What comes to your imagination when you hear “The Orient Express” mentioned? Exotic, mysterious, elegant travel in motion? Me too.
It has long been my dream to board one of those legendary cars and ramble down the rails for a few days…
and so I did.
Today the “Orient Express” experience has gone far beyond the original Paris ~ Bucharest route, that same spirit of the golden age of train travel is now offered on many different routes aboard the Belmond trains, from the classic Venice ~ Simplon Orient express in those iconic midnight blue trains which follows the authentic 6-day adventure {or shorter versions}; to this amazing adventure in the Peruvian Highlands, which looks most intriguing.
Along with 30 friends, Mr. Splendid and I boarded the Eastern and Oriental Express at the Woodlands Railway Station in Singapore.
Our steward welcomed us to our room and acquainted us with the layout and routine for the ride.
We settled into our room, a blend of Asian and Colonial aesthetics, paneled with intricate cherry wood and Burr Elm marquetry, thickly upholstered furnishings and plush carpets.
As we crossed over the Johor Causeway onto the Malay Peninsula heading towards Bangkok we were excitedly anticipating all of the adventures to come.
Our group filled up the train, so we were able to make a few modifications to the customary itinerary for the “Fabled journey through the Exotic East”.
While we rolled past expansive tea plantations our steward brought us afternoon tea, as he would each day. It was so mesmerizing staring out the window as we rushed by lush landscapes, dotted with occasional villages and farms, sipping our hot tea and sampling the sweets in the comfort of our plush, cozy room.
But we had to break the spell to get dressed for dinner and meet our friends in the Bar Car for the evening’s entertainment.
This train runs from Singapore to Bangkok and back each week, so they pick up different entertainers for each night. Musicians, magicians and puppeteers delighted us as we enjoyed fine french wines and elaborate cocktails {watch this green delight with a flashing ice orb} and continued our Malaysian jaunt.
Dinner was a refined affair, the French chef prepared exquisite dishes that were a blend of French, Malay, Thai and Singaporean cuisine. For instance, this vegetable bisque or Soupe á la créme topped with lemongrass was made with coconut cream instead of dairy cream, giving it a distinctive taste of Thailand.
The compact kitchen was stocked with fresh, local ingredients, like these delicate pea tendrils used for garnish,
and some things which I had never seen or heard of before.
In the video below our waiter grates zest from a “Buddha Hand” fruit over our dessert. Have you ever seen these shapely citrus fruits before?? The exotic fruit contains no pulp or juice, its prized for it’s highly perfumed zest.
While we were enjoying the evening the stewards transformed our sitting rooms into cozy sleeping quarters.
But before we retired we were beckoned by the “veranda” of the train, the observation car, for digestifs and a chance to replay all the adventures of the day with our friends, enjoying the wafting warm winds and scents of the jungle and watching tropical Asia rush by under the full moon.
Would you like to pour yourself a glass of wine or an Eau de Vie, sit down, click on the arrow below and ride with me for a bit? I’d love that!
Just be sure not to lean out.
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