Raub Day Trip

 

I was mulling the next town to explore when I suddenly thought of Raub. A quick Google search ensued and one Friday morning, I took the train to Titiwangsa to get to Pekeliling Bus Station to find out the bus operators and schedule and ended up purchasing the return ticket to Raub for Saturday, 20 November 2021.

 

The bus left at 08:03 and we arrived at Raub bus terminal near the main market. I had thought the bus would make a stop at Bentong but it didn’t. Oh well, never mind. I walked around the market to the main road and walked to the Clock Tower and then up the hill to a colonial-era bungalow. The bungalow was well-preserved and looked to still be in use. There was a No Trespassing sign though so I didn’t linger. I walked down the hill and paused to look at the Raub Magistrate and Session Court before continuing on.

 

I walked to the former Police Station. The building dates back to 1907 and it looked well-preserved too albeit no longer in use. I then walked along this road to the shophouses, some dating back to pre-WWII. It was a one-way street and pretty busy as it links Gua Musang in Kelantan to this town. I walked until the junction then turned left. After checking the street art at Lorong Dato’ Abdullah, I walked on, crossed the road and walked up to Raub Resthouse, a beautiful white building which was no longer in use. What a shame. I spent a few minutes here walking around.

 

I went down and crossed the road and headed for Jalan Lipis. I walked all the way to the Methodist Church, Hindu temple and Kuan Yin Temple before turning back. I then turned into Jalan Tengku Abdul Samad and walked to Raub Lake Garden. I was probably the only person walking around!

 

The Lake Garden consisted of a small lake and there were not many trees around it. I sat at what looked to be the only ‘gazebo’ before turning back.

 

On my walk back to the town centre, I passed a bus terminal but I didn’t stop to check. I wanted to have an early lunch at Rokiah Sate but it was closed so I walked on before finally deciding on Restoran Ratu Rasa which was near the market and the bus station. I was at the bus station at 12:21 and sat waiting. There was a bus there but no other passengers. After a few minutes, I decided to ask and went to the counter. Thankfully, there was an elderly man behind the counter so I asked if that bus was the one leaving for KL at 12:30. He said, 2:30 p.m. I was confused and said no, I already bought the 12:30 bus ticket. He looked at me and said the 12:30 bus would depart from the bus terminal at the District Council buildings. I quickly left and walked as fast as my legs could carry me, dodging traffic along the way. I was beseeching to God all the way there to let me catch the bus, please oh please.

 

I reached the bus terminal at 12:35 and had never been so glad to see about twenty other people waiting for the bus before. I asked a girl and she said she was also waiting for the 12:30 bus to KL. Phew, Alhamdulillah. I managed to arrive before the bus after all. I’d never been so happy that a bus was delayed before, I tell you.

 

Well, the bus arrived at 12:45 and we were off at 12:50. It was a smooth journey back – and no, we didn’t stop in Bentong on the way back either. We hit the traffic jam as we neared Pekeliling. I disembarked quickly and went to the LRT station for the train to Ampang.

 

So that was my Saturday. I’m surprised that Raub didn’t get more visitors. It’s a charming compact town and well worth a short trip.

What Is There To Say

 After Hulu Selangor, Kuala Selangor and Tanjong Malim, I decided to take the train to Pulau Sebang/Tampin on Saturday, 6 November. I rode the MRT to Kajang then changed for the Komuter train. The train was late by only a few minutes. There are only two train services daily that go all the way to Pulau Sebang so there were a lot of people on the train although most of them went down at stations before Pulau Sebang. We arrived around 11:30 and I walked into town.

 

For some strange reason, I found myself humming ‘Apo Nak Dikato’ when I was there. Never mind that I could barely recall the lyrics.

