The idea that you can travel seamlessly from Singapore to Hong Kong by train remains a distant dream, at least until Cambodia can get its lines and running after decades of neglect. But certainly much of the trip can be done by the intrepid. The journey begins in Singapore of course, but most of the historic railway station. The glorious name of progress, seeing as our heritage torn away from us, the terminal is Singapore Woodlands, much closer to the border.
A short chug across the Causeway and you are soon in Johor Bahru in a new country at the southern tip of the Asian continent. Unless the rubber plantations or large tracts of oil palm trees are your thing, the first hours of the trip north are likely to be unexciting beyond soothing rattle of wheels on the rails. The vista remains unchanged, except for the occasional station.
In Gemas line divides. To the west is located in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, central business and industry, but much less pleasing to the eye than the jungle clad interior is the backdrop of the line of the Northeast. Kuala Lipis embodies rural Malaysia. Once considered the capital of the country, it sits comfortably in the middle, near the vast Taman Negara. But Lipis has other charms. It has a languid carefree nature where time runs slowly or not at all.
The station is surrounded by dilapidated shop houses, shuttered and blinded against the midday sun while further colonial, overwater bungalows remember a time when the British ruled the roost in these regions. Indeed, the area around Kuala Lipis saw much action during the "emergency" when communist insurgents tried their best to fly the red flag that was so popular in the 1950s and 1960s in the country.
There is a long, slow journey north, but after a few days in Kuala Lipis, it should not surprise. This is not to the West Coast, where progress is measured by a sharp rise and congestion. Here in the heart of Malaysia is Malaya myth. This is the Malaya of literature as Soul of Malaya by Henri Fauconnier, a timeless place filled with dreams and birdsong, where the crickets, frogs and geckos fill the cool evening air as the tuan sits on the veranda enjoying the first stengahs the day.
train looks about market communities it serves, as traders up and down, carrying their produce.
Entering the state of Kelantan and you break the jungle. Proof of deforestation is all around as you rattle through Gua Musang resorts like Tanah Merah and. The last stop is Tumpat and although the line door to Thailand, it has not been used for decades. The state capital of Kota Bahru is a short taxi ride away and well worth a few days to explore. As the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, they landed simultaneously on the beaches just next to KB, the beginning of the rush down the peninsula which saw the British humiliated in weeks.
The landing beach, crossed by streams and away from the airport spitting, still boasts casemates were unsuccessful against the onslaught.
provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani are the heart of the southern insurgency multifaceted that has claimed thousands of lives in the last decade, so if they tend to occur in more rural areas. Nationalist party, a religious party gangster and a reasoned part, it is a murder that shows no sign of easing that the Thai government is struggling to keep a lid on the many factions involved.
The train takes you through it all!
Hat Yai is the first city in the South. Curiously, it translates to "Big Beach", although very much an inland city, and is the kind of city would Indonesians; filled with shopping malls and traditional markets. Indeed, the airport frequently handles flights from Malaysia and Singapore for visitors wanting to shop and, being Thailand, there is also the nightlife, which operates next to shopping centers.
For those who have no interest in shopping or other things, there is in fact nothing of any appeal instead with the exception of Songkla excursion for history and the amateurs beach
train from Hat Yai heads north of Bangkok -. a long but comfortable hiking 16 to 18 hours along the narrow column country. Alternatively, another line runs south-west to Malaysia, crossing the border at Padang Besar and touching the ground in places like Butterworth, with ferry connections to the island of Penang, the historic town of Taiping , karst formations Ipoh and of course the capital Kuala Lumpur with its catchy theme Mughal station.
A six-hour race takes you south to Singapore and thoughts of home!
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