I have been planning this trip for quite sometimes. My intention was really to do the entire KTMB system KL – Tumpat, Tumpat – JB, JB – KL, KL _ Padang Besar and back to KL. When I planned this earlier I needed 4 days to do it and I was already at the KTMB counter to commit myself when I found out KTMB had changed its schedule. Dumbfounded and angry at KTMB I shelved the idea until recently when I found out that they changed their train schedule yet again. Mapping out my proposed journey I found out still I require four days to complete the whole system. I stalled and put it off for a while as it would be too early for me to take leave. The Chinese New Year holidays is one option that I could consider but I rather not compete with the rest of the holiday makers. Too stressful. I thought that’s it for now until I realized actually I could do KL Sentral – Tumpat, Tumpat – JB, JB – KL Sentral in 3N2D. Which means I do it over the weekend and back home on Sunday night. Luck had it that the following weekend was a 3day weekend for me due to the Hari Wilayah. I sent a message to my wife to say I would be doing the train trip and let me know who would like to follow me. The following day I dropped by at the KL Sentral and booked us for the adventure.
KL Sentral – Tumpat, Jan 29, 2010, Departure 2035 ETA Tumpat, Jan 30, 2010, 0946.
Travelers: My Wife, Kak Cik, Mar and Me
Initially two other relatives wanted to follow us but at the last minute canceled.
We arrived at the KL Sentral almost at the same time. Mar, Kak Cik and my wife from Bangi and I was from work. Despite their experience on the Komuter train battling the Thaipusam and 3 day weekend crowds everyone was very excited about our trip. Upon seeing me, Mar did a Baqir by saying, ‘Abah lapar.’ With that we went down to the Secret Recipe on the L1 to have dinner. Knowing what you could get from KTMB’s buffet car I ordered something heavy and advised everyone to do the same. When we were at the Secret Recipe I was frantically trying to locate a power source to charge my handphone as at that point in time I was already running low. I need my iPhone to be fully powered to last me until Tumpat as I was planning to do a live updates to my Facebook status.
Dinner was quick as we need to say our prayers before we went to wait for our train. An advise to travelers if you want to say your prayers without having to fight for a space go to the surau at L4.
Around 2010 we walked towards the waiting area and still I was searching for a power source that I could benefited while waiting. In the end I found one at the bottom of an accelerator next to a vending machine. We waited there until we were called to board. Mar being herself could not even stay still a minute and deep down both Sam and I were hoping she would be quite once on the train. Since I was a bit late with my booking our first leg had to be done sitting in an economy class. It was not bad as we did that before from Singapore and it was better for us as it was our first leg and we were still fresh. Luckily I managed to get sleeper for everyone for the second leg to JB from Tumpat. We were in Coach GX seats 7A-D and one advantage of our coach was that it was next to the buffet car. The coach was three quarter full when we boarded where at one end seated a group of young hikers, I thought, were heading for Dabong to hike Gunong Stong. Later I found out I was on the money on this one. At the other end closer to the buffet car a bit empty but for a group of young guys traveling together. I sat together with Mar and opposite us across the aisle my wife and Kak Cik. Directly behind Mar and me was a lovey dovey couple that later was a nuisance to our eye sights as well as our comfort level.
Once seated we could not wait for the train to start moving which it did slightly of schedule. I was delighted to see my planning and the eagerness to experience the long train journey once again materialized. Looking across at my wife I could sense her excitement and looking at Mar beside me was always new territory to experience. I, on the other hand started getting nostalgic about the whole things. I did not pay much attention to the early part of the journey as between KL Sentral and Bangi is my daily route to work. Instead I gathered my things, pulled out my book, I brought along Eleven Minutes Late: A Train Journey To The Soul of Britain by Matthew Engel, and coached Mar on the mechanics of using the chair. But one station that I was really going to get serious about – Seremban.
When we arrived at Seremban station I put strong words to Mar not to follow me. I got down and started to take a few shots of the station. When I was about to take one particular shot I saw the station’s clock through the view finder and that gave me a first indication that we would not be on schedule. The time 2215 really surprised me as I knew we could not have taken more than two hours to get to Seremban from KL Sentral if we were on schedule. That time on the clock also triggered my subconscious search engine to pick certain events and experiences in the 70’s. Almost exactly at the same time we would normally boarded our east coast train. Back then our trains were known and called by either east coast, south or north trains. South meaning the train was going to JB , North to Padang Besar and East Coast to Tumpat. The train did not stay long at Seremban, as soon as the last person boarded the whistle was blown. I jumped up onto the train before the train conductor, but continued to take few more shots from the slowly moving train.
I had brought along the KTMB route map with me and now using it Mar kept on asking where we were and what was the next station. Tampin would be next but it did not hold any significant as far as my memory bank was concern. It was Gemas that I was looking forward to. However in between reading and trying to stay abreast with Mar’s antics I got sleepy. At Tampin few more passengers boarded and among them were those without tickets. These passengers were normally a short distance passengers that would pay for the fare onboard and sit where ever they could find empty seats before the rightful owners boarded. They kept on walking the aisle if they could not find any and the younger ones would just prefer to stand by the doors. By that time I was really sleepy and despite the uncomfortable seat I entered my never ending story world. Mar was fast asleep already by then.
I must be really tired. I missed Gemas altogether in fact I missed a lot of stations. I only woke up when we arrived at Kuala Lipis at around 0530. I have never experience arriving at Kuala Lipis that early in the morning. The platform was empty and quiet. When I saw it from the train I decided not to get down and take photos. Instead, since Suboh was about to knock on our spiritual door, I asked around whether or not there was a place to pray. I was told one of the cabin at the back was used as a surau. I walked back to my seat and mentioned this to my wife. It was still too early to go though so we waited a bit. Mar by this time was still in a deep sleep, lucky for us she could go to sleep at all, and we planned it as such for Kak CIk and my wife to go first and I stayed behind to accompany Mar. Kak CIk and Sam came back a few minutes later to inform me that the prayers room was packed and I should be going there immediately to avoid further delay. Indeed when I got there men and women were already waiting out side of the small cabin and it got worse as we waited. At the first opportunity I rushed in. KTMB should provide another cabin for the ladies to pray.
