Nostalgia - Part 1
Assalamualaikum and good morning all. Since I was 13 years old I have fallen in love with a long train ride. Having attended a fully boarded secondary School in Seremban and only to return home in Ampang three times every year by train, making me so close to journey by train.
This trip is the sequence of my trip with my daughter to Bangkok in 2016. It was also my solo 'warmup trip' before I stepped further. I dreamed of a solo long distance train trip tracking the "silk route" to Rome. The trader's route across the continent with spices, silk and even gun powder. That's my ultimate aim. When? Depends on my health and finance.
This morning I board the ets at 8 am from KL Sentral to the last destination in Padang Besar and then take the connecting train from there to Hatyai.
The train came and departed just in time. In this train ets, my memories came back to 1982 when getting a concession KTM to return home on arrival on school holidays. A week before the holidays arrived, my mind was saturated with various plans. Lessons during class are ignored. The Science teacher, Yap Kar Hong is often looking at me as if it were in his own world that occasionally smiled without valid reason.
The fight for seats in the train is like scrambling to buy football tickets at the independent stadium when Selangor against Mohan Bagan (the strongest football team in India) at that time!
I saw the seniors flung theirs luggage through the windows even before the train stopped and their acrobatic actions jumped through the window "adventurous" once. My first time was 'culture shock' and continued shaking my head. The second time they shook their heads because I was faster to break through the windows! Hahaha ...
The journey will last for a maximum of 5 hours and I buy ETS Platinum tickets that have less stops. Ticket worth RM120. Unfortunately I'm still not eligible for a senior ticket though I'll be there shortly thereafter!
What am I looking for in my travel this time? I want to find myself. This one alone gives me a lot of space for my self-esteem. This opportunity gives me the opportunity to plan my career and my life. This travel also gave me the opportunity to explain my family's journey. I enjoy this my way. Throughout this journey I will meet some of my old friends. All this will tell me later.
The sound of a railway is very calm. Therapautic! The rails are back bringing me to the premiere of the youth .... To all my beloved batchmates from class of 86', you guys are always in my thoughts ....
