malay woman, but sadly she did not understand Chinese or English. Then I had to ask other Malay men.
到埗的第一天，在酒店放下行李后，便急不及待想到水上清真寺参观。我到附近的香格里拉酒店（市区）外巴士站找车。或者单身华人女人面孔出现在满是马来人的巴士站较为显眼，有很多热心马来男人叫嚣前来帮助。本来想向车站内唯一的马来女人求助，但她却不懂中文或英文，唯有转问其他马来男人。
The man pointed to a bus behind me. I turned around but I was feeling he laid his paws on me. Definitely, this was an offensive behavior. I was very angry. Looking around, all Malay men pretended to be normal. Suddenly I felt helpless.
一位马来男人指点了我应上那架巴士后，附送「咸猪手」（毛手毛腳）作见面礼。当然，这个是冒犯的行为，我气愤极了，但环顾四周，都是马来男人，他们都装作若无其事，我顿时感觉求救无门。
Later, I met two local Chinese tour guides and got to know that local ethnic Chinese never took the bus. Although the fare was cheap, it was far more dangerous. (Bus kidnapping before). Local ethnic Chinese normally drove on their own. After listening to my experience, they (tour guides) advised me to rather spend more money to take taxi than taking the bus.
后来，我认识了两位当地华人导游。才得知原来在沙巴居住的华人不会乘搭巴士。虽然车资便宜，但较为危险（曾发生巴士拐走案），故只有马来人才会乘搭。当地华人出入都是自驾，一位第三代华人导游跟我说，他自小都是家人驾车，长大后自己驾驶，从来没有乘搭过巴士。他们听过我的经历后，都劝我日后宁愿花多点钱坐计乘车，都不要再坐巴士。
By the way, the fact that the general local ethnic Chinese were able to not rely on the bus as a means of transport, could reflect that they enjoyed higher economic status than the Malays. The reason could be traced back to World War II. There were difference economic development model between the Chinese and the Malay: The Chinese people preferred trading capital, while the Malay maintained traditional rural economic model. Noticing the issue of growing economic gap between these two, the Malaysian government implemented a series of policies to help the Malays, such as giving priority and discounts to the Malays to purchase properties. However, the official figures showed the situation remained unchanged.
延伸讨论，撇除坐巴士是否危险，普遍华人有能力不依靠巴士作为交通工具，都能反映当地华人的经济地位较马来人高。原因可追溯到二战以来，华人与马来人的经济发展模式的分别：华人以资本贸易以主，而马来人大多维持传统的农村经济模式发展下来，种族间的经济差距愈趋明显。马来西亚政府也察觉种族间贫富问题，故实施一系列扶助马来人的政策，如优先让马来人置业和折扣打税等。然而，从政府官方数字中，情况仍然未有改变。
Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country advocating interethnic peace. The economic gap between races may not lead to a direct conflict, but hidden contradiction between the Chinese and the Malay.
马来西亚是多元种族的国家，提倡着种族间和平相处。种族之间的经济差距未必引来正面冲突，却暗藏华人与马来人的矛盾关系。
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