When I was at my seat again I tried to read but I could not concentrate. The next station would be Merapoh and it was still along way to go, I dozzed off. I woke up when we were coming into Gua Musang station. I always had my camera hanging around my neck, instantaneously I jumped up and walked to the door to get down at the station to take some photos. I was so fast that i did not realised Mar was following closely behind me and I only realized she was there when I was already at the door. I strictly told her not to follow me down. It was still early in the morning and the light was low. I had to do some quick thinking and decided on a smaller aperture to make sure I capture enough. If I were to use the flash I knew it would not be enough to capture enough depth. Early in the morning my hands were not steady so I did my best. Realising in any minutes the chief conductor will blow his whistle I took a few quick shots. I jumped back up when the train started to move. Maybe we were to far at the front but I did not see any meks selling foodstuff at the platform. I really missed that scene.
As we left Gua Musang I decided to have breakfast at the buffet car. When we found a table we sat ourselves and started to think what food to have. That decision was not that hard for us as the waiter came to announce that they had only nasi goreng china or just plain nasi goreng. Even the eggs were ran out. I was lucky to get the last mi goreng. All of them not even fresh but for someone hungry we just ate. One good thing was the drinks were hot, original and fresh. The buffet car was not that full so we stayed back a bit longer to enjoy the scene outside. Since we were passing rural Kelantan we could see green of the jungle mostly. Now and then we would passed small kampongs and towns. At the back of my mind I had implanted a trigger to be aware of Bertam Ulu, the place that we used to live for couple of years, to take a look and take some photos. Alas, it happened so sudden and I was not ready. I was eating and talking when I look outside I saw a familiar rural stop and straight away my subconscious mind said it was Bertam Ulu. I almost yelled at everyone and tried to explain to them about the place. I thought the police station was still a bit far ahead as it was on top of the highest point of the place overlooking the bridge where the train would cross Kelantan river but I was wrong. It came so fast that I could only managed to grab my camera, pointed and shot what ever I can. The darn glass was a mess of droppings and lines of water tracks that the camera captured. I only managed to catch a glimpse of our old barrack. I was pissed with myself. As that was the second time in my life since we left Bertam that I failed to capture the image of the place from the train. Well, trying to be positive, I said we could always comeback again. We continued to sit there and enjoy the ride.
I could not stop talking about every place we passed. In a mix of geography lessons, social studies and religious opinion I was animated in front of my family. I was especially excited when I saw a small hut with a Astro disc on its roof. In places like that Astro is a must for them I guess and for sure the top channel for them would be Zee. Maybe it was the only channel for them he he he. Kelantanese love for Hindustani movies is phenomenal.
Overtime we saw people started to trickle into the buffet car signaling it’s the time for us to vacate the table and return to our seats. Back at our seats we just silently, but of course not Mar, decided to do our own things. I picked my book to continue reading but after few minutes I just could not concentrate. I knew I was too excited by the fact that we were about to pass through stations that I really knew and nostalgic about. Kuala Krai came under the early morning bright light. As we approached I could see the authoritative figure of the station master standing waiting for us on the platform. The station was his domain, territory and home that he had every right to feel that. Anything about the train stopping in his area was totally his responsibility. I could relate to that and respect him for his authoritativeness. Actually station masters are great source for stories of the area. For Kuala Krai it was Station Master Tajudeen. Since the station was fairly renovated I did not feel like going down instead I just sat to enjoy the view from my seat. After Kuala Krai the one prominent different would be the long bridge and crossing of Sg Kursial followed by a journey on flat land. Soon enough farms like paddy and tobacco fields started to materialize as our constant views.
When we arrived at Tanah Merah then I knew how really late we were, by at least two hours. With that information I did a mental calculation how much time we would have at KB. It’s all depends on how soon we could get a cab to take us to KB. Right after Tanah Merah as well I decided I had enough of sitting down and started to walk to the back to stand by the door. There were already three young guys/ teenagers on the right side of the door and another young man that was not part of the three guys standing on the left. With my camera I parked myself next to the guy on my left and stand facing where the train was moving. From the conversation that I overheard form the three younger guys two of them were brothers and they were going to disembark at the next station, Pasir Mas. From their vocabulary as well I deduced that they were either locals that have been brought up outside of Kelantan or really someone from out of town but visiting their parents who were stationed in Kelantan. Seeing my camera and in action one of them asked me whether I was on a assignment. I knew what he meant and not wanting to spoil it I just nodded my head. Who would have thought otherwise? With my discovery pants, t-shirt and cap backward on my head I would not blame him for thinking who I was.
Just outside Pasir Mas the train stopped to wait, not sure for what, and it was a long wait driving the three young guys impatiently mad. I myself was eager as if saying ‘hey! let’s get this over with. I wanted to see Pasir Mas station again so bad that I wished it was soon enough for me to get over it as well. The old station that I knew was a wooden station like Kuala Lipis and I was not expecting much development there. When at last the train moved all of us standing there almost gave aloud sigh of relieve. When we actually arrived I stepped down after the boys and started to snap a few. As I was still busy doing this the whistle was blown. Yes, we were late and the station master did not want to add to it further so I jumped up onto the train as it was started to move. As the train roll off slowly I was still standing at the door. With my left hand holding on to the handle bar and both my legs spread eagle hard against the two walls in order to steady my stand I shot the station and anything around it with my right hand. I did a continuous shot without stopping until we were out of the station. Leaving Pasir Mas meant we were not that far way already from the end of the Express Wau line. Coming up was Wakaf Baru where most people going to KB would get down. I was contemplating to do the same but then I won’t be staying true to my plan. I persisted and Wakaf Baru came and gone without much funfair. By then we were the only passengers in our cabin. The cleaners were already busy at work since Pasir Mas so after Wakaf Baru they were really at it. I could understand why, they wanted to leave the train for home sweet home as soon as it parked at Tumpat station.
We almost jumped out of the train when we arrived at Tumpat. Being late and our eagerness to be in and explore KB got us excited. With just a customary photography session we walked out of the station to be timely asked by a man whether we need a car or not. I replied KB and he said RM25 and I replied back let’s go then. It was a kereta sapu, why was I surprised I did not know as I should have known in Kelantan kereta sapu is quite command. The weather was a bit hot outside so the little comfort that the kereta sapu gave us was a blessing. As usual there was a bottle neck at the bridge going into KB. It looked abandon and I could not guess when the upgrading of the bridge area going to be completed. Maybe after the next election. Our destination was Pasar Khadijah as we intended to do a very serious shopping straight away. Indeed the first shop I entered at the Bazaar I bought a piece for Sam. The rest I left it to the girls to do the shopping and I gladly do the paying. We did not have much time left to spend in KB as our train to JB would be leaving at 2030 that evening so badly in need to take a bath we went to the restroom next to the Pasar Khadijah that had a shower facility to shower and immediately say our prayers at the nearby madrasah. When we got to the restroom we were told they had problem with water pressure and would not think it would be enough to take a bath. We decided to use the bathroom anyway to clean ourself the best we can. Once inside I saw the shower and turned the tap to have a nice surprise of flowing water coming out. Without much prompting I went in, undressed and had a very nice shower.
