Fraser's Hill Day 0

It all started and ended with a taxi ride. Let's go somewhere, I told ally. diving in thailand or backpacking in vietnam. well it nv got to that, but i wldn't say these 2 options wld be better.

my halfday leave was dragged down by work... at 2+pm i decided to cancel it, coz wasn't worth it anymore. had "no objections" from my manager, who didn't bother to ask me why i still returned to office after work.

so rushed home at 520pm, hurriedly packed, and did unnecessary stuff like showering before rushing out again with hurried goodbyes for mum & dad - their travelling smurf is off again, with his own travelling smurf.

10pm: the bus company was very malaysia style - lots of shouting, lots of chaos. so i didn't feel much different when we crossed over. it took a bloody long time though. we waited a long while for the bus to start, waited to crawl thru sg customs, and took a while to read every bus liscence plate at m'sia customs until we found ours; breathing in plenty of noxious fumes along the way.

at least the bus to KL was comfortable enuff - it better be, we paid $47 for it. ally fell asleep quickly as usual, while my mp3s kept me company until i dozed off. woke up in KL 4.30am, had prata for breakfast, secured our bus tix home with multiple tries, and then read book + newspaper (i always wanted to buy a copy of The Star - m'sia's number 1 tabloid) at the wrong Puduraya platform until signs of life started stirring. then the fun began. we asked abt the bus to Kuala Kubu Bahru and were sent back and forth 2-3 times Puduraya and it's surroundings.

1/2 hr before panic time ensued, ally happened to ask a bus driver who pointed us to somewhere and told us the bus was straight that way. we walked thru the almost deserted streets and came across the bus stop, and was told the bus was further on. luckily we managed to find the correct bus in the end - C S Bus Bus no 43 to Rawang. there we could connect to Metro bus no 36 to KKB. the KL-KKB service was disconnected yrs ago. that's wat happens when ur sole source of info is the internet.

the bus driver and fare collector were very nice, told us we could hv a drink at the kopitiam next to the rd coz they wldn't leave for 1/2 hr more. it was then i noticed something abt KL kopitiams/prata shops/anyplace that sells food. even if u only had a drink, u'd come out feeling as oily as a pisang goreng.

the bus ride was ok... 1 hr and uneventful. at rawang we were directed by the nice bus driver and fare collected to alight, and get bus no 36. i guess ppl are nice when you are. we stood around amidst the chaotic traffic, old shophouses and dug up roads for a while, looking out for 36. soon enuff we got tired of looking and jumped into 7-11 for some snacks, and sure enuff - 36 came along. a watched pot nv boils.

a short, middle-aged man at the bus door asked in cantonese if we were going to KKB, and let us up. couldn't help but notice he had a tiny right shoulder, and his arm was limp. made me think if he had dislocated his shoulder in a really bad way. poor guy. probably no access to good healthcare.

ride was uneventful too - and we got to KKB just nicely, the bus to Fraser's was already there. KKB looked like it nv changed since 5 yrs ago i was there. the bus station still looked like the one i waited for hours in so many yrs ago. the same plastic seats, worn and discoloured, were still there.

the last bus ride was exciting to say the least. smooth PVC seats gave no grip whatsoever as the driver skillfully negotiated every turn in the mountains, keeping the vehicle on the road and from sliding off it, like his passengers in our seats. there was just enuff straight road opportunity to use one hand to take out my jacket, with the other hand strangling the bar in front of me to keep me from landing on the floor. my jacket stopped me from feeling cold, but didn't stop me from shaking uncontrollably.

14 hrs and 5 buses later, we arrived at the iconic clock tower. 15 yrs later, I arrived at Fraser's Hill once again.