Bangkok to Singapore on the Eastern & Oriental Express
© Rowena Carr-Allinson
"This is still the most exotic way to see this part of the world, a civilised way to see the backyards of the country" says the train's manager. And I couldn't agree more. The Orient Express has a mythical quality which has been with me since I can remember. Tales of eccentric and eclectic travellers taking a voyage to far flung places have been lurking at the back of my mind since childhood. Movies, books and stories told, had me waiting for the day where I might too, be part of that chosen few, that group of distinguished passengers heading to an exotic destination. We arrived at Hualampong Station on a hot, muggy morning in Bangkok full of anticipation. Entering the Orient Express lounge was the start to a journey in a parallel universe. Outside, baggage handlers were scurrying around while passengers waved their goodbyes. Inside, we checked in and were seated for brunch by the Maitre D'. "Would you care to share a table?" he asked. Of course, I thought, who knows who you meet on the Orient Express....
As I stepped aboard the elegant dark green and cream wagon, I was transported back in time. I fully expected to see two English spinsters, an Austrian baroness and Hercule Poirot having tea in the Restaurant car, while, in the corner, a glamorous blonde puffed seductively from a cigarette holder, as she flirted with an elderly gentleman.
The Bangkok to Singapore route has only been operational since 1993, but the Orient Express team have ensured the cars all ooze traditional colonial poise mixed with Thai style and Malaysian grace. In fact, Ulf Bruchert, the manager, confides that the train was modelled on the one in the 1932 Marlene Dietrich movie 'Shanghai Express'.
TVs, radios and constant mobile ring tones are conspicuously absent. A luxury and a rarity today. Yet there is no time to get bored. From leaving Bangkok and its tin-roofed shacks, houses on stilts and diligent communities on the rail side to the bright lime green jungle; it's simply impossible to stop looking out and taking in the diversity of life.
On day one you are invited to the Bridge over the River Kwai. This excursion includes a boat trip and a stop at the cemetery where many British and Dutch POWs involved in building the 'Death Railway' lie. As you flow down the river listening to the story of the River Kwai remember to drink plenty of water as the heat can be a knockout - literally for some. To finish off the tour, the guides give a small tutorial on lotus flower folding. Having folded the perfect lotus flower, I felt peculiarly proud of my achievement.
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