Refreshed after the cold shower and prayers we walked out of the madrasah with only enough time to take our cab back to Tumpat. We left a bit early as I did not know the nature of the traffic to Tumpat especially going through the never-seem-to-finish Sultan Mahmud bridge. Again when I was asked at the bus stand we were ushered towards a kereta sapu. Only this time a bit newer than the last one we took. We were lucky the traffic jam at the bridge was not so bad and cruised nicely towards Tumpat. I chatted the teksi sapu driver and was glad to find out that he used to work at Nilai. Well I was not surprised by it. It is common for Kelantanese to work in other state came back went they find life can be really hard in Klang Valley. He started to narrate about life there and the reason he decided to bring the family home. Life can be really hard away form home. He also lamented about the fact that his son actually failed four times in his application to join our police force. Promise after promise went unfulfilled. In the end his son moved to Klang Valley and applied from there and got accepted. Funny world according to him. To me it was just a basic economics. In places like Kelantan joining the army or the police force is one last and best option for the youth of Kelantan to earn a fairly safe job. Whereas in the city like KL it was the opposite. Not many youth would want to join the police force even if it meant that they going to stay jobless. So more opportunities to those applying.
We reached Tumpat railway station at 1831 and spent our time there taking pictures and enjoying the place as much as we can. Our train to JB would depart at 2030. While waiting for our train I was speculating whether or not it would be the same train with coaches that will be going to KL. Later I found out that the KL train actually already left the station at 1800. Our train was parked beside the station’s workshop. Just before maghrib to my astonishment came a cleaning crew with their water jet spraying the coaches. They were actually washing two or the newly chained coaches and it was almost dark. Sarcastically I remarked to my family they might as well start the job at 2000 when it was really dark. The surau was basic and the door to the lady’s surau failed to work so everyone has to use the man’s surau entrance creating a bit of nuisance to the ladies.
PHOTOS HERE
Showing posts with label Intercity Trains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Intercity Trains. Show all posts
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Thursday, May 31, 2007
On The Train, May 30, 2007
I got on at KL Sentral to go home as I came from my PJ’s office. I was lucky to get a seat and sat down immediately with my laptop opened. I was immediately engrossed in my typing and oblivious of the surrounding until sometimes a bunch of kids were sitting on the floor at the door. Immediately remember the time when I did the same on buses and trains. I am not talking about this commuter train but the normal intercity trains. All of us just sat on the floor enjoying ourselves. You could imagine how dirty our clothes were when we got down at our respective stations. One time I used to wear my dad’s old 50’s white shirt and it was really black when I got down at Pasir Mas. I mum immediately soaked it the day after and the water was really murky because of it.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Abah! Why Are You Going to Tg Malim? 1999. Part 1
My SDARAs got nostalgic few days ago and one of my writings on our train ride to Tg Malim was mentioned and asked. As usual I got me digging my laptop and found it. I ended up rereading and rewriting the piece on the train home. Because it is 7 pages long I am sharing it in three parts.
APRIL 19, 1999
I was dragging myself up from bed this morning. My whole body was aching and the two days experience beginning to seep in. I just wished I could go back to sleep but I can't as I have meetings with outside parties scheduled. I went to bed early last night but not after getting online to make sure Bro Sli was connected to the egroups for he said he will go crazy. His exact words,' Bond kau balik nanti make sure kau bubuh nama aku balik dalam egroups. Kalau tak gila aku nanti di buatnya.' I hope Bro Sli is safe back with his family. So what do I make out of the two days.........................
Well, Tg Malim would never be the same again for me. I tried to live the past through my brothers and I managed to claim a few. At least now I know what they are talking about and what they meant. Relating any stories on Tg Malim to me now would generates a better picture for my brain to comprehend. I could visualize where they are and feel the environment as they are being told. The power of association - living the environment.
APRIL 17, 1999
I overslept, I am a SDARIAN not for nothing, and awaken by my wife. She was saying to me that it was already 6.10 am. I rushed myself to take my bath and pray. Luckily I have packed everything the night before but still I kept on doing a mental auditing to make sure everything is in order. I did not want to miss anything - this is too important to miss. I drove out of the house eager to break the all time land speed limit to get to the railway station but my wife kept reminding me to slow down and take it easy. Believe me at that instance I was not thinking about anything else but the train ride to Tg Malim. The thought of missing the train is beyond me and I would not be able to forgive myself if I did. The feeling is so strong the spirit is high. Up to now my second son kept on asking me why am I going to Tg Malim. 'Abah, kenapa Abah nak pergi Tg Malim?' he kept asking. All he knows it is a place where we stop for kuih pau on our way back from North. Yet, another strange things from his father. If he was confused I was even more confused. Confused in the thought of what to expect. Obviously, I do not have the past to go back to. Nor neither any significant event that revolved around Tg Malim. Accept for the fact it is the place where the formative years of my alma mater taking a new live. Would I be engrossed in experiencing the past with my fellow brothers, would the brothers willing to share their inner feelings so that I could experience them or would I be just like visiting any historical buildings? No, I can't wait anymore to find out. I had to get there immediately.
I rushed out of the car immediately when I got to the station. Picked out my luggage and kissed my children (my wife was given more than a kiss the night before :-))))) ) and off I went to find Abedib or Nan. I found Abedib sitting with a coffee at the station's cafe. In front of him sat one very fit looking guy. 'Ha .. tu pun Bond' said Abedib as I approached them. 'Bond, this is Sli.' At last I met one of the most famous residents of the SDARA Mailing List. I am very sure Bro Nawawi won’t be that nice in describing Sli. But, he was portraying an impression of a nice man.
Which I no doubt he is. Just like I figure a man he would be from the emails he sent us. While eating our breakfast Abedib told me that he could not sleep well and was awake at 4 am. I just smiled, I know I would be the same if Tg Malim was part of my growing up. (BTW, the food at the restaurant was worse than what we had at SDAR.)
