I’m afraid today’s blog will be short and sweet as my evening hasn’t gone quite to plan. Sometimes news from home can put a damper on the brightest of days. So, I’ll leave you with a few pictures from a day where I got out to explore the phase 2 extension of the Putrajaya MRT line, which opened just a few days after my last trip here.
Tomorrow I leave Malaysia to fly back to Jakarta for a last few days before my plane leaves for the UK. I can’t say I’m ready for that right now, but hey ho…
A Putrajaya MRT train crossing the KLIA airport line on its way into Putrajaya Sentral. The remains of the abandoned and never completed monorail can be seen in the middle.Driverless trains with big windows are fun underground!Tonight we had another major thunderstorm and deluge. These two young Malaysian girls make light of it as they walk through Petaling market in Chinatown.Here’s a video of the storm.
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My sojourn in Georgetown was all too short, but I’m running out of time. Today I’m moving on to Kuala Lumpur. I was awake and out early to make the most of that time, although Georgetown sleeps late. Nothing much is open before 10:00. That said, it’s lovely and cool and a good time to explore the empty streets and take pictures – just not shop!
The first part of today’s trip was getting off Penang Island and back to the mainland. That’s a lot easier now the new ferries are running from the old terminal in Georgetown. It’s just a few minutes away on a bus from Lubuh Chulia (around the corner from where I was staying). The ferries run every 30 mins so I connected with the 11:00 sailing. At Butterworth I discovered a fantastic (but deserted) space that’s been built where the old ferry ramps were. There’s great views back to Penang, and you can ship-watch or just enjoy the breeze. Oh, it has free WiFi too – hence this blog!
A classic view. One of the new ferries passes mine as it heads for Georgetown, with the Komtar tower in the background. This was the first ‘skyscraper’ on the island. When it opened in 1985 it was the tallest building in SE Asia! Goodbye Georgetown. For now…The view back to Penang. Here’s looking the other way. There’s various shop units here but few seem to be occupied. That said, the one nearest to the camera opened up at lunchtime, serving food to a dozen or so local people who helped make the space useful. I’m sure that when more units are let this could become a busy space.
Another good photographic vantage point is the rooftop parking levels at the massive new shopping complex that’s been built at the back of the ferry terminal. This was where I was shooting pictures from in 2023, but where I am now is far more pleasant!
My train leaves at 13:05 and arrives in KL just over three hours later. I’ll update this blog from there. Here it is – an ETS set built by CRRC of China in 2018 but assembled in Malaysia.
15:45.
Wow! There’s working wifi aboard this ETS trainset. Well, in coach C where the buffet is – which is where I’m sat enjoying a coffee (made with coffee bags, and really rather good), checking in with the world and updating this blog. This train’s sold out. Whenever people get off en-route their seat’s been rebooked. The train’s one of the 2nd batch of ETS sets and it suffers from the same issues as earlier ones, such as blown windows that are almost impossible to see through and a lack of exterior cleaning. It’s all a bit careworn too. Even so, it can still hit over 140kph, not bad for a meter-gauge railway.
A busy Coach C, looking along from the buffet portion.The buffet area of coach C. There’s a good selection of pre-prepared local food such as Nasi Lemak. There’s also a small selection of sandwiches for those who prefer plainer fare. Hot and cold drinks are also on the menu. There’s two small tables which seat two apiece next to the counter for those who want to linger.
21:50.
I’m settled here in KL so it’s time to bring this blog to a close. We were a few minutes late into Kuala Lumpur (old station) which is where I disembarked. It’s a much handier location (within walking distance) for Chinatown than the new KL Sentral. Whilst I was there several trains passed through the magnificent trainshed. Sadly, the whole edifice is showing lots of signs of neglect. The hotel which took up part of the main building and kept it alive was closed down in 2011. Since then, the place has been in a slow decline as no plans have materialised about what to do with it. A railway museum was established, but that didn’t last long. The erratic nature and history of the commuter services through KL hasn’t helped – but more of that in another blog.
