A Balancing Act

On board KL-Kota Bharu Senandung Malam
The squeaky honk from the incoming train woke me from my daydreaming. Children scampering in joy, an old man with basket full of kerepek and home-made kueh, and the Mercedez-taxi gang in Ray Ban shades lurking at gloomy corners, preying on disembarking passengers- the Wakaf Bharu stop looked more like a pasar than a train station. The 12-hour journey from KB to KL simply shed new light on the things that I missed, if not, forgotten. From villages in lush green forest to the mesmerizing KLCC Tower, from beca-pullers to blood-sucking KL taxi drivers - the transition appears so radical, revealing, but indeed more refreshing than the KL Air Pollution Index.

After constantly knocking my head against the narrow ceiling of my sleeping berth, I woke up at midnight and staggered across 5 cabins towards the tail-end of the train to where the canteen was. On one table, three teenagers, probably insomniacs were shuffling cards raucously. Miraculously I squeezed in between the small, narrow seat that definitely not beer-belly-passenger friendly. The waiter nodded to me, even before I raised my hands, signaling that he knew what I want, as if there was Maggie Kari written on my forehead. I thought walking straight on a moving train was challenging enough until I witnessed the sequence of event of how the Malaysia’s famous dish landed on my table. Imagine, having to pour hot water, pull the tea (“teh tarik”), balancing a bowl of noodle and frothy cup of tea on both hands – all these on a moving, swaying, bumpy train. The uneven track did not help. Simply amazing, indeed it was a top class act for me who can’t even stand up straight on a firm ground. Truly Asia, I must say.