Zoom, zoom! The Shinkansen in Japan is definitely an experience to try, but it isn’t a cheap ride. — Pixabay
I’m not a big fan of railway travel when I’m on holiday, unless it is for a short distance or I’m riding in one of those high-speed trains. Or perhaps the super posh Orient-Express train service in Europe.
Having said that, though, I have been on numerous trains to get from one city or state to another while abroad.
My favourite is the Shinkansen service in Japan. It was during a work trip, and our group was shuttling from Tokyo to Osaka on Japan’s famed “bullet train”, the Shinkansen. On a normal train, the journey would take about six-and-a-half hours, but with the Shinkansen you can arrive within two-and-a-half hours.
The service is nice not only because it’s fast, but because of how smooth it is – you won’t really notice that it’s moving, unless you look out the window and see the buildings, cars, trees and people zoom past you.
The seats are also spacious, comfortable and clean. Granted, this was 17 years ago so I can’t be sure if the Shinkansen trains are still clean, or need to be updated today.
Our host had bought us a bento from the station, and like many things Japanese, it looked too kawaii to eat.
Fast forward a few years later and I found myself on an overnight train ride from London to Zurich, Switzerland. I had booked the cheapest seat, which means no “bed”. I figured that if I could sleep in my seat on a plane, I should be able to do the same thing on a train.
And I did, but not without interruptions. The journey took about eight hours and had a few stops in between. At each stop, you can’t help but wake up from your slumber because new passengers would board. Also, I was incredibly anxious that someone would take my luggage, whether mistakenly or purposely.
I wish I could sleep with one eye open sometimes.
Besides all that, it wasn’t really a memorable journey (the train’s movements were minimal and it wasn’t too loud either) because it was at night and everything was dark.
But when morning comes and you’re already in Switzerland, the view drastically changes and whatever discomfort you may have felt before then, will be forgotten.
And then there was that train ride from Delhi to Agra in India. We were on an express service that had first class cabins, so the four-hour ride (or thereabouts) itself was really not as bad as some tourists make it out to be. The seats were comfortable and the cabin was fairly clean. I used the restroom and it was bearable (perhaps a little stinky but I suppose that’s expected).
However, the views you get as you enter certain districts can be ... entertaining to say the least.
At one point, we saw people having a fist fight, with a crowd nearby looking like they were cheering – or egging – them on. At another place, we passed by some houses, and women and kids were just sitting on the dusty roofs waving at the passengers.
The good thing is that train services in India keep improving. Apparently, there is a service now that could take you from Delhi to Agra in about two hours. This is indeed wonderful news for international travellers.
The train to Sapa was clean and safe, but if you have problems with motion sickness, you may want to take some medication. — MELODY L. GOH/The Star
The train ride that “broke” me is actually the Hanoi-Sapa overnight service in Vietnam. If you want to visit Sapa (or Sa Pa) in the north, there are three options to choose from: the train, the bus or a private car.
I chose the train because I thought it would give me a more memorable experience. I guess it did, but not in a nice way.
An overnight train ride may sound romantic and fun but in reality, it’s one incredibly loud and shaky six-hour ride. I had a “semi-private” cabin that I shared with two other passengers, chatty female locals who kicked out a fourth passenger – a man – who claimed that I was sleeping in his berth.
I actually had no idea if I was, but since he did not put up a fight or report me to the porter, I assumed he was also wrong. Either way, my cabin-mates had my back, and even offered me their snacks.
Each passenger gets a bottle of water, a small pack of biscuits, clean sheets to cover the mattress, a pillow and a thick blanket.
All of which, to me, were useless because I couldn’t sleep a wink. The sound of the engine was too loud, even though I had noise-cancelling earplugs on. The carriage also vibrated so badly throughout the whole ride. The two ladies slept soundly, though, so perhaps it was just a “me” problem.
In the morning, about 90 minutes before the last stop, a cart lady walked down the aisle selling coffee and pastries. There was a common washroom for passengers to brush their teeth and wash up; I suggest you wake up very early if you want to use this space as the floor gets very wet (and disgusting) once everyone is up.
The toilets are not too bad but the train shakes so dramatically it may be difficult to manoeuvre yourself while you’re in that tiny space.
When you get to the Lao Cai station, you would need to take a van to take you up to Sapa (it’s included in the train ticket). That ride is about 40 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic.
When you finally do arrive in the hill town, though, you will be rewarded with a gorgeous view of the mountain range and Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest peak.
Sapa has many cultural attractions to check out. I was there to cheer on friends running the annual mountain marathon, so we only had time to visit a few spots. I’m sure I will go to Sapa again, but maybe next time I will take the bus instead.
