The bane of using public transportation....just when I thought 21st century people were (supposedly) civilised...

It's time again for my periodic dosage of expressing my inner-writer syndrome. My recent experience last week while taking the so-called advanced and systematic (very very overstated here!) public transportation/amenities reminded me YET again why I don't miss hustling around to scour for a seat (or a standing space) in hope that I'd arrive in one piece at my intended destination.

I was quite bogged down with organizing an event last week and it required me (well, it's just that I chose not to drive into the heart of the city during the morning/evening peak hours!) to utilize KL's infamous public transportation systems. To get to my 'place-of-work' for the week, it required me to take 2 separate transportation system, the commuter line to get from my housing area into central KL; and the monorail line to get myself directly to the venue of the event. Sounds pretty manageable....I'll just wake up considerably early and head towards the commuter station and everything will fall into place...and I'd be able to reach my destination on time, get a good seat by the exit point.....and most importantly unscathed, right?..........WRONG!

Picture sourced from some random google search

For the first three days, I woke up earlier than I usually did, got myself ready, performed me' mornin' prayers and my darling wife dropped me at the commuter station while the sun was barely visible at the horizon. I've had some bad experiences about boarding the commuter after 7.15am from my previous morning trips into the city before, so this time around, I'd get to the station before 6.45am and board any commuter train that comes before 7am. Yeah, I was that hopeful that I'd avoid the morning crowd madness so that sounded like a GOOD strategy! So, when the commuter train arrived at 6.55am, I was overjoyed to see that seats were available in abundance and people were not pushing and shoving others just to get onto the train. Smooth ride ahead (wishful thinkin'!).....

Picture sourced from yet another random blog (Mr Blog-owner, if you happened to come across my blog, kindly let me use this image for free, otherwise contact me and we'll discuss a settlement fee...NOT! :p)

And then, it happened. A few stops/stations later, the train finally made its' stop at an 'infamous station'.....famous for being THE station where people will keep on rushing in and cram inside the train coach to utilize every single inch of standing space! Bummer! To make it worse, for every single morning I took the commuter, there seemed to be a 'ring-leader' or some sort who acted as a 'conductor'.....kept on shouting 'Ahhhh, boleh lagi...masuk dalam sikit!!!'....loosely translated as 'Go further inside, there's still space'.....even though there weren't any!

Things went from bad to worse. By the third day, I grew very irritated when I realised that the 'ring-leader' in fact, came from that very same infamous station where uncivilised people boarded the train. Being squashed is an understatement......being 'cram-packed in a sardine can' is a more suitable description to describe the madness of the morning crowd! There was one time when I was practically clinging to a nearby bar for my dear life since I couldn't get a steady footing on the train floor; while those so-called 'civilised passengers' from eveyone's 'favourite' station rammed in.

By the time I got into the city to hop on the next transportation system, my shirt was already wrinkled beyond recognition. If not for the business coat that was required to be worn at the event I'm attending, one must've the thought that my shirts were not ironed or something! As an added bonus, passengers from the commuter ride were also treated to a concoction of different 'pleasant' smell as a result of the 'unwilling' close-bonding-session!

Image borrowed from: http://www.thekualalumpurtraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/tn_kl-monorail.jpg

My trip on the monorail was pleasant, as the crowd was much more relaxed and civilised (save for a small number of 'bad apples' who pushed their way to the front of the waiting line, I suspect these must be remnants of people from the 'infamous' commuter station!'). Although I arrived quite comfortably at my destination using the monorail, my earlier morning trip on the commuter had really jaded me and left me rather fatigue to say the least.

And so for the remaining two days, I've decided to drive and brave through the morning rush hour traffic to get to my destination. I tell you it was WORTH IT! Nevermind the fact that I've incurred more cost (fuel + toll etc.) but to arrive comfortably at your destination in your own car, accompanied by the radio and soothing air-conditioning is something you wouldn't have traded with the 'pleasant' commuter train ride! To the people who boarded from the 'infamous' station, you know who you are....not that I expect you to read this blog or whatever......I just want you people to know that you've redefined the meaning of 'lowly civilisation' in my dictionary.

Man....I wonder if I'll be crazy enough to go through the morning frenzy ever again!

'Nuff said....