The managing editor and marketing manager of MICE in Asia had the opportunity to experience travelling by rail onboard the Eastern & Oriental Express from Singapore to Bangkok.The deluxe train travel through South East Asian countries of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

On the Pullman train, which is of a quarter of a mile in length, it can accommodate 132 passengers in 66 air-conditioned cabins. Service on board the E & O includes a personal butler and fine dining. Lunch and dinner are served at two of the train’s luxurious dinning cabins with food prepared by chef Yannis Martineau. For some relaxation, the lounge car offers drinks and snacks, and in the evening music by the resident pianist and a cultural Thai dance. Also on board is a reading room, and at either end of the train, is the observation deck where passengers can take in the sounds and sights of the tropical forests.

During the journey, the E& O luxury train stops in Penang for a short excursion of the island. Before its final destination, the Hualampong railway station in Bangkok, the train crossed the Bridge over River Kwai at Kanchanaburi. Here passengers alight for a tour of the River Kwai and a visit to the war cemetery and war memorial museum.