The vast trainshed and four platforms of Kuala Lumpur station, with the main part of the building to the right. The station was designed by Arthur Benison Hubback in Indo-Saracenic style which was much in vogue at the time.The sad signs of decay in the largely empty main building. A KTM Commuter train calls on the way to Batu Caves.Another SCS EMU passes through the 1986 addition to the station. This was built to allow greater access to the Pasir Seni area and new commercial district. Only now, commuter trains no longer stop here as they’ve reverted to using the main trainshed, leaving it all a bit of a white elephant, although the escalators and walkways are still rather useful to get through to Pasir Seni.
Tomorrow I’ll be having a slow day around Chinatown in order to catch up on a few things in the morning before meeting a Malaysian friend in the afternoon, so expect more blogging and picture updates.
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Surprisingly, I had a really good night’s sleep on the train last night. It wasn’t that it was undisturbed as the track quality can make it a bit of a rocky ride sometimes. Plus, early in the morning, a large Chinese family got on somewhere to occupy the berths around me – but when I slept, it was deep. This is a very familiar journey to me in both directions, stretching back to 1998, so I feel very comfortable with it. It’s familiar.
Not long after 6 am, the train reaches Hat Yai, where it’s shunted and split. Our two sleeping cars plus a day coach are chopped off and parked in a platform awaiting a new SRT loco to take us forward (pics later). Meanwhile, morning ablutions take place in the toilets and washroom aboard, and the process of packing away beds begins.
10:50 (Malaysian time).
Well, that was painless! We arrived at the border crossing of Padang Besar on time and detrained straight into the queue for immigration. Both getting out of Thailand and into Malaysia was easy as you go through one set of controls after the other. There’s around 90 minutes to wait for the connection to Butterworth. Plenty of time to sort out an onward ticket. The KTMB office accepts Thai baht and there’s two ticket machines which take foreign credit cards to pay for the 11 ringgitt 40 sen ticket (around £2).
The 10:35 is worked by a 6-car, Chinese built SCS Electric unit so there’s normally no problem getting a seat – especially as most people crowd together at the entrance to the platform. Head to the rear of the incoming train and you’ll probably find it looks like this!
Don’t assume it’ll stay that way though, this is a local stopping train, and at Arau (the 2nd stop out of Padang Besar), it quickly fills up with people.
14:30.
By the time the train had got to Butterworth it was packed – but fine. People are well-behaved here. Well, unless you count mobile phone etiquette but the UK’s just as bad nowadays only with added levels of stroppy entitlement.
The new passenger ferries have started running since I was last here (2023). I’ll post pictures and an initial verdict later. The bizarre thing is they no longer take cash, but the kiosk at Butterworth accepts Mastercard or Visa. All for a fare of 2 Ringgit (less than 40p).
Thankfully, the buses do still take cash, so my RM1:40 trip to Lebuh Chulia was paid for in ‘slummy’ from my last trip here!
I’m now having a breather before it’s time to check into my hotel in Jalan Muntri. Cheers!
17:20.
Having had a break at the room to download the camera I’m adding a few more pictures from the trip before venturing out now the day is cooling down. It ‘only’ got up to 32 degrees today with Humidity of 64%. I’ll add captions later…
Our train from Bangkok was split at Hat Yai where the last 3 coaches were taken forward to Padang Besar in Malaysia. 5226 backs onto the train to do the honours. Checking tickets in the 3rd class coach from Hat Yai to Padang Besar.One of the new ferries that ply between Butterworth on the mainland and Georgetown on Penang. Call me a nostalgic if you will, but I prefer the old ones.
23:20.
Time to wrap things up. Georgetown is one of my happy places in the world, and I can’t believe I’ve been mad enough to only give myself less than 24 hours here. Plus, I was gutted to find that the really good travellers bar is closed for a holiday. When I say bar, it’s really a shop that spills out every evening, taking over the backstreet outside with tables and chairs. I’ve met some really interesting people there in the past.
Instead, today I stopped to buy a beer from a local shop on Lebuh Chulia (and that shop has a history!) where I met a local who was missing the same place. We ended up chatting for ages.
