Chugga chugga....

Chugga..chugga..choo! choo! ....thats what the kids sounded like when we brought them for a train ride yesterday. It was a short 15 min train ride but a first for the kids and one after more than 10 yrs for wifey and I. The ride only costs 80cents one way for an adult and 40cents for kids below the age of 5. Only catch was it was free seating and seats weren't guaranteed. Luckily, there weren't many passengers and we managed to get seats.

The station was pretty deserted, apart from the few waiting passengers. The station's very quiet. While waiting for the train to come, the kids were busy running around the station and being the curious lot, they wanted to see and touch everything. The newstand and canteen was closed, wonder is it permanent (not enough patrons) or just cause of the holidays. With budget airlines being so cheap these days, it's no wonder that trains are not the prefered choice these days.

During the train ride, while the kids were busy pointing out the things that they could see (cows, houses, boats), it did bring back thoughts of the train ride I used to take to go back to my hometown during my college days. Though the ride's slightly longer than that compared to a bus, it offered a different kind of scenery altogether and the rhythmic clanging of the wheels agains the tracks will lull you to sleep. During the festive season, you didn't have to worry about jams on the road as well.

I'll always remember the canteen coach. Used to go there during train rides with my late granny when I was much much younger. And I would bawl like mad when it came for the time for her to go home.

On the return journey, Nicole was tired (after running around the station) so she fell asleep. Daphne on the other hand was still cooly enjoying the ride, 'making friends' with the other passengers.