We are sitting on this huge train ride from Butterworth Station in Malaysia - to Kuala Kumpur and I must tell you I was expecting a rambling, butter-coloured colonial railway station with a lovely coffee shop and somewhere to get some delicious food. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed to find it was a few portacabins joined together with about a hundred steps. Nor was there anywhere to buy a drink. But there was an old steam engine..
On this journey I am very struck by the human impact in this part of the world. It saddens me greatly. Fields are flattened and flooded, all the old forested areas have been torn up and replaced with fast growing palm oil trees or banana plantations and huge great chunks have been carved between mountains so we can get through on the train. Tin shacks are quickly erected by builders and workers to be replaced by smaller concrete houses.. The human race marches on in its relentless in its strive to make this planet habitable. Clean rivers are made dirty, thick black smoke occasionally belches out of tall thin chimneys and not much is done about it.
And to think - this is a developing country - we've already done it to where we all live. It's such a shame.
Sarah
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