 

Sawah leba, kobau banyak (sawah leba, kobau banyak)

Air pigi sojuk sekali (air pigi)

Sunyi sapo takdo oghang

Apo nak dikato

Kalau boleh nak bising-bising

Macam pokan Tampin

 

I didn’t quite find much that caught my eye and after barely half an hour, decided to find the first bus out. Yes, bus, because the next train out was the last service of the day and would only depart at 17:25. I saw some buses and made my way to the bus terminal. It was deserted at first but when I sighted another bus, I returned to the bus station and there were two buses to Seremban there.

 

I found out that the first bus would leave at 12:30 and so I hopped on it. The fare was RM6 and the bus took us into the heart of Negeri Sembilan to Kota, Rembau, Pedas, then Senawang. We reached Seremban Terminal 1 at 13:55 and I quickly went to find if there were any 14:00 bus back to KL. The first bus was bound for TBS (no thanks) and the next bus to Central Market was departing at 14:30 with no sign of the bus. So I turned back and walked like mad to the train station. I had to follow a circuitous route to check my temperature, scan the QR code and of course the train would have to be at another platform. The train arrived just as I was panting my way and I hurried as fast as my legs could take me, taking the stairs two at a time. I couldn’t run so I tried to walk faster and I was on the bridge, across it and then down the stairs and dare I hope it? Yes, I made it somehow and almost collapsed onto the first vacant seat I found. After catching my breath, I saw another vacant seat in the next coach and changed seats. I rode the train all the way to Mad Valley.

 

It was an all too brief visit to Pulau Sebang and Tampin but I didn’t regret making the trip. And no, Tampin wasn’t a noisy town at all. The usual traffic noise and hustle and bustle of a town but that was it.

A Very Short Trip To Tanjung Malim

To continue on the geographical theme I had unconsciously set, from Kuala Kubu Bharu and Kuala Selangor, I decided to take the train up to Tanjung Malim. I missed the MRT train by a minute and arrived at Sungai Buloh station at 10:23. I couldn’t see the commuter train at the platform (you could see the platform when you get down from the feeder bus) and when I checked the screen, thought I saw the train leaving at 10:40. However, the next train that came was the ETS train so I had to wait for the 11:40 train instead. Strewth!

 

The train finally arrived and I boarded it. It reached Tanjung Malim 63 minutes later. I was surprised at the condition of the station. We had to walk up the stairs to cross the tracks – I think I saw the lift but it didn’t appear to be working so what if one was disabled or a senior citizen needing help to climb those stairs?!). There appeared to be some minor construction work but no one was there and I didn’t know if the construction work was abandoned or the workers didn’t work on Saturdays. I then went to find the bathroom but it was closed. When I walked out, I saw sign for another bathroom and was not amused to find it was also closed. What a discouraging start already, I thought.

 

The town seemed deserted and didn’t seem like a university town at all. I walked towards Sultan Idris Education University less than a km away. The main gate was closed so I had to make do from taking photos from outside the gates. I didn’t spend a long time there because there wasn’t much to do besides taking pictures and it was also starting to drizzle.

 

I turned back and dropped by Masjid Jamek to perform prayers. After prayers, I went to the old town. I was conscious that I had little time left if I wanted to catch the 14:40 train back to Sungai Buloh. I could take the train after that but it would only depart at 16:35 and I couldn’t imagine what else to do in those two additional hours (if only the National Education Museum wasn’t closed!). Anyway, as it turned out, I needn’t have worried as the old town was pretty compact anyway.

 

I bree

zed through the old town (the old and new towns are divided by the train track), walked past Kampung Kubu which is the birthplace of the town. Then I walked to Jalan Besar (main road) with its two rows of shophouses built in the early 20^th century by Hokkien immigrants.

 

I then stopped for a quick lunch at Restoran Ghani before walking back to the station. And yes, passengers needed to climb up the stairs to cross the tracks to the platform. The train left on time.

 

I may visit the town again, probably some time next year when the Sultan Idris Education University celebrates its 100^th year. Hopefully the museum will also be open on my next visit. My dad had also expressed his wish to visit his alma mater when I mentioned my trip to him. InsyaAllah.