SDARA Rosdi and Nan showed up soon after. As we continued to talk I kept on glancing at Abedib’s wristwatch to check the time. Having gone through all these I did not want us to miss the train. At 5 minutes to 7.30 am we started to locate the train. (Budak SDAR punya perangai tak habis-habis last minutes). Like crazy we asked where the train was which was at platform 4. We had to dash across the platform and the train was parked back to back with the train that was going south. The first thing that I said to myself when I saw the train was, 'there is no way we could board the train through the windows'.
Our seats were 9C to 10 D – two rows back to back. As I was throwing my luggage up the luggage compartment a voice from two seats away said, ‘Ho demo.. bangat weh!’. Talk about coincidence just behind Sli and Abedib sat three other SDARAs from Kelantan. Dr Abd Manaf, Sdara Abd Rahman and his son who also a SDARIAN. The coach was not the same anymore for all four of them started to reminisce the old times. Chatting like nobody's business. The rest of the passengers in that koc 2 of the North Bound train must have been wondering why these 7 crazy looking guys doing on the train chatting about Tg Malim like they were kids going there for the first time. The truth to the matter was we were – we were going to be kids again for the next two days.
Nan and I, after the train started to crawl leaving the city behind, were quiet – soaked in our own thought absorbing the experience. Abedib and Sli were still chatting at the back. After a while I cannot stand the urge anymore I had to do the walk. Walking the train like I used to. All memories splashed faster than the train right in front of me as I stood by the door. The door and the steps were something else. Compared to what we used to way back in 1970’s. It was a first class seat. In fact the whole complexion of the train was different. The days of climbing in via the windows, seating on the steps and jumping in and out of moving train are definitely over for us.
The first station that the train stopped was Rawang. I could not recall the time as I was so too deep into my feelings trying to figure out how does it feel to be 13 in 1960’s taking the train for the first time to Tg Malim. I was told by Abedib, that some of them came as far as Tumpat and the whole journey would take them 24 hours. As for me train, just like SDAR, has been part of my growing up. There are so much memories and the relationship had become intimate ever since. The train passed Kuala Kubu Baru at 8.33 am it didn't stop. I heard so much about that station being colonized by another being. It really looks old and not properly maintained. I know the next stop would be Tg Malim so I stood up and started to walk to the door. Once there I lighted up another ‘piak’ – nostalgic fool I was trying to rekindle old memories. But, no matter how hard you want it not to happen you will fail. The association with the environment is so powerful. Especially, when it deals with intense emotion. Even, with the knowledge that Tg Malim is coming fast to be a reality I was transported back to the 70's and started to smile. Well, you know what I mean.
Proceed to Part 2
APRIL 19, 1999
I was dragging myself up from bed this morning. My whole body was aching and the two days experience beginning to seep in. I just wished I could go back to sleep but I can't as I have meetings with outside parties scheduled. I went to bed early last night but not after getting online to make sure Bro Sli was connected to the egroups for he said he will go crazy. His exact words,' Bond kau balik nanti make sure kau bubuh nama aku balik dalam egroups. Kalau tak gila aku nanti di buatnya.' I hope Bro Sli is safe back with his family. So what do I make out of the two days.........................
Well, Tg Malim would never be the same again for me. I tried to live the past through my brothers and I managed to claim a few. At least now I know what they are talking about and what they meant. Relating any stories on Tg Malim to me now would generates a better picture for my brain to comprehend. I could visualize where they are and feel the environment as they are being told. The power of association - living the environment.
APRIL 17, 1999
I overslept, I am a SDARIAN not for nothing, and awaken by my wife. She was saying to me that it was already 6.10 am. I rushed myself to take my bath and pray. Luckily I have packed everything the night before but still I kept on doing a mental auditing to make sure everything is in order. I did not want to miss anything - this is too important to miss. I drove out of the house eager to break the all time land speed limit to get to the railway station but my wife kept reminding me to slow down and take it easy. Believe me at that instance I was not thinking about anything else but the train ride to Tg Malim. The thought of missing the train is beyond me and I would not be able to forgive myself if I did. The feeling is so strong the spirit is high. Up to now my second son kept on asking me why am I going to Tg Malim. 'Abah, kenapa Abah nak pergi Tg Malim?' he kept asking. All he knows it is a place where we stop for kuih pau on our way back from North. Yet, another strange things from his father. If he was confused I was even more confused. Confused in the thought of what to expect. Obviously, I do not have the past to go back to. Nor neither any significant event that revolved around Tg Malim. Accept for the fact it is the place where the formative years of my alma mater taking a new live. Would I be engrossed in experiencing the past with my fellow brothers, would the brothers willing to share their inner feelings so that I could experience them or would I be just like visiting any historical buildings? No, I can't wait anymore to find out. I had to get there immediately.
I rushed out of the car immediately when I got to the station. Picked out my luggage and kissed my children (my wife was given more than a kiss the night before :-))))) ) and off I went to find Abedib or Nan. I found Abedib sitting with a coffee at the station's cafe. In front of him sat one very fit looking guy. 'Ha .. tu pun Bond' said Abedib as I approached them. 'Bond, this is Sli.' At last I met one of the most famous residents of the SDARA Mailing List. I am very sure Bro Nawawi won’t be that nice in describing Sli. But, he was portraying an impression of a nice man.
Which I no doubt he is. Just like I figure a man he would be from the emails he sent us. While eating our breakfast Abedib told me that he could not sleep well and was awake at 4 am. I just smiled, I know I would be the same if Tg Malim was part of my growing up. (BTW, the food at the restaurant was worse than what we had at SDAR.)
SDARA Rosdi and Nan showed up soon after. As we continued to talk I kept on glancing at Abedib’s wristwatch to check the time. Having gone through all these I did not want us to miss the train. At 5 minutes to 7.30 am we started to locate the train. (Budak SDAR punya perangai tak habis-habis last minutes). Like crazy we asked where the train was which was at platform 4. We had to dash across the platform and the train was parked back to back with the train that was going south. The first thing that I said to myself when I saw the train was, 'there is no way we could board the train through the windows'.
Our seats were 9C to 10 D – two rows back to back. As I was throwing my luggage up the luggage compartment a voice from two seats away said, ‘Ho demo.. bangat weh!’. Talk about coincidence just behind Sli and Abedib sat three other SDARAs from Kelantan. Dr Abd Manaf, Sdara Abd Rahman and his son who also a SDARIAN. The coach was not the same anymore for all four of them started to reminisce the old times. Chatting like nobody's business. The rest of the passengers in that koc 2 of the North Bound train must have been wondering why these 7 crazy looking guys doing on the train chatting about Tg Malim like they were kids going there for the first time. The truth to the matter was we were – we were going to be kids again for the next two days.
