For the most part, people have heard all about a little train journey called the Orient Express which is steeped in history, nostalgia and adventure – which you can read about here.
However, there is another journey which offers a similar experience – the Eastern & Oriental Express which travels from Bangkok in Thailand down through Malaysia and on to Singapore over the space of three nights. The journey can also be undertaken in reverse order from Singapore to Bangkok.
Having experienced the Orient Express and been amazed by it, it was a no-brainer that this should be on our list of journeys to do. This is our amazing adventure on the Eastern and Oriental Express….
Check-in is at the Hua Lamphong station in Bangkok at around 4:00 p.m., once checked in all that’s left to do is relax in the waiting room. At around 5:00 p.m. you get called to board the train and as you approach, it looks impressive, the mural of colours and tigers on some of the carriages was a surprise.
We were greeted by our cabin steward who will be our point of contact for the journey and will also look after any requirements we may have as well as converting our room to sleeper mode in the evening.
Our room (a Pullman) is a decent size and has it’s own private ensuite which is pretty cool. It’s also spotlessly clean and has plenty of clever storage areas for all your bits and pieces.
It’s recommended to bring just one carry-on bag per person and check anything else into storage, which is what we did. There would have been room in the cabin for all our bags but it would have been too cramped.
On arrival there was a bottle of sparkles in an ice bucket being chilled, along with a bowl of fruit and some water. There’s also slippers and gowns to wear in the evening to relax in the cabin.
This train has an open observation carriage at the very back of train along with a bar. Fortunately for us, our carriage is towards the back of the train so we’re right next to the observation carriage.
There’s a dress code on the train which is described as “understated elegance” for women for dinner in the evening and a jacket is required for men, however, as this is a tropical climate, casual is perfectly fine for during the day, although they do ask that guests not wear sports clothing.
Unlike it’s European counterpart, this is an all-inclusive trip, meals and drinks are included, however, you do have to pay extra if you order some of the fancier drinks such as champagne, brandy or and aged whiskey.
The train departed Bangkok station on time and given the sheer size of the city, it took almost an hour before we were out in the countryside. After getting settled, we walked the entire length of the train. Along with the observation/bar carriage, there’s also a piano bar and two restaurants. However if you fancy a drink in the privacy of your own room, all you have to do is ask your attendant and they’ll bring it to you.
There are two sittings for dinner and lunch, 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. for dinner and lunch is 11:30 a.m. (crazy early) or 1:00 p.m. Needless to say we went with the later options. Once we were ready for dinner, we enjoyed a glass of champagne on the observation deck.
As the train is full and space is limited, most tables are set up for four people so whether you like company or not, you’ll have to dine with other guests for several meals although there are a small number of tables just for two.
Our dining chums for the first evening were an Australian couple, both semi-retired and they were lovely, plus it helped that they were three sheets to the wind during our meal.
Dinner is four courses, an amuse bouche, starter, mains and dessert. There’s also plenty of bread served and as much of the included drinks as you like.
For this meal, they served a spicy soup as an amuse bouche, a prawn and tuna starter and a choice of barramundi or duck for mains, we both went with the duck. Dessert was a chocolate dome with some fruit which was ok. The food overall was pretty good, given it’s main influence is Asian and you’re on a train travelling through South East Asia. The head chef on board is French, but as well as Asian flavours he also uses Mediterranean flavours for a lot of the dishes, with a smidgen of French of course.
After dinner, we retired for the night and our room is now transformed into sleeper mode. For a lot of these train journeys, an uninterrupted nights’ sleep can be hard to come by, however, not for the first night as the train remained stationary for most of the night as the stop we had arrived at was also the stop for the following day’s excursions.
The next day breakfast is served in your cabin and the cabin is changed back into day mode. Breakfast was continental and consisted of bread, pastries, juice, coffee and the like. We had our breakfast early as were doing one of the excursions so it was an early start.
When boarding the train ,you get to pick from a choice of excursions you’d like to do over the course of the journey. For our first one, we picked the Bridge on the river Kwai. We disembarked at the bridge made famous by the movie. After a few photos, we all hopped on a barge for a little trip down the river. There’s also a history lesson of sorts by a man called Rod Beattie who runs the Thailand Burma Railway Centre museum.
It was fascinating to hear all about the history of WW2 and how the railroad came to be and the tens of thousands of POWs and imprisoned locals who died as a result. His main purpose, however, is to help anyone who may have had a relative who was killed around this time and give them any information they may have from their records at the museum and if it exists, to show them the grave.
As part of the trip, we visited the museum and afterwards, we visited one of the graveyards, of which they have three around this area. We were also given two small wreaths made of flowers to place on any grave we like, we chose two graves of unknown soldiers.
After a few very interesting hours, we were back on the train and continuing our journey. We arrived back just in time for lunch. For lunch we had prawn salad to start and spiced fish for our mains along with a dessert of mango, sweet dumplings and a fruit salad.
After lunch all that was left to do was relax and watch the world go by, either from the window in our cabin or the observation car.
As if we were not full enough, afternoon tea was served in our cabin at around 4:00 p.m., which was nice, some scones, pastries and a savoury snack along with a cuppa to hold us over until dinner.
For dinner that evening, we were served salmon for our starter and for our mains we both went with the steak. Dessert was a pineapple mousse of sorts.
The following day we had a later start as our next excursion was not until after lunch plus, we also had to go through customs as we were now entering Malaysia. The process was straightforward but does take just over an hour to complete. As well as the guests having to alight from the train, all the staff have to do the same.
Once we were through and back on the train, we grabbed lunch, dim sum to start, followed by cod with some strange tasting veg and a green coloured dessert that tasted like fennel.
After lunch we got ready for our next outing. We had opted for the village tour which turned out to be much better than we thought. There’s always the suspicion that it’ll be a load of blarney and you’ll be taken for a ride. But no, it was really good. First, we visited a small farm area and tasted honey direct from a hive of non-stinging bees. Then you see rubber being extracted from trees and all manner of other interesting farming techniques, much different from home.
Next it was on to a family home, where you’re made welcome and fed some Malaysian snacks and you can wander around their very interesting garden. There’s nutmeg, lemongrass and peppercorns all growing wild, sort of like blackberries at home. Next, we went to a blacksmith who uses metal from old trains to make knives, hatches and the like for farmers. They were of exceptional quality and I would have liked to have bought one, however, he does not sell to tourist, just the locals.
As it was the last night on the train, there was some entertainment thrown into the mix, as well as the resident piano player (Patrick), they had a girl and two guys dressed in traditional outfits and dancing around the piano bar. It was actually really good fun and impressive, after all they were hopping around the place on a fast moving train in a very busy piano bar.
For dinner we had asparagus, spiced fish soup, lamb and an Asian inspired concoction for dessert, which was let’s just say … interesting. We finished off the evening with one last drink before hitting the hay. The next day there’s but a few hours before we arrive at our destination, Singapore.
We got up early to catch the sunrise but unfortunately, it was pretty cloudy so we were happy grabbing a coffee before breakfast. By 10:00 a.m. we had arrived at the Malaysian/Singapore border and about five minutes later we were in Singapore. All that was left to do was go through customs and grab our bags.
The journey on the Eastern and Oriental Express was fascinating, the changing landscape from dense jungle, paddy fields, rundown villages and mountains off in the distance was fantastic, the excursions and the staff who could not have done enough for us, really added to the experience. Who knows, perhaps someday, we may even do it again, in the opposite direction.
Until next time,
C&J
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