The Last Train

Met up with WeWe and Pizza for dinner at KTM the other day..Gosh, was the place crowded..

I guess everyone is there for 'one last look'(fyi, KTM will be no-more come 1 Jul)..u know they're here not just for the beehoon goreng(0.5's fave) or mee soto(the other 0.5's fave) when every other person is holding a camera in their hands and snapping away..

My recent memories of KTM: supper with ssc folks..supper with cycling folks..supper with ys/rq..u get the picture..oh, and once, catching the world cup(albeit on a very snowy screen) with someone..

Sad to say..my somewhat fuzzy recollection of my experience actually onboard the train is not-too-flattering(uncomfortable seats, unpredictable schedules, etc). To be fair, i've not taken the train for eons and recent anecdotal talk seemed to indicate some improvements over the years..

So despite the train station being a mere 5 mins walk away, it was never really in my consideration as a mode of transport up north. Though I like the idea of having it at my backyard(literally), just as people like having a gym/pool in the condo, never mind that they don't ever use them..

I did make an attempt some 2 months back to catch the train to Danga Bay..but someone had checked the outdated schedule and when we were the ticket counter, we realised the earlier train left 4 hours ago and the next train is not for the next 5 hours..

More than once, friends have asked me this question : Can i hear the train from my place? My answer? I cannot say for sure(i could have been imagining things for all i know), but i thought i could hear the trains while lying on my bed at night when i was younger, much younger of cos..

I guess in a way, trains have that old-world romance to them..y'know..the classic scene where a person runs after the train as it pulls out of the station..where his/her loved one, face and palms pressed against the window, looks back..often with tears flowing down the cheeks. I had actually witnessed first-hand, quite a few of such scenes overseas, not as drama of cos, but heart-rending nonetheless. Running after a plane(not quite realistic) or a taxi(too common an ocurrence to have any significance) just doesn't have the effect..

So..go on..catch the train for one more time..while you still can..
The crowd looking on as the night train prepares for its departure (the train is somewhere in the middle of the photo..sorry for the lousy pic - taken with my lao kok phone)