Nan and I, after the train started to crawl leaving the city behind, were quiet – soaked in our own thought absorbing the experience. Abedib and Sli were still chatting at the back. After a while I cannot stand the urge anymore I had to do the walk. Walking the train like I used to. All memories splashed faster than the train right in front of me as I stood by the door. The door and the steps were something else. Compared to what we used to way back in 1970’s. It was a first class seat. In fact the whole complexion of the train was different. The days of climbing in via the windows, seating on the steps and jumping in and out of moving train are definitely over for us.
The first station that the train stopped was Rawang. I could not recall the time as I was so too deep into my feelings trying to figure out how does it feel to be 13 in 1960’s taking the train for the first time to Tg Malim. I was told by Abedib, that some of them came as far as Tumpat and the whole journey would take them 24 hours. As for me train, just like SDAR, has been part of my growing up. There are so much memories and the relationship had become intimate ever since. The train passed Kuala Kubu Baru at 8.33 am it didn't stop. I heard so much about that station being colonized by another being. It really looks old and not properly maintained. I know the next stop would be Tg Malim so I stood up and started to walk to the door. Once there I lighted up another ‘piak’ – nostalgic fool I was trying to rekindle old memories. But, no matter how hard you want it not to happen you will fail. The association with the environment is so powerful. Especially, when it deals with intense emotion. Even, with the knowledge that Tg Malim is coming fast to be a reality I was transported back to the 70's and started to smile. Well, you know what I mean.
Proceed to Part 2
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Train Holiday to Kelantan, August 31, 2001
I wrote this in 2001 and I would like to share it. It is a long piece.
Train Holiday to Kelantan, August 31, 2001
Thursday, 30th August 2001
At 5.45 pm my youngest daughter started to call my handphone asking when I was coming home. I was driving back to MDC after a meeting at the National Library of Malaysia. Not long after that my son called me and followed by another call from my daughter. I was smiling, as their eagerness to start their first long distance train journey was obvious. I told them I would be late and reminded them that the train that we supposed to be in would only depart KL Sentral tomorrow morning.I let you on a secret...actually I was the one who was impatiently waiting for the journey to begin. After more than 20 years I was about to take my first train holiday with my family to Kelantan. Which means I could achieve several objectives at one go.
Before our train got to Kuala Lipis I have anticipated that the station would be full of live. I was right as when we stopped I could see the same activities were conducted just like before. The train attendants came down carrying their night luggage to call the end of their shift and replaced by a new cheerful group. We could tell that all of them are familiar with each other as the camaraderie is obvious. Passengers going down and onto the train, the porters pushing carts and the authoritative station master standing prominently holding the big key among the crowd. I was standing at the door when I realised I failed as a photographer. I should have captured the moment. I guess I was too romantically engrossed in the moment. Who could blame me for that. BTW that one good reason to take the journey once again. Maybe this time with my SDARAs.
I swear I was standing in the middle of the Kuala Lipis station in the 70's. For one the station do not change much, just new coat of paint being applied on the wood. The cafe was still there, the pavement looks the same and the smell also was just like the old smell. I mean you could really feel all of these if you just stand there for few minutes. Unbelievable I thought and of course suddenly all of these were taken from my reverie when the station master blew his whistles. We rushed onto the train and I looked back making sure I did not leave my son at the station....LOL
Merapoh, Gua Musang, Bertam, Dabong, Kuala Krai, Pasir Mas, Wakaf Baru
Going back 23 years the train would be moving slowly as we approached Merapoh station, the last station in Pahang state before we cross to Kelantan, Peter (pronounce Piter) aka Zainuddin Abd Kadir, our colleagues would be gathering his stuff ready to alight. Piter’s father was a teacher in Merapoh and the place is a bit secluded, check out the Pahang map, imaging the situation 23 years ago and you know what I mean, and Piter is really proud of the place until today. (We met Piter in 2004 during our gathering and he told us his family is still there.) We could see Piter’s house from the track and once he was off and running across towards his house we yelled his name out loud Piterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today when the train approached the station slowly as before I more then realized I missed my friends and decided then to make sure our gathering is a reality. My family by now was really into the journey and enjoying the train more than they expected. The speed and the condition of the train help them a little bit as I am pretty sure they would be complaining aloud if it were 23 years ago.
Gua Musang was another station that most of us were eagerly waiting for in the old days. No, not because of the Gua as we practically ignored it for a long time already. Two things actually, the first was there would be more food on sale and second the beautiful ladies on the platform. Just imaging my disappointment when we got to Gua Musang station I did not see a single person selling anything on the platform. Worse the new train has a glass window that cannot be opened which means we can only deal with outside if we were to get down from the train. I was really hoping to show what I had gone through to my children but then I could only described this to them. ‘When we got to Gua Musang station all of us rushed to the window, in the old train the windows can be pulled down, and eagerly waited for the train to stop. If ones were to look from the platform towards us probably I would not be wrong in saying they were like looking runaways that had not eaten for days with their tongues hanging out. The sellers, most of them ladies, would rushed towards us with their nasi belauk, fruits and all kinds of kueh. The nasi belauk was ‘samah’ (RM0.50) and the kueh RM0.10 each. We just grab everything we need and pay quickly as the train would only be there for few minutes. The train station like most at the time was the day main event in town like Gua Musang. Another amazing thing when we got to Gua Musang is this – there would be a group of fruits sellers boarded at Kuala Lipis and in general they would be selling grapes, oranges and ‘mangga’. So up and down the train they went yelling Mangga, Limau, Anggur. Suddenly when we crossed into Kelantan and at Gua Musang normally the yelling vocabulary changed to Peler, Lima, Zabek.’ I had a field day the first time I heard that.
After Gua Musang the journey seemed to be monotonous for my family and they drifted between sleep and watching the movies. We passed small stations/towns like Kuala Neroh and Limau Kasturi. I decided to walk to the end of the train with my camera as I saw the ‘tail’ was opened for viewing. I stayed there for quite sometimes only walked back to our seats when we are about to arrive at Bertam. My late father used to be stationed at Ulu Bertam and I wanted to show to my family the place. Somehow the train traveled too fast for me as I completely missed Bertam Baru and Bertam. I only managed to look back when we were actually passing the bridge. Bertam Ulu was some experience for me although we did not stay there long, especially me as I only managed at least two weeks of my vacation from UiTM, but Bertam still has a special place in my memory. The police quarters were on high ground overlooking a valley with river. We could actually see the train crossed down below and I always enjoyed that. The air was clean unpolluted and the cool breeze always pleasing. The two weeks I was there was a Durian season and my dad received practically a 'bakul' of durians almost everyday from the villagers. The biggest benefactor was of course me. After I had missed Bertam the next station was Kemubu before we reached Dabong. Dabong is not a major station but most trains servicing interior Kelantan would make it a major stop including our express train. I told my children once on the way home we got stuck in Dabong for few hours with no reason given to us by KTMB. Because of that I arrived at Pasir Mas very late.