Meet Eric. A local chap born and bred here but with an international interest. One of those really nice people whom you bump into by chance and one of the reasons that I love travelling. Here’s where we should have been sat outside
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It’s 09:00 here in Thailand and I’m savouring a last few hours around a quiet rooftop pool. I’ve picked an unfortunate day to be on the move as temperatures are forecast to hit 37 degrees by early afternoon. Just when I’ll be on the move!
Right now, it’s a balmy 27 but rising. There’s only a handful of guests up here, making it very peaceful with just the sounds of the birds and gongs from the Buddhist temple below where they’re celebrating ‘Big Buddha’ day. Many businesses will be closed today as a consequence – and no alcohol sold.
I’m going to turn this into a rolling blog and update it through the day, so feel free to keep popping back to see how my travels go…
12:48.
I checked out just before, which gave me time to have a saunter and get something to eat after leaving my case with the hotel conceirge. Dozens of others have left today, which probably explains why the pool was so quiet. Mind you, the streets are too. Many stalls haven’t bothered opening. Still, I managed to find a tasty meal. Shrimps Thai style (Still in their shells).
Now I’m enjoying the cool of the hotel’s lobby whilst waiting to see if Chris can give me lift to the station or whether I grab a Grab!
14:30.
In the end, Chris couldn’t get out of a meeting, so I booked a Grab taxi. The app is very useful out here in SE Asia. An almost brand new MG badged EV arrived and the driver expertly manoeuvred his was through the lighter than normal traffic to deposit me at Krung Thep Apiawat staion with over two hours to spare before I depart for Malaysia.
This station doesn’t have the majesty or history of the old Hualamphong. But what it does have is scale. The place is vast, on multi levels and swallow completely the people using it as it’s been designed with a far bigger network in mind.
That said, it is slowly improving as more shops move in. Now it’s possible to buy freshly cooked food and hot drinks rather than just junk and snack food.
The problem with the station is it’s run like an airport. You’re kept corralled and not allowed onto the platform until 20 minutes before your train departs.
Steamed buns and pork dumplings were just some of the things on offer and the prices were normal, not inflated.
16:20.
Despite the usual confusion from people who’ve never used a sleeper train before everyone settled in soon enough and we left on time. Mine is one of the older sleeper coaches so it’s missing a couple of refinements, but nothing major.
17:20.
We’ve left Bangkok behind to head out into the fertile Thai countryside. It’s also a chance for me to observe the railway being rebuilt as part of the double tracking scheme. Now, little stations like Nakon Pathom have become huge, with raised platforms, footbridges, and substantial staion buildings. The surrounding roads now pass under or over the railway, abolishing all the unsafe level crossings and the traffic congestion they caused. The railway gas installed fencing along its length, but this is suffering mixed fortunes as well worn paths to sections that have vanished betray the fact some locals aren’t happy with losing their traditional shortcuts! The pace of change seems patchy. Some areas I passed through in 2023 seem to have hardly changed. I’m not sure when the project’s due to be finished, but it’s not going to be for a while…
19:20.
Most people in my coach have retired to their bunks now their beds have been made. Mostly for the privacy. Hawkers are still passing through the coach, their melodic (if raucous) cries shattering the quiet, but I doubt they’ll stop me being rocked to sleep by the motion of the train.
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Yup, there’s another day’s blogging gone missing, but that’s mainly as there wasn’t anything to report other than the fact I was lying around by the hotel’s rooftop swimming pool catching some rays whilst I have the chance.
Today was a much more interesting day as I ventured out and finally had a trip on Bangkok’s new ‘yellow line’ monorail which only opened in 2023. It was certainly an interesting experience. The size of the engineering is impressive as the route towers over the streets it runs along the centers of. But, it’s also disappointing. The ride is far rougher than conventional metro systems and the speeds are nothing to boast about. I’ll talk about it more in another blog, but for now I’ll leave you with these pictures from the trip.
All the trains are four-car sets, running on a frequent service. There’s few seats and lots of space taken up by equipment inside the monorail cards.
