Seremban to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

In Malaysia most commuters prefer to drive instead of taking public transport. However I prefer the latter as my daily train ride from Seremban to Kuala Lumpur gives me a chance to relax and reflect instead of being cooped up in a traffic jam, crawling in a line of northbound cars on the Federal Highway.

I have to wake up early for my daily journey, as there are few express trains that ply the route. My usual express train leaves at 06:55 and arrives at Sentral Kuala Lumpur, or Kuala Lumpur Central Station, at about 08:00. The service is run by Keretapi Tanah Melayu, the government-controlled train authority of Malaysia. If I miss my usual train, I jump on the next regular train instead. However the journey may take as much as another half an hour to an hour longer, depending on delays. The next train is at 07:20 and only reaches Central Station at about 08:45 or later.

One way tickets on the KTM Komuter service cost RM6.00 (approximately USD2.00 or GBP1.50). I invest in a monthly Kad Karib pass, which can be used on Komuter and Light Rail Transit lines within Kuala Lumpur. This costs me RM100, and I manage to bypass the queues when I need to change transportation mode. The express train passes idyllic countryside, lush greenery and sleepy villages, through the satellite towns of Nilai and Bangi, then the university – Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), before making its first stop at Kajang.

The seats, which were relatively empty before, start to fill up. I am dozing, shifting slightly to make space for my fellow passengers. There are construction workers carrying their tools, students with their notepads, suits and their suitcases. The train is air conditioned and this early in the morning, the day’s heat and humidity have not yet seeped into the carriage. More scenery flashes past – we pass Bandar Tasik Selatan, or South Lake City, which always reminds me of Salt Lake City in the USA; Seputeh, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumur; the behemoth bulk of Midvalley Shopping Mall and then finally, we arrive at Kuala Lumpur Central Station, a sleek, shiny, modern station of steel and glass. I invariably wake just in time to alight at this stop, alerted by some internal alarm clock. From here it is a quick walk across the road to my offices, next door to the Hilton Hotel.

Join this commute between Seremban and Kuala Lumpur

Hong Kong Commute: Ma On Shan to Wan Chai

My commute starts in Ma On Shan, a town in the Eastern New Territories. Ma On Shan is governed by Hong Kong’s ‘Rural Council’, but it is anything but rural – nearly 100,000 people live in 30-storey apartment blocks crammed into an area one-quarter the size of Manhattan.

7:00 am: I leave my flat, and take the elevator down to the second floor. To save space, apartment blocks are built above shopping malls, so my elevator leads straight to the mall. A short walk past McDonalds (Hong Kong has the highest rate of McDonalds consumption in the world, and seven of the world’s most profitable McDonalds) brings me to the Ma On Shan bus station (still indoors!).

7:05 am: I catch the 807k green minibus (technical term: ‘public light bus’) to University train station. Minibuses are a strange invention – they are fairly large, rickety, and seat 16 people, but their drivers treat them like race-cars. To prevent them speeding (frightening elderly passengers), the Hong Kong government requires minibuses to install large speedometers inside the passenger cabin, so you can see exactly how fast the bus is travelling. If the bus crosses local speed limits, the speedometer beeps, much to the irritation of the gas-happy driver.

7:15 am: I arrive at University station, which runs on the Kowloon-Canton (East Rail) line of the MTR, Hong Kong’s train network. This particular line is overground, and the oldest in Hong Kong – built in the early 1900s by the British government keen to secure influence in Southern China. The trains are clean and modern, helped by metal seats (uncomfortable, but easy to clean) and a no-eating policy that has landed me in trouble on more than one occasion.

7:16: Trains typically arrive within 1 minute, and it is a fifteen minute ride to Tsim Sha Tsui, the terminus of the line, and tourist capital of Kowloon, the second most important region in Hong Kong.

7:30: A short walk along Nathan Road past world-class hotels, hawkers selling fake watches, and a torrent of people brings me to the Star Ferry, Hong Kong’s oldest but most celebrated way of crossing Victoria Harbour. It is half transport, half tourist attraction, but for less than 50 US cents, it offers an elegant way to cross the harbour. The harbour itself is spectacular, flanked on both sides by skyscrapers that rival New York.

7:35: Five minutes on the ferry, and I’ve arrived at Wanchai, a business area, but also a party center on Hong Kong Island itself. A short walk, an elevator ride up to the 48th floor, and I arrive at my desk. It’s time to work.