Swaying with the motion
I jolt awake.
“It’s 7.30am, ma’am. You’ve missed the sunrise,” chirps cabin steward Prachak Thaweephol.
Disoriented, I reach for the knob and croak, “Already?”
“Yes. I’ll bring you breakfast at eight, and if you need anything in between, just press the buzzer. It’s easy to lose track of time here but remember, we disembark at 8:30am,” smiles Prachak. He must have seen one too many late birds.
I am on a four-day, three-night train journey on the Eastern & Oriental Express (E&O) from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and back. Despite the jolts and swings, my Pullman Compartment, the smallest of the three cabin models available, is so comfortable I want to continue snoozing.
The volcanic eruption in Iceland combined with the political unrest in Bangkok caused massive cancellations so instead of a full train, we only have a motley bunch of 14. After the first night, two couples disembark leaving 10 — three couples and four solo travellers — to wine, dine and mingle.