This evening’s my last in Bangkok. Tomorrow I catch the train South into Malaysia, so it was lovely to meet up with my old friend Chrissorn for a meal and a drink, especially as tomorrow is a big day in the Buddhist calendar so nowhere will be selling alcohol. This was our last chance!
I’ll be spending most of tomorrow afternoon (and all of the night) on the train tomorrow, so I’ll have more time to blog then.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Today’s been another one where I’ve not travelled far as I’ve been too busy sorting out everyday stuff. I was awake by 07:00 when I caught up with the news – all the stuff that’s fit to print, allegedly – and some more expert and intelligent analysis that you won’t find in the mainstream media. For example, if you want considered and fact-checked information about the war in Ukraine. there’s no better place to look than the daily updates from the Institute for the study of war.
Of course, there’s plenty of ASEAN and other European news to trawl through too. After which, it was time to pack my bags and leave my cell – sorry – hotel room. To be honest, for £7 a night it wasn’t bad -it was just like going back 30 years. Well, apart from the wifi access, obviously! My only real complaint was how weak the showers in the shared bathrooms were. There was a gap of several hours between checking out and checking in, but the place I was leaving as happy to store my kit so I went for lunch and a wander. Here’s today’s first course of street-food.
My staple (squash and egg) only this time combined with chicken and bamboo shoots.
By 14:00 I could check into my new hotel. I know the Khao San Art Hotel of old. I think I first stayed here around the mid 1990s. In those days it was called ‘Happy House’ which eventually morphed into ‘Happio’. It became an ‘art hotel’ before I last stayed here in 2023. The place has been refurbished and redecorated, and for what it costs it’s a pretty good cheap-range hotel. As long as you don’t mind the fact there’s no lift – just a labyrinthine network of stairs! On the bright side I now have air-conditioning rather than just a fan, a double bed (nice but not essential), plus my own bathroom with a shower that actually showers rather than just pisses on you!
Budget luxury – as long as you don’t try to swing a cat..
So, I’m all set for the next six days of exploring Bangkok and catching up with an old friend. Oh – hang on, I’m only booked in here for three nights. Maybe I’ll go upmarket and find a place with a rooftop pool for the last few days, especially as I’ve had to cut some places out of my itinerary.
Today I booked onward rail travel through Malaysia through the KTMB (Malaysian railways) app on my phone. Mark, ‘the man in seat 61’ doesn’t recommend it but I’ve been using it for years. The app is really easy to use and lets you choose your seat, which is something many private booking companies don’t. My timetable looks rather different now. I’ll only have one night in my ‘happy place’ (Georgetown, on Penang Island) before getting a train to Kuala Lumpur, where I’ll stay three nights. I’d have preferred it the other way around, but there’s more rail stuff to see in KL. Plus, there’s a friend whom I’d like to catch up with.
My original plan was to continue South by rail to Johor Baru (so I could have a look at the rebuilding of the mainline railway and the LRT between JB and Singapore. That’s out of the window now. To my chagrin I’m having to take another (longer) flight – this time from KL to Jakarta. At least that gets me back in the country I’m flying home from! I’d hoped to fly to Surabaya and make my way back to Jakarta by rail, but that wasn’t to be either. At least now I can concentrate on pictures of the Jakarta rail network and take a spin to Bandung on their high-speed trains. After all, I’ll always come back to Thailand and Malaysia – with the odd side-trip to Indonesia.
Now I’ve all the planning/moving out of the way I’m going to have a day out tomorrow and check out the two new monorail lines that have been built in Bangkok. It’s not a technology that’s really caught on worldwide, although there is one in KL which I’ve travelled on a few times.
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The Prussian General Helmuth von Moltke has a saying attributed to him, which is that (and it’s paraphrased) ‘no plan survives first contact with the enemy’. It’s the same with travelling. I’d planned to leave Bangkok on the international train to Padang Besar in Malaysia on the 9th. Only it’s full. The first available berths are on the 12th. Having checked online I’d a sneaky suspicion that I was going to be frustrated, but a trip out to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station (aka Bang Sue Grand Station) to book a ticket confirmed things. As station names go, it hardly trips off the tongue. But getting there was fun. I’ve no guide book for Thailand, I don’t really need one as I’ve been here so many time before, and the advent of the internet has eaten into their market. The fact ‘Lonely Planet’ guides are so crap they’re a waste of money is another issue (I’ll blog about that another time – honest!) There’s lots of ways of getting to Bang Sue (no sniggering at the back!)
