Malaysia - the jungle train

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Khota Baru is in the northeastern corner of Malaysia. Not much here to interest travellers. It's a transit point between Thailand and Malaysia. Still, had a very tasty, simple meal in the night market. A good variety of local foods available. I took beef curry on safran rice. They spoon it into a rectangle of waxed brown paper and fold it up with two elastic bands to hold the package together. There are outdoor tables and chairs but to sit and one and eat you have to buy something to drink because the drinks vendor owns (rents?) the seats and tables. Ate a great meal for about a dollar., then went to a nearby bakery to buy buns for the next day's journey.

It stormed during the night, with fantastic crashes of thunder, brilliant flashes of lightning and rain flooding down from the sky.

Up at 05h30, taxi through the dark, wet streets of Khota Baru to the train station at Wakhaf Baru. After a breakfast of rice and very salty eggs (had they been boiled in salt water?) we caught the train at 06h30. Travelling for the next few days with a new buddy - Steve Strickland from London.

Through darkness at first, then greying light, then full day. Dense jungle all along the route through flat land, then hills and Karst formations. Jungle going by in a green blur with bright ad dark green patches and nearly black holes here and there in the foliage. Endless palm trees like green explosions. The train stopped at every tiny place, children waving, people with suitcase and bags tied with twine getting on and off.

We were in an air-conditioned wagon and the Malaysians like it cold. I had to wear a couple of shirts and three others from Paris were dressed warmly enough to go skiing. The train rocked and clattered down the tracks, jungle nearly coming in the windows at us in the dining car where I went to warm up.

It took nine hours to cross Malaysia to a place called Mentakab, then another three by bus to Kuala Lumpur, or KL as everyone callls it. At Mentakab taxi drivers offered to take us to the bus station for 10 ringgits, a distance of 500m. It's not much but if you think that way and accept every offer, they'll slowly drain all the money out of you. Anyway, 10 ringgits is far too much, more than three dollars. For a 500m ride in a poor-ish country, that's usury.

Between Mentakab and KL the scenery was magnificent with steep, jungle-covered hills coming down steeply to the highway. Sun going down behind them in a crown of clouds burned red. KL coming up on the horizon. Skyscrapers, Petronas Towers and KL Tower standing out in blue silhouette.

From the bus station we took the subway to Chinatown and found a shabby backpacker's hostel, Wheeler's on Tun H.S. Lee street. We were hot, tired, dirty and hungry and didn't care there was only one room with four bunk beds. We took it. Quick shower, quick beer and simple dinner in Chinatown and we felt much better.

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Photos

Beef on paper
Take waxed brown paper, slap in a couple of spoonfuls of safran rice, pickels and curried beef and wrap it up with elastic bands. Instant meal. Cutlery available at the drinks stand.

Thoughftul Malaysians
They even have instructions for foreigners on how to use the train's toilets. I suspect they've had to mop up too many mistakes and decided a sign would just make things simpler for all.

Comments

[almond]

KB
thanks for sharing your thoughts on KB.. i will be going there this friday..