Eastern and Oriental Express
Singapore to Bangkok in style
Arriving at Singapore's Keppel Road Station our bags were whisked away
from the private check-in and we were ushered into an air conditioned
waiting room; giving the first indication of the luxury and service
we would come to expect from the Eastern and Oriental Express. This
would be the second time I had taken the rail journey from Singapore
to Bangkok; but as I was beginning to discover there would be little
similarity between the two journeys. The first had been in 2nd Class
on the national rail service and involved cramming my 6ft frame into
a seat designed for your average 5ft Asian. This second journey would
be in all the splendour and colonial style of a bygone era; cherry lined
cabins, afternoon tea and a bar car with a pianist.
The Eastern and Oriental Express runs a couple of times each month
between Singapore and Bangkok and provides the only through service
between the two destinations. The train itself was designed by Gerard
Gallet who also designed the famous and original Oriental Express to
Venice and from the moment you board it succeeds in evoking the traditions
of grand luxury train travel.
The train departed Singapore in the afternoon and headed straight into
mainland Malaysia, all border formalities were completed by the train's
staff, and passports were returned by our butler later in the journey.
This kind of attention to detail and service is what makes the E&O
so special. We settled into our small but luxurious cabin, and were
promptly served afternoon tea. As we would learn eating well was very
much part of the E&O experience, from breakfast served in our room,
afternoon tea of scones and pastries in the observation car, to evening
meals in the dining room - during the 3 day journey we would become
accustomed to food that we wouldn't have believed possible to prepare
on a train.
 By
the first evening we had arrived in Kuala Lumpur where we disembarked
for a short stroll around the station and surrounding area. An hour
later we re-boarded and began to prepare for our first evening meal
on board. Dressing up for dinner is expected, a jacket and tie are the
minimum requirements for gentlemen. Unsurprisingly my wife leapt at
the opportunity to get dolled up and once we arrived for dinner we were
very glad we had made the effort as many passengers were in the full
finery of tuxedoes and ball gowns. You can choose to sit on your own,
or join others for dinner, and I would certainly recommend the later;
after all the E&O experience is as much about the people you meet
on board as the journey you make. On our 3 day trip we had dinner with
a shipping magnate from Panama, took lunch with some honeymooners from
Japan, and sipped port with a couple of bankers from Dallas.
After dinner you have the choice of retiring to your cabin, or joining
the rest of the train in the bar-car for after dinner drinks and entertainment.
This involves the piano and lots of show tunes, and even if that doesn't
sound like your thing I can assure you that it's well worth the effort.
The next morning we awoke after a great nights sleep to be rolling
into Butterworth for our mornings tour of Penang. After being ferried
across the sea to Penang we were taken on a pedal powered rickshaw tour
of Georgetown - this proved to be one of the hi-lights of our trip as
what was supposed to be a gentle procession through the streets turned
into a cagey battle for optimum position as the rickshaw drivers fought
with one another to give their passengers the best views of Georgetown's
historic buildings, and therefore give themselves the best chance of
a big tip.
 Once
back on board we relinquished our passports again for another seamless
boarder crossing - this time into Thailand. The early afternoon was
spent drinking G&T's served in the observation car. We whiled away
a pleasant afternoon as the paddy fields we had seen from our cabin
window earlier in the day began to be interspersed between the massive
and dramatic limestone outcrops that are associated with the Krabi area
of Southern Thailand. After another fine meal we retired early to catch
up on our reading and prepare for another busy day.
Morning of day 3 saw us wake to find we had worked our way to the end
of the Thai peninsula and were heading north of Bangkok to the famous
Bridge over the river Kwai. After breakfast we left the train at Kanchanaburi
where we watched from the trackside as it crossed the famous bridge,
before we embarked on a river cruise and history lesson. We ended the
morning's activities in the cemetery and death railway museum - both
proved to be extremely interesting, informative, and moving. The scale
of both the undertaking to build the railway, and the atrocities associated
with its construction remain with me today.
We re-boarded the train for the last push towards Bangkok. Arriving
into this bustling city and the subsequent bun fight to get a taxi and
negotiate the traffic really brought home the tranquillity and calm
that is travel by luxury train. If you enjoy your people watching, and
like the thought of meeting an eclectic mix of the worlds more extravagant
travellers whilst rolling through beautiful scenery then this is the
journey for you.
More information about Thailand
Travel
The Eastern and Oriental Express can be booked through Travel Nation
and starts at £1110 per person for the Singapore - Bangkok experience
as detailed above.
Travel Nation can also book all of your pre and post train arrangements
in Thailand and Singapore so please contact us on 0845 3444 225 for
details.
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