The best way is the Chao Praya river taxi from nearby Phra Arthit pier which took me up river and delivered me at Bang Po. From there it’s two stops on the skytrain, but me being me – I decided to walk. That way, you get to explore and peer into Thai life. Like small businesses like this, which I spotted whilst passing. I haven’t got a Scooby Do what it is they’re making, but I find these places fascinating.
Having secured my onward train ticket at Bang Sue (now what did I say about sniggering?) I had a wander and found the new locomotive depot, which was full of old crocks like this.
I then paid the princely sum of 2 baht to catch a local train to the grand old terminal at Hualamphong, which is just as much a museum as a mainline terminal nowadays. All the long-distance trains have disappeared, along with a lot of the life. Instead, the tracks once used by trains to Chiang Mai and Malaysia are full of relics like this.
Still, there were some great pictures to be had – and as trains are now so infrequent I had time to pop over to and old restaurant opposite the station I know of old. I ordered a beer and the Papaya salad (Tom Sum). The cook asked me if I wanted it ‘spicy’ so I told him yes ‘Thai spicy’. ‘Kin hell – I’m very used to spicy food and regularly ladle the local chilli condiment onto my food, but this was weapons-grade! My tongue was on fire for a good half-hour!
Looks innocuous enough, doesn’t it? This Som Tum was nuclear!
My tastebuds re-appeared just before I caught the 16:30 train back to Bang Sue. Initially it seemed a fairly quiet train on departure. I was in for a surprise! One of the reasons Hualamphong was replaced as the main station is the number of level crossings in the way to Bang Sue. Trains stop at them all – and commuters know this, so stand in the tracks waiting for their train! Like this.
Oh, then there’s the poorer Bangkok residents who simply utilise the railway for recreation…
There’s so much that I could blog about today but the evening’s wearing on and I’m moving hotels tomorrow as well as working out a new itinerary. Hopefully, I’m meeting up with an old Thai friend in the evening, but a blog will still be in the offing…
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It’s Just after midday here in Java and the pair of us are aboard the Mutiara Timur train from Surabaya heading to Ketapang. The torrential rains we had yesterday cleared overnight. Today the weather’s cloudy and overcast with the occasional patch pf blue sky – just to tease!
The Mutiara is made up of older coaches compared to the past couple of services we’ve used. Even so, ‘Executif’ is still comfortable and the air conditioning is set to a reasonable level other than deep freeze. The buffet car is of similar age, but at least we have one.
After leaving Surabaya we were back on a traditional railway with single track controlled by semaphore signals and absolute block working. Equipment that’s been serving the railways since the Dutch era. I’ll describe the journey at greater length when we get to Bali as it’s worth writing about. Java has 45 volcanoes and this line passes several. Seeing then emerge out of tge clouds as we pass really is rather spectacular. I’ll add some pictures just as soon as I can.
Right now, we’re between Probolinggo (the station for people visiting the incredible Mount Bromo) and Tanggul, passing through a landscape rich in rice paddies, Maize and sugar cane. The further East we go, the more rugged the countryside becomes.
The stock for the ‘Mutiara Timur’, hauled by CC20177 18 arrives at Surabaya. The rugged and volcanic beauty of Java.
16:55.
Having traversed beautiful Java through some wonderfully fertile and rugged countryside, we arrived at Ketapang in the middle of a torrential rainstorm! However, that didn’t dampen our spirits and after a short walk from station to port, we’re now on a ferry like this for the trip across to Bali.
Ferries from Bali (in the background) queue to berth at Ketapang in Java.
00:00.
