Tenom has been lovely, and we've really enjoyed our time here. But I think the highlight of our stay has been the little train trip we did today, as partial compensation for the big train trip we weren't able to do on Monday (see the Tenom post).

We trotted down to the station, established that we could indeed go to Pangi and come straight back, but we'd have to buy a separate ticket for the journey home, as you can't buy returns. So we bought our tickets. MYR 0.65 (GBP 0.10) per person per direction. Bargain of the century, as it turned out.

There's soothing flute music playing, but the station is now alive with activity. The incoming train pulls up, and people get off with loads of stuff to take to the market. The train bustles off to the shed for whatever it is trains need to do when they have a break. A quick cup of tea and a butty, maybe.

Meanwhile, the school milk supply for Pangi has arrived in a van, and is being transferred to a trolley. The milk guys don't need visits to the gym, if they sling those cartons around a few times a day...

Anyway, the train trundles back, and the passengers get on board, and the milk gets on board, plus the trolley-that-travels-with-the-milk. And we're off.

There's a reasonable number of people. I'm not sure there are many other transport options into Pangi.

We'd embarked on this little journey thinking it would just be fun to ride the train. We had no idea it was going to be so spectacular.

M. Michelin used to categorize things as "interesting" (ie, go if you happen to be nearby); "merits a detour"; or -- la creme de la creme -- "vaut le voyage", ie this is something that is worth the journey all by itself.

Believe me, Tenom to Pangi on the train "vaut le voyage".

The track twists along the side of a deep valley, with high rocky walls and gazillions of interlocking spurs. Alongside you is a boiling river. Nigel, who's more mechanically minded than I am, particularly noticed the tight curves. Occasionally, there'll be a request stop, but the whole 11-km route takes about 25 minutes.




















We jump off to buy tickets back to Tenom, but there's no particular hurry, as the school milk has to be unloaded:



Then we're off again:



At one point, not far from Tenom, we slow right down, because there are two dogs running along the track in front of the train:


Once it had finally occurred to their canine brains that it might be better to head off at right angles, the driver made ready to accelerate again. But no -- there's a quick bit of braking -- because now there's a cat, making his leisurely, don't-hassle-me way across the tracks...

And shortly after that, we have a lady making as though to cross, oblivious to all the frantic hooting. But she thinks better of it, turns back, and is given some safety advice by the driver as we go by...

I hope they clear the landslide. I really do. Because if the rest of the route has only a fraction of the beauty of this section, it's got to be way up there in the world's wonderful rail journeys.