If you have taken a train to Kelantan before then you know that after Dabong the train would take a long winding cruise along ranges, through tunnels and across rivers until we reached Manek Urai. Once we passed Manek Urai we have passed the interior, otherwise known as ‘Ulu’, Kelantan. Also means the rest of the journey over flat lands through kampungs and farms.
I kept my head close to the glass window and enjoyed the rest of the journey. Once in a while my children would asked me simple questions like, ‘What are they planting? What time would we get to KB? How long more? Abah lapar! (this of course Baqir’s question)’. Soon enough we crawled into Kuala Krai, a station where Mac, Syed Nazim, would get down and those days I would be alone to continue the rest of my journey home to Pasir Mas. When we were living in Rantau Panjang and then Pasir Mas my holidays there basically would be sleeping and eating. I had no friends and ended up being a recluse most of the time. In fact I immediately turned one immediately after Mac got down at Kuala Krai. I called it my lonely journey to Pasir Mas. That was another indication to me how my friends mean so much to me. The reality I had to accept.
Pasir Mas came without a fuss and it looked the same to me. My wish then was to get down there and stayed for few minutes but I know that was not possible. Even the train driver seemed to be in a hurry pushing the train hard to its final destination. Up until then I have never taken a train way up to Wakaf Baru. It was my first experience as much as my family. It was late in the evening when we reached Pasir Mas and at that point in time I predicted that we would be arriving at Wakaf Baru close to maghrib and I was right. Finally it was end of the line for us and we scrambled down with our backpacks to find a surau and we barely managed our Jamak when the Azan maghrib came on the air via the nearby mosque. We managed to get a kereta sapu (a Nissan Venette van) to take us to Perdana Hotel. Perdana Hotel is another story to itself and enough for me to say now it is not worth it.
I was actually pleased with the train ride. The farthest that we have taken as a family so far. I achieved my target of taking a family to experience what I had experience before and the verdict from them – ‘We should do this more often’
Train Holiday to Kelantan, August 31, 2001
Thursday, 30th August 2001
At 5.45 pm my youngest daughter started to call my handphone asking when I was coming home. I was driving back to MDC after a meeting at the National Library of Malaysia. Not long after that my son called me and followed by another call from my daughter. I was smiling, as their eagerness to start their first long distance train journey was obvious. I told them I would be late and reminded them that the train that we supposed to be in would only depart KL Sentral tomorrow morning.I let you on a secret...actually I was the one who was impatiently waiting for the journey to begin. After more than 20 years I was about to take my first train holiday with my family to Kelantan. Which means I could achieve several objectives at one go.
- Relive my past journey (that’s old nostalgic fool me again)
- To have my family experience the ride, environment, atmosphere and if possible relive some of my past journey.
- Short holiday in Kelantan
- Seeing KB for myself(after a long time)
- Taking photos of Kelantan from the train
Friday 31st August 2001
Our Train
We departed from Puchong slightly after 6 am. I was driving patiently initially but ended up speeding on the Kesas Highway. I knew I wanted to get to the KL Sentral fast. We arrived there at 6.30am and as soon as we were inside the departure hall the announcer announced that Express Kenali was at Platform 2 and ready for boarding. We rushed up and down immediately and located our train and seats without any problem.
Coach Q2 seats 5A-D and 6A-B were where we were glued (hardly...LOL) for the rest of the 12 hours journey. The train was a far cry from what it used to be. It was spanky clean, after 20 or so years obviously it would be better. What did I expect, the same old train? The nostalgic fool in me was saying, ‘I don’t mind the old train just for the heck of it.’ However, one thing never change...the service, the lack of it..:((((( My children at this point were jumping around hoping the train would move earlier. We eventually departed at 7 am as schedule.
Seremban
We reached Seremban Station at 8.05 am. The station that has a lot of memories for most Sdara. A lot of tears of sadness and joy were shed here. If you were to see 16-20 year old crying like babies this was the station around the beginning of every third term holiday in the 70's and 80's. I have seen the toughest and roughest of rugby players were flowing Niagara Falls at this station.
I was still reminiscing the old days when my son started to call out, 'Abah! Lapar laa!!!' That was when I discovered another disservice from KTMB. Confidently, I said to my son to wait after the train to depart from Seremban and I would walk to the buffet car to buy something. Of course when I said that every one of them wanted to follow. So we 'walked the train' down until almost to the back and no sight of the buffet car. I finally asked the attendant and was told there was none. I told him he is got to be kidding. Don't tell me you don't have a buffet car for the rest of the 12 hours journey? He said something like, they only going to start selling from Gemas. So, ok, I thought, at least they going to 'chain' the buffet car at Gemas. To my dismayed I was wrong!!!!!Anyway, I had to get something for my children, as we purposely did not buy anything for breakfast thinking we could find food to eat on the train. So, when we reached Tampin I did a SDAR train dashing sequence. Dashing out of the station to the 'warong', grabs six or so ‘nasi lemak’ and few bottles of water and dash back on the train in 10 minutes. Barely made it and I didn't have to chase the train either....LOL. Then after having satisfied with the ‘nasi lemak’ my children started to be themselves. Cheerful and mischievous – I thought being confined within the train they will, at least, keep still.... wrong again!!!!!! At least I know they are enjoying the journey. At this point I was already tracing my past train journey. Imagining that it was night and looking at the darkness out of the window. Somehow it was really hard for me to 'go back' as the environment was just not right. There was no wind rushing in from the window, no deafening sound of the track being mauled by the iron wheels and no loud voices talking or singing. So I ended up enjoying the scenery outside. It was not bad and once in a while my children caught me smiling and grinning while looking out through the glass window.
Gemas
We arrived at the famous (for SDARA from Seremban anyway) Gemas station at 9.45 am. All the times when we stopped here it used to be funfair with a marathon stop of three hours of train waiting, cutting and joining at 1-3 in the morning. This was also the place where the love birds from the south and central met once a year. It was a scene!!!!!!!. Now, it is just a merely 20 minutes stop and in brought daylight. This is about the second time that I know that I ever been in Gemas station during the day. It looks so, so very different. In reality the station was just like it was 20 years ago.