It’s just after midnight here in Ubud, where we arrived around half an hour ago after a four hour 20 minute journey by road from the ferry terminal at Gilimanuk. The road from the port to Denpasar, the Balinese capital is the islands equivalent of the M1. Unless stuff comes in by air or one of the other seaports like Padangbai, virtually everything that’s used on the island that isn’t home produced comes via Gilimanuk. The only problem is their M1 is a normal single carriageway for most of its length – and a single carriageway that follows the contours of the undulating island to boot. It’s chokka with lard-butt trucks of all sizes and cars – with scooters and motorbikes dashing in between them like minnows. It makes for a very interesting journey – especially in the dark!
But we made it. Now to get ourselves settled here in Ubud. There’s no railways on the island but there’s plenty of other things to keep my camera occupied, although tomorrow’s going to be given over to relaxing and getting used to the changes and developments in a place that was once so familiar.
See you tomorrow…
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‘Tis only a short blog from me today as it’s late, I’ve been up since 06:00 and we’ve another early start tomorrow as we’re moving on by train/ferry/bus to Ubud in Bali tomorrow. Today we bid goodbye to Yogyakarta and said a brief hello to Surabaya. We caught the 11:30 train which took 4 hours to transfer us from city to city. It wasn’t a bad journey at all, although the rainy season has really kicked in these past 24 hours. We had an absolutely torrential downpour last night and intermittent rain throughout the morning. I’d been up early as I had to walk into town to get some cash. I’d forgotten about the ATM roulette that one plays in Indonesia. I’d tried several. The first one had faulty buttons, the 2nd wouldn’t accept my card, the 3rd did but then refused to complete the transaction, the 4th would only pay out 1.25m rupiah at a time. Sounds a lot, doesn’t it? (its just over £62). Just as I was losing the will to live I spotted an actual money changer’s outside the railway station where I swapped actual sterling for rupiah and suddenly became a multi-millionare!
I was back at the station a couple of hours later, along with Dawn and all our baggage. Yogya stations grown a lot since I was last here in 1998. There’s extra platforms and the line East has been electrified. Passenger facilities have been extended and the whole station brightened up. There’s even a shuttle train service to the airport.
Our train trip through the rice paddies and sugar cane plantations of Java was a very pleasant one. Whilst the train was busy it wasn’t rammed, but it was on time. On arrival I booked a taxi to our hotel via the ‘Grab’ app. The discount we got from the Grab staff at their hub at Gubeng station meant that the fare to our hotel cost me the princely sum of 63p Once unpacked and settled in at the hotel we arranged to meet a local friend, Bagus – who took us to a very popular restaurant which specialised in local dishes. The three of us chatted whilst enjoying an excellent meal so time soon flew by. Whilst driving us back Bagus offered to give us a guided tour of the city, which we accepted. The tour was enlivened by the fact it was during the middle of a thunderstorm with rain so heavy some roads were flooding!
I’ve liked Surabaya since my first visit and Bagus’ tour confirmed why. It’s got some fascinating architecture and an excellent of restored Dutch colonial buildings along with modern shopping malls and tower blocks. The wide boulevards are tree-lined, giving the place a really nice feel. Dawn was very impressed and – it it wasn’t for the fact we’ve so little time to spare – would have stayed for a couple of days just to explore.
Ironically, despite all the city has to offer. Lonely Planet guidebooks have decided it no longer merits a mention in their new Indonesia guide. To be honest, the new LP Indonesia is complete crap, but I’ll save my revue of it for another blog. Suffice to say, Lonely Planet guidebooks have utterly lost their way.
Now we’re kicking back at the hotel before another early start in the morning. We’ll be on the 09:15 train to Ketapang where we catch the ferry to Bali. It’s going to be a long day. The train journey alone is 6hr30m. We should get to Ubud sometime before midnight, but who knows? If I can I’ll do a rolling blog tomorrow. We’ll see…
In the meantime, here’s what we were scoffing tonight, Nasi Goreng Madura.
