At 9am on Monday morning I caught a wooden longboat back to Kuala Tembeling and out of Taman Negara. There really is no way to describe the boat ride other than extremely pleasant. Other than spotting a few colorful birds, I enjoyed the sun on my shoulders and the peaceful ride. Once back in Kuala Tembeling, I caught a bus to Jerantut, the town that is, for many, a launching pad to Taman Negara.
In Jerantut by lunch time, I walked over to the train station to catch the so-called "Jungle Railway" up to Kota Bharu. The railway is notoriously slow, stopping at countless stations as it makes the journey from Gemas in southern Malaysia to Kota Bharu in the north. That said, it is supposedly a beautiful ride through pristine jungle and rainforest and passing by small town Malaysia and magnificent caves and limestone outcroppings. Regardless of its pros or cons, I wanted the Jungle Railway to be my mode of transport northbound.
When arriving at the ticket counter, however, I was told that all classes were sold out for the 12:45pm train because of the fast approaching Hari Raya (the feasts that accompany the end of Ramadan). Alternatively, I could take an 11:00pm or 1:00am express train, but that would defeat one of the main reasons I wanted to take the train - to see the sights and get a taste of rural life in Malaysia. I could also take the bus, but that, to me, was equally unappealing. I asked if there was any way that I could get on the 12:45pm train. It turned out that there was. If I paid double the regular fare (25RM or about $7.50) I could get on the train without a guaranteed seat. I'd say it was a pretty raw deal, but it was my best option.
I waited on the platform for a half hour until the train rumbled up to the station. As I got on to the car I asked if I was permitted to sit in an unoccupied seat, dashing towards some of the few open ones once I received a reply in the affirmative. Just after settling and as we were about to leave, the ticket holder for my seat appeared and I was forced to move. However, I found a seat (in fact, two!) within the same car. Thankfully, I was able to retain these two seats to myself for the duration of the lengthy journey.
Initially, before it started raining and the sun went down, it was extraordinarily hot. And smelly. (I detected a healthy mix of vomit and B.O.). Once I got used to it, however, I was able to appreciate my surroundings, both within and outside the train. The train itself was relatively clean and modern, with restrooms on either end of the car and comfortable seats with a decent amount of legroom. I was the only westerner in the car, with the rest of the travelers appearing Malaysian with a sprinkling of passengers of Indian descent. Almost all of the women on the train were dressed conservatively, wearing headscarves and baju kurung, a beautiful, long and flowing silk tunic and skirt covering everything below the wearer's neck except their hands and feet.
The view outside the train was beautiful. We passed through small towns, palm oil and rubber plantations, pristine forest, rivers, mountains, caves, and particularly interesting limestone outcroppings (especially around Gua Musang). As the train ride went on, I noticed that the girl in front of me, sitting next to her mother, kept turning around and smiling at me flirtatiously. She finally got up the courage to say something to me in perfect English, of course: "Your eyes are very beautiful." I thanked her and we talked here and there over the next several hours. My spelling could be way off, but her name was roughly Azien and she was nine years old with chubby checks and warm eyes. She was very curious about what I was doing in Malaysia, where I was from, where I was going, and so on. Each time she had something to ask me, her head would pop up above the seat and she'd say "Uncle, uncle!" to get my attention. Her mother, Kelaya, was also very friendly and even invited me to stay the night at their house and spend Raya with them. Their house was a bit out of the way and, with limited time, I had to politely decline her offer.
After about nine hours we finally arrived in Wakaf Bharu, the closest stop to Kota Bharu. I caught a taxi into town and managed to find a decent hotel, Suria, which had a nice-sized room, cable television, hot water, and air conditioning (all for only $18). Starving, I headed for the night market. Even though it was now almost 11:00pm, the market was absolutely packed and incredibly vibrant. I was the only white person around and it seemed that everyone else was Muslim and wearing traditional dress. The women were wearing beautiful silk baju kurung of all colors and admiring those up for sale at the market and the men were all trying on new songkok (traditional head covering). The market was just so full of life! I think this was the first time that I truly felt I was in Malaysia. Although I did attract some suspecting glances, I never felt the least bit unsafe, in part because I knew that, unlike Cambodia, no one around me was drinking. It was quite a nice feeling.
Having perused the market for snacks and finding nothing but dried fish and baked goods, I headed back towards the hotel where I had seen a street vendor. There was a long line, so I knew it had to be good. Moreover, I hadn't really eaten any street food yet and the culinary selections in Taman Negara were somewhat limited. When I got to the front, it was not traditional Malay fare on offer, but hamburgers with a Malaysian twist. I got two of them and joined others on the street to chow down. Not the most traditional meal, but it certainly satisfied my stomach.
Following a good night's sleep and my first hot shower since arriving, I set out to explore Kota Bharu in the daylight. There were some interesting architectural sights, including some beautiful museums and a palace. Most of the action, though, was in the morning market, a circularly domed market with a ring of meat and fish vendors around the outside and vegetable vendors in the middle. Like the market the night before, it was incredibly lively and very-well organized. I spent a good half an hour on the second level just watching the activity below.
Though I wished I could stay in Kota Bharu a bit longer, I had packed a lot in to the twelve hours I was there and I was ready to hit the beach at Pulau Perhentian.
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