A rail getaway

A ride on the Eastern & Oriental Express is not only luxurious, but also an emotional and enriching journey. Sindy Chan reports.

I open my eyes on hearing the faint knock on my cabin door by our steward Fanum. As I look towards the window, bright sun rays shine through rows of cassava trees. What a welcoming sight!

We have arrived at Wang Po, which is situated along the Thailand-Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) Railway, also called the Death Railway.

This is one section where I was told earlier that I should step out of my cabin for a better view. I rush to the open-air observation car together with other passengers in the Eastern &Oriental (E&O) Express as the train makes its way through the tortuously winding Tham Kasae viaduct, where the cliffs are barely an arm's length away.

The viaduct is a 300-meter long wooden trestle bridge clinging to the limestone cliff, which faces the River Kwai Noi.