By JOLEEN LUNJEW

Stranded and alone with no money, no ID, and no credit card in Scotland, the writer discovers that there is hope for the human race, after all.

"The entry fee is 3 pounds (RM19) for those who wish to visit the whiskey distillery," said Greg MacBride, our 28-year-old driver who doubled up as our tour guide.

"3? Sure," I said, and rummaged through my day bag to retrieve the money from my wallet.

Urm, where is my darn wallet again? I must re-pack, I thought to myself, noting that I had too many things in my bag. Several seconds passed, and I started to panic. My search grew more frantic as I emptied the contents of my bag onto the bus seat.

My worst fear had become a reality: My wallet was nowhere to be found.

"Can you wait for me?" I pleaded and ran down the bus to the supermarket where we had earlier bought our groceries. No luck there. I even ran to a clothing outlet in the adjoining supermarket to see if I had dropped my wallet there. But my wallet did not materialise. None of the staff had seen it.

"It's getting late, and we really have to go," said MacBride.

"Don't worry, we'll come back after we've dropped the rest off at the distillery."

The writer with Anand Ram, the kind Malaysian who helped her out in her time of need in Scotland.

The half-hour ride to the whiskey distillery was a long one as I cracked my brain, retracing my every step, trying to think of where I could have dropped it. I was travelling with 25 others on Haggis Adventures, a budget tour for backpackers and independent travellers. Everybody on the bus were newfound friends, so essentially, I was alone.

MacBride dropped them off at the distillery and made the U-turn back to Inverness, the town that I would forever have to try to remember without banging my head against the wall.

I prayed that someone had found my wallet and had been kind enough to pass it to the authorities. It was bad enough to lose the cash, but replacing my MyKad and driver's licence would be such a hassle.

My ATM and credit cards were in there too, so I would have no way of taking cash out even if someone wired money to me. And then there were those expensive train tickets back to London.

Thank God my passport wasn't in there.

Greg MacBride, the Haggis Adventures driver who lent the writer some money after she lost her wallet in Scotland.

We reached Inverness after a long, stressful ride. I re-entered the supermarket with my heart beating loudly, praying for the best but anticipating the worst. After an hour of speaking to the manager, customer service, and security personnel, my hopes were dashed. They couldn't even check to see who might have picked my wallet up since the area where I suspected I might have dropped it at didn't have a CCTV.

The vegetable aisle isn't that important, see.

With a heavy heart, I boarded the bus and we returned to pick up the rest of the group. No luck, I told all who showed concern. Meanwhile, my friend back in Malaysia managed to cancel my credit cards and phone line (yes, I left my Malaysian mobile sim card in there as well), so at least that was one less headache.

MacBride offered to lend me a few pounds, which I could return when we got back to Edinburgh. I was staying with Anand Ram, a Malaysian who had made Edinburgh his home. He had kindly agreed to reimburse MacBride the sum he lent me. Anand is a friend's friend, and I only met him when I reached Edinburgh, so it was very nice of him.

The group took me to the local pub to cheer me up, and a few of them bought me drinks. They were so kind that I actually managed to enjoy the singing and the camaraderie of these individuals from all around the world.

Next morning, MacBride told us to take a walk to a local pub nearby.

"It's a lovely morning for a walk, and you guys need the exercise. I'll pick you up from there," he said. Suspecting nothing, I walked with the others to the pub, taking a few last shots of the so-called haunted castle we stayed in the night before.

At the pub, some took the opportunity to get a steaming hot cup of coffee and soak in the precious sun rays. MacBride arrived a couple of minutes later and we boarded the bus. Australians Flic Purdie, Alison Sadler and Rebecca Edwards boarded last and stood next to the driver. Purdie spoke over the microphone of how they loved Scotland and how wonderful the trip had been so far, and then invited me to come to the front.

Puzzled, I jokingly asked if I was in trouble.

When I got to the front of the bus, they broke out in song, singing Dolly Parton's Joleen and somehow reworking the lyrics to convey how sorry they were that I had lost my wallet. They handed me 50 pounds (RM315) to help me get through the week.

I was shocked!

Purdie had initiated a collection the night before and managed to collect enough spare change for me to survive on. And the reason MacBride told us he would pick us up at the pub was so that he could make a detour into town to change the loose denominations into a single note.

I was so touched by the kindness of these strangers whom I'd only known for two days that I was speechless.

I was moved to tears as I accepted the money.

The rest of the tour went by with no major incidents. Although I couldn't splurge, I had a good enough time. Edinburgh was a breeze as well because Anand helped me out by offering a place to stay, cooking meals, paying for some of my food, buying another train ticket for me to get back to London, and helping out with the police report.

Despite not knowing me well, he lent me money. I could go back to Malaysia and not repay him, but he assured me it was no big deal.

I wouldn't recommend losing your wallet in a foreign country but in a way, I'm glad I did because then I wouldn't have been able to experience the generosity of my fellow humans. It's a nice change to see the kinder side of people.

This trip has been, as they say, a journey to remember.