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After two nights in Jakarta it was time to move on. Whilst I really enjoyed being back Dawn was finding it hard to reconcile herself to the poverty and squalor that you encounter in parts of the old town. Dee’s not been back to Asia since 2017 and finds some aspects hard to adjust to, whilst I, as an old Asia hand who’s been coming here for 33 years see it as part and parcel of life.
Today was chance for Dawn to see another side to Java, away from the capital. The taxi ride to Gambir station which took us past some of the more salubrious parts of town made her regret not getting to see them yesterday, but c’est la vie. Gambir station itself appears to have been modernised since I was last here, making it a pleasant, hassle-free experience. Scanning your ticket to collect your boarding card’s easy and if you have any problem staff are only too keen to help.
Gambir station’s on three levels. Ground, 1st (with more cafe’s and shops) and 2nd, which is platform level. This is the ground floor.
The stock that formed our train (the Argo Dwipangga) was also modern, having been built by INKA (Indonesia) with parts supplied by CRRC. We travelled ‘Executif’ class. These air-conditioned coaches have 2+2 reclining seats, multi fitting plug sockets and information screens at the end of the car above the door that tell you the train’s coach number, the speed. time of arrival at stations and even which station you’re passing through non-stop. A separate bulkhead screen spells out the rules of travel and even gives you the coach attendants name. The cars also contain separate Male and Female toilets.
The empty stock for our train arrives at Jakarta Gambir.Executif class…
After traversing the busy Jakarta suburban rail network with its succession of stations and frequent trains we broke out into the country and a landscape that soon changed from urban to rural and miles upon miles of paddy fields.
By noon as we approached Dalam Perjalanan we started to see the countryside become less flat with clusters of small hills rising up to break the monotony of the plains. Endless paddy fields gave way to more mixed agriculture with far more tree cover.The railway changed too with level crossings being replaced with road and foot bridges or underpasses. To complete the picture the weather got in on the act. Snatches of blue sky broke up the monotony of universal grey skies that had dogged us all the way from Jakarta.
As a consequence of hitting such rugged country our speed dropped back from over 100kph to little more than half that, not that I minded as it gave more chance to admire the scenery. Whilst Dawn dozed I blagged the empty window seat opposite, plugged in my laptop and began to write this blog, balancing my machine on one of the flip-up tables stored in the seat armrests. As I watched the front of our train twisting and turning along a railway snaking through the hills my only regret was that I couldn’t lean out of a window to get pictures! The line to Karang Sari and beyond has had the Airfix style girder bridges replaces by substantial solid concrete beams bridging the various ravines and valleys the line traverses. The twin tracks complement rather than parallel each other. In many places there’s a large gap in between the running lines, or they run on different gradients – as our Eastbound track takes more leisurely curves. I’m assuming this is because the route was originally single track. As in much of Asia the railway’s also used as a footpath between villages. We passed a steady stream of pedestrians, men working in the surrounding fields or groups of women with colourful parasols walking into town.
We continued to cross the hills for some time. At Notog, a pretty and well-manicured little station I observed the first evidence that this line’s been rebuilt. We passed an abandoned single-track viaduct just before we plunged into the first tunnel on the line. Shortly afterwards, when we passed over a wide river another abandoned single track ‘Airfix’ bridge appeared on our right.
Having breasted the hills, which began to recede in the distance we picked up the pace to hit the heady speed of 115kph for a stretch but the hills gradually closed in again, causing us to pass through the third tunnel on the line at a station called Ijo. Emerging from the dark we entered a different world as heavy, ominous-looking clouds greeted us, causing light levels to drop significantly. Fortunately, the rain they brought with them they dropped over the hills and we escaped back into the sunshine.
Passing through Kutuarjo station which still boasts a small loco depot I noticed several younger people filming our train on their phones. I’d noticed the odd one or two en-route. Rail enthusiasm is alive and well in Java. The addition of new locomotives, coaches and liveries no doubt helps as it adds to the variety. After a very pleasant 6 hour trip we arrived at our destination on time. Resisting the urge to get a taxi I chartered two motorised becaks to ferry us to the hotel – just for old times sake. Needless to say Yogyakarta’s change a lot – but I’ll reserve those stories for another blog.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 