Take That Last Train Up North

Early this morning, I paused and watched the Malaysian train zip by. The loud blasts of the horn was the first sound I heard indicating the approach of the train. Then, the strong headlight much like the eye of the cyclopes brightened up the whole area. The familiar "tek ke taak tek ke taak tek ke taak" of the train wheels on the track brought back fond memories of my early rides on the Malayan Railway to Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

I remember enjoying those long rides poking my head out of the train window and enjoying the wind in my face. You can't do that now that all the carriages are air-conditioned and all the windows are sealed shut.

Little children and old ladies use to board the trains at some of the stations selling the ever popular packets of nasi lemak (coconut rice) and epok epok (vegetable puffs) and other local goodies. They were cheap and good and we never worried about food poisoning.

The sleeper beds usually had a cockroach or two running around but they never bothered us or dampened our excitement of sleeping on board a train. We would fight to sleep on the upper berths and would draw our curtains to hide two bodies stretched out on one berth. Often, the train conductor would close an eye if the kids were young. Some adults tried the same trick but were often told to go to the seat carriages.

Riding the train was usually likened to going for a picnic when food and drinks were packed and brought along in case one felt hungry in the middle of the night. Goodies included prawn and fish keropok (crackers), biscuits, kana kanas (preserved prunes) and fruits like apples and oranges.

I watched the train till it disappeared along the track. I have mixed feelings about the relocation of the Malayan Railway station from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands. What it means for me is that there will no longer be the sight and sounds of the trains to trigger off these pleasant, long-lost memories of those good old days.

If you have not taken the train up north recently, you might want to do it for one last time before the train services stop at end of June this year. Yes, you will have the usual Malaysian scenery ... but you won't get the great Singapore one. Places you won't recognize from the window of the train.

I once attempted to train up to my sister in Kluang. My friend and I got as far as Kulai, about an hour and half before Kluang! Unfortunately, we had hopped on the slow train which stopped at every station en route. The air-con had broken down and all the windows were sealed shut. The over crowded train had old people and young children sharing our seats ... uninvited. So, we disembarked in the little town of Kulai, ate their extra huge paus and then took the next train back to Singapore!

I guess after having taken the U-Rail all over Europe, and the Trans Siberian across Asia, the Malaysian Railway was a little of a let down. But there is an old world, "kampung-like" charm to ride on one, at least once.

So, I keep walking my dogs early in the mornings to coincide with the passing of the trains. For me, it is the evoking of those long ago memories of my train rides, that keep me going out to watch the trains chug by ...