It felt so strange walking along the corridor of the station with my kids I just cannot connect with the scene. However, towards the end of the stop I was able to feel something from the past as I began to imagine the scenarios. Our train being the only one on the tracks did not help either and the whole stop took about 20 minutes. When the train engineers moved the engine car to the other end I realized one thing – there was no additional car being added. Meaning there wouldn't be any buffet car. The knowledge pissed me off a little but not wanting to spoil my journey I just took it lightly. I tried to absorb Gemas to the maximum and I managed to get some. My wife kinda knew what I was going through and just left me with my own space.
'As soon as the train stops at Gemas station most Sdarians jump out and start to cross the bridge and walk towards the warong outside. We order either nasi lemak or roti canai, our favorite no doubt, and as soon as the food arrive we eat like someone that has not been eating a week. It is normally around 12.15 to 12.30 am when we do that. Of course after finishing our food, trying to show off our overflowing manly hormone, all kinds of brand of cigarettes come out from our pockets. I, as usual take out my Peter Stuyversant and start to smoke endlessly. The cool breeze blowing over Gemas is another incentive to smoke some more. On the tracks all sorts of commotion being created by trains moving in and out but we are not worried at all as we know where our train going to be at 3 am. After eating we start to do boy's things like trying to get a chat out of few girls and practicing our train jumping sequence as if it is an Olympic event. At roughly 2 am the train from the south slowly appears at the station. Most of us start to pay attention and our male hormone begins to work overtime. Some of us, not all anyway...LOL. The train from the south means one thing to these one-track minds. The sisters from STF..yeah right! 'sisters' from the south...LOL. Glad to say I am not one of them. I am from the tough group remember? The fact is all of these tough guys are a bunch of jealous souls.
The ‘love birds’ begin to create their own ‘nest’ at the station. I bet you someone could actually write a novel out of this. Sometimes they just purposely walk pass us, obviously, to show off. In a while we could see some of the guys are wearing STF sweaters and vice versa. As for us, besides eating our hearts out, just continue with our boys things, smoke some more and in the end we start our own 'warong'. ( Warong is a term we used to describe a situation where we actually just sit around in a group to chit chat endlessly) An endless story telling session at the station. There out in the open in the middle of the station you could see a bunch of us squatting or sitting around like sitting around a campfire talking. With cool breeze of the early morning, crickets orchestrating the background music we continue to talk under the dim lights of the station. The colder the morning is the more smoke blowing up. Just like smoke blowing out of chimney from a factory at dawn. To us it is heaven...
As on queue just before 3 am we walk up to our train and start to find a place, just any place, to sleep. We need to sleep sometimes......'
That was Gemas for most of us.
Triang, Mentakab, Temerloh, Jerantut
The train started to depart Gemas as soon as the engine car was connected and sped up towards Bahau. After the effort of trying to reminisce about Gemas I decided to take a nap and woke up as the train was slowly approaching Bahau. Not much to look at beside another perspective of Bahau from the train. Earlier on I explained to my children that we were actually going down south and then going up after Gemas and would be passing four states in the process. After Bahau I explained to them we were about to enter Pahang and the next big station would be Triang. I was as excited as they were because it was the first time for me as well (seeing life through the train's window during the day). I was sitting next to my wife when we reached Triang I told my wife that I have a friend who used to stay in Triang, Zawawi Misnan (Awie), and I do not know where he is now (Actually, two years after writing this I managed to track Awie and he is working at Bank Bumiputera Commerce in Maran). Awie is one crazy and very brave dude. Once when there were only three of us in SDAR he spent his nights chasing dogs. At the same time he was 'chased and disturbed' by the 'other souls' in SDAR and he didn't mind. In fact he tried to get them to talk to him. I narrated to my wife that when the train got to Triang it would be around 4 am and Awie would be the only one to get down and the station was normally empty except for the station master. It was pitch dark and not once I was worried about Awie once the train left Triang. Now, I said to my wife, looking at the station in day time I shouldn't have worried at all.
After Triang the next station was Mentakab. The station that used to be my stop when we lived in Kuantan. There would be five or six of us and we normally arrived in Mentakab at the break of dawn. Funny thing was that there always somebody who woke us up. Never have we missed our stop.
We arrived at Mentakab just before noon and the station just look the same to me. Not much different from 20 years ago. Frankly speaking I thought it was the same as it was 20 years ago. That pretty much sum up the state of railway services in Malaysia. Talking about service, when we left Gemas I realized there was commotion at the other end of our coach. Since, my son's nose, maybe the radar is attached at his belly button, is first class at tracking food I got to know immediately that at Gemas the authorized food seller was allowed on the train to sell food. But, could you imagine him selling the same cold food for the whole journey and there were not cheap either. Of course my children wouldn't want to know the difference. Remember this is Express Kenali that supposed to be different level of service compared to the other express services. Lucky for KTMB I am one of those who no matter what will still love train rides.
After Mentakab the train sped towards Jerantut only to make stops at 'crossings' (crossing is a term used by the railway men to mean a stop where opposite trains pass each other). When we got there most of the Mat Sallehs on the train got down. Obviously, they were heading towards Taman Negara. At this point all of us are really into enjoying this journey. As they say, old habit is hard to break, I got down to enjoy every stations now. My sons did the same, but not, after a crash course of what and what not to do. My daughters to their dismayed were given a stern warning to stay on board. I know it was unfair but I was worried for them as well. My sons nevertheless got the benefit of old stories from me. We waited about 15 minutes at Jerantut for the other train to cross. Long enough time for me and my sons to enjoy the station. Just like any stations that we passed before the Jerantut is not that big. It looks bigger because several blocks of offices for travel agents are built at the north side. I saw few Mat Sallehs and locals were haggling for the right price for their service. I have never been to Taman Negara or Gunung Tahan, I love too, but I guess I'll never will now. But you never know!!!!!!
Kuala Lipis
In the old days Kuala Lipis is one station that we were waiting for and one of our main agenda for the journey home. The station was where we normally had our 'brunch'. The Nasi Bungkus at the station was delicious and would be our first target. Even before the train is at full stop we had jumped down and rushed to the cafeteria. I don't remember how much was it but I think around a ringgit or so.
