Take the train and admire the time

When I was a kid I had a romantic notion about trains. After seeing countless movies set on trains I longed to take one for myself. Unfortunately, as an American, all we ever did was drive anywhere, or fly if the distance was too great. When I was about seventeen, I finally got an opportunity. I had to travel from NJ to NC. My parents offered to buy me a flight but I opted to take the train. My father scoffed. “You’ll regret this” he declared. I ignored him with visions of James Bond, sleeping berths, dining cars, and serene countryside dancing in my head.

The trip started out ok. I boarded the Amtrak in Philadelphia, found a quiet car, and settled down with a book. It was 5pm and I intended to catch a little bit of the scenery before darkness fell. The train took off and my spirits were high. Seventeen and on my own, a thirst for adventure and a promising start. The lull of the tracks soon brought weight upon my eyelids and I drifted off into pleasant slumber. That lasted all of about ten minutes when a conductor prodded me demanding to see my ticket. He told me I had to move to the Greenville, SC car so they would know to wake me up when we arrived there at 5am. I followed him to a jam-packed car filled with boisterous people. I found a middle seat next to a guy about ten years older than I. “Only 11 hours and 47 minutes to go,” he declared with a smile. Screaming laughter of a card game from the row behind pierced me ears. Four sleepless hours later and the card game was still going strong. I stirred to get up. “Only 7 hours and 35 minutes to go,” my neighbor informed me. I made my way to the dining car/bar and fired up a cigarette. The blessed smoke high only lasted a few minutes before I was kicked out of the car by some jerk conductor claiming I needed to be 18 to smoke. I begrudgingly slinked back to my car. “Only 7 hours and 2……” Shut the fuck up was in my head but the only words that came out were a meekly “please stop!” The roar of the card game continued.

When I emerged from the train at Greenville, sleepless and haggard, ears ringing and body throbbing, the only thing my father could do was laugh. “I’ll stick with planes and cars,” I mumbled, eating his crow before falling sound asleep for the short ride home.

It was years before I would take a long train again and when I did it wouldn’t be in the US. But oh what a thrill it was. Through international travel, I have rediscovered the thrill and excitement of train travel. Be it the modern high speed trains of Korea and Japan to the slow rumble of the old trains of India and Myanmar, train travel is the way to get around a country.

Unlike on the bus, room to get up and walk around

The first thing that one notices is the convenience. In developed countries, the trains are generally pretty punctual, usually leaving the exact minute it says on the ticket. You can roll up to the station a few minutes before the departure and hop on, knowing full well what time you will be at your destination. No sitting on runways for hours in a cramped cabin without any leg room after being herded like cattle through security. You can bring as much luggage as you want and all the food you want. Some trains even have spots to park a bicycle! Trains stop a lot and some stops are longer than others so there are often times you can hop off and grab something on the platform, although most trains have people coming around and selling things such as beer and food quite often. No waiting around for some grumpy flight attendants to serve crappy in-flight meals.

place to park bikes

A lot of times when traveling it come down to taking a train or a bus, especially in developing nations. In this case, I will always advocate taking the train, even if it is old, slow, shaky, and crowed with locals. The first reason is safety. No matter how much the train feels like it is about to fall of the tracks, it is a hell of a lot safer than some reckless bus driver who may or may not be hopped up on ya ba, barreling down two lane roads at high speeds in the middle of the night, passing everything in sight. Most of the trains run during the day so you can actually see some of the countryside you traveled all the way around the world to see. Oh and they are full of locals! Isn’t that the point? Cruising down the coast of Thailand in an overnight tourist bus with a bunch of other tourists isn’t really giving a lot of chance to interact with the locals, is it? Plus the air con is always turned to the max and the bus drivers usually pump up the volume on some awful karaoke videos. Taking the train gives you a chance to stretch your legs, walk around, meet and talk to the local people. It gives you a chance to travel.

A good time to interact with locals

Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not all peaches and cream. Some of you may have tons of stories of nightmarish travel by rails. I have quite a few of my own. Trains running days late. Trains that stopped for hours upon end in the middle of nowhere. Mosquitoes and grime and loud neighbors, adverts that ran throughout the night. Travel can be harrowing anywhere in any form. But I gotta say, I find train travel to be the most comfortable and exciting.

Killer views!

Train travel around the world is a lot different than in the States. It is both a convenient and scenic way to get around. Someday, maybe high speed trains will come here as well and we can give up those long dangerous drives or the nightmare of air travel we experience in the States. For now, get abroad and when you do, take a train or two. You can read all about a few of my train trips in detail here. What are some of your tips and trips riding around on the rails? Please comment.