Before our train got to Kuala Lipis I have anticipated that the station would be full of live. I was right as when we stopped I could see the same activities were conducted just like before. The train attendants came down carrying their night luggage to call the end of their shift and replaced by a new cheerful group. We could tell that all of them are familiar with each other as the camaraderie is obvious. Passengers going down and onto the train, the porters pushing carts and the authoritative station master standing prominently holding the big key among the crowd. I was standing at the door when I realised I failed as a photographer. I should have captured the moment. I guess I was too romantically engrossed in the moment. Who could blame me for that. BTW that one good reason to take the journey once again. Maybe this time with my SDARAs.
I swear I was standing in the middle of the Kuala Lipis station in the 70's. For one the station do not change much, just new coat of paint being applied on the wood. The cafe was still there, the pavement looks the same and the smell also was just like the old smell. I mean you could really feel all of these if you just stand there for few minutes. Unbelievable I thought and of course suddenly all of these were taken from my reverie when the station master blew his whistles. We rushed onto the train and I looked back making sure I did not leave my son at the station....LOL
Merapoh, Gua Musang, Bertam, Dabong, Kuala Krai, Pasir Mas, Wakaf Baru
Going back 23 years the train would be moving slowly as we approached Merapoh station, the last station in Pahang state before we cross to Kelantan, Peter (pronounce Piter) aka Zainuddin Abd Kadir, our colleagues would be gathering his stuff ready to alight. Piter’s father was a teacher in Merapoh and the place is a bit secluded, check out the Pahang map, imaging the situation 23 years ago and you know what I mean, and Piter is really proud of the place until today. (We met Piter in 2004 during our gathering and he told us his family is still there.) We could see Piter’s house from the track and once he was off and running across towards his house we yelled his name out loud Piterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today when the train approached the station slowly as before I more then realized I missed my friends and decided then to make sure our gathering is a reality. My family by now was really into the journey and enjoying the train more than they expected. The speed and the condition of the train help them a little bit as I am pretty sure they would be complaining aloud if it were 23 years ago.
Gua Musang was another station that most of us were eagerly waiting for in the old days. No, not because of the Gua as we practically ignored it for a long time already. Two things actually, the first was there would be more food on sale and second the beautiful ladies on the platform. Just imaging my disappointment when we got to Gua Musang station I did not see a single person selling anything on the platform. Worse the new train has a glass window that cannot be opened which means we can only deal with outside if we were to get down from the train. I was really hoping to show what I had gone through to my children but then I could only described this to them. ‘When we got to Gua Musang station all of us rushed to the window, in the old train the windows can be pulled down, and eagerly waited for the train to stop. If ones were to look from the platform towards us probably I would not be wrong in saying they were like looking runaways that had not eaten for days with their tongues hanging out. The sellers, most of them ladies, would rushed towards us with their nasi belauk, fruits and all kinds of kueh. The nasi belauk was ‘samah’ (RM0.50) and the kueh RM0.10 each. We just grab everything we need and pay quickly as the train would only be there for few minutes. The train station like most at the time was the day main event in town like Gua Musang. Another amazing thing when we got to Gua Musang is this – there would be a group of fruits sellers boarded at Kuala Lipis and in general they would be selling grapes, oranges and ‘mangga’. So up and down the train they went yelling Mangga, Limau, Anggur. Suddenly when we crossed into Kelantan and at Gua Musang normally the yelling vocabulary changed to Peler, Lima, Zabek.’ I had a field day the first time I heard that.
After Gua Musang the journey seemed to be monotonous for my family and they drifted between sleep and watching the movies. We passed small stations/towns like Kuala Neroh and Limau Kasturi. I decided to walk to the end of the train with my camera as I saw the ‘tail’ was opened for viewing. I stayed there for quite sometimes only walked back to our seats when we are about to arrive at Bertam. My late father used to be stationed at Ulu Bertam and I wanted to show to my family the place. Somehow the train traveled too fast for me as I completely missed Bertam Baru and Bertam. I only managed to look back when we were actually passing the bridge. Bertam Ulu was some experience for me although we did not stay there long, especially me as I only managed at least two weeks of my vacation from UiTM, but Bertam still has a special place in my memory. The police quarters were on high ground overlooking a valley with river. We could actually see the train crossed down below and I always enjoyed that. The air was clean unpolluted and the cool breeze always pleasing. The two weeks I was there was a Durian season and my dad received practically a 'bakul' of durians almost everyday from the villagers. The biggest benefactor was of course me. After I had missed Bertam the next station was Kemubu before we reached Dabong. Dabong is not a major station but most trains servicing interior Kelantan would make it a major stop including our express train. I told my children once on the way home we got stuck in Dabong for few hours with no reason given to us by KTMB. Because of that I arrived at Pasir Mas very late.
If you have taken a train to Kelantan before then you know that after Dabong the train would take a long winding cruise along ranges, through tunnels and across rivers until we reached Manek Urai. Once we passed Manek Urai we have passed the interior, otherwise known as ‘Ulu’, Kelantan. Also means the rest of the journey over flat lands through kampungs and farms.
I kept my head close to the glass window and enjoyed the rest of the journey. Once in a while my children would asked me simple questions like, ‘What are they planting? What time would we get to KB? How long more? Abah lapar! (this of course Baqir’s question)’. Soon enough we crawled into Kuala Krai, a station where Mac, Syed Nazim, would get down and those days I would be alone to continue the rest of my journey home to Pasir Mas. When we were living in Rantau Panjang and then Pasir Mas my holidays there basically would be sleeping and eating. I had no friends and ended up being a recluse most of the time. In fact I immediately turned one immediately after Mac got down at Kuala Krai. I called it my lonely journey to Pasir Mas. That was another indication to me how my friends mean so much to me. The reality I had to accept.
Pasir Mas came without a fuss and it looked the same to me. My wish then was to get down there and stayed for few minutes but I know that was not possible. Even the train driver seemed to be in a hurry pushing the train hard to its final destination. Up until then I have never taken a train way up to Wakaf Baru. It was my first experience as much as my family. It was late in the evening when we reached Pasir Mas and at that point in time I predicted that we would be arriving at Wakaf Baru close to maghrib and I was right. Finally it was end of the line for us and we scrambled down with our backpacks to find a surau and we barely managed our Jamak when the Azan maghrib came on the air via the nearby mosque. We managed to get a kereta sapu (a Nissan Venette van) to take us to Perdana Hotel. Perdana Hotel is another story to itself and enough for me to say now it is not worth it.
I was actually pleased with the train ride. The farthest that we have taken as a family so far. I achieved my target of taking a family to experience what I had experience before and the verdict from them – ‘We should do this more often’
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