Scenic Train Travel

Nothing stimulates the romance of travel like a choo-choo. What's funny, I don't why know this is true. Maybe it's the confines or the repetitive thumping of a imperfect wheel on a steel rail or possibly the casual speed of the train relative to the scenery. I don't know. My guess is... it's the movies that created, dramatized and glamorized train travel. Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable chasing after a train to catch Ingrid Bergman or Eva Marie Saint will do it every time. Since I'm not a child of the Fifties, that's my parent's generation, I was educated through westerns and war movies on television. What's not more romantic to a young boy than to climb on a train escaping your mother's apron strings and seeing the world? WOW!

Trains stimulate the adventurous imagination more so than planes. Again, I'm not sure why. It's just, planes seem so "business". If you have a weekend or even better, a week to indulge yourself in adventure then take a train ride. Here are a few I highly recommend:

Rocky Mountaineer - http://www.rocky-mountaineer.com/ - this train travel company's routes bubbles over with scenery. Everywhere you look in the Canadian Rockies you will find majestic alpine mountains and abundant wildlife. The Rocky Mountaineer takes advantage of this opportunity as well it should. There are several routes to choose, all are good, but I recommend a Vancouver to Jasper National Park through Fraser Canyon...amazing.
The Mount Ranier Scenic Railroad - http://www.mrsr.com/ - a 90 minutes ride through the foothills of Mount Ranier in a vintage 1920's locomotive makes for a fine day.
The Royal Scotsman - http://www.royalscotsman.com/ - This fabulous train takes you on an elegant 4-day journey. What great way to see the ever changing countryside of Scotland.
Deccan Odyssey - http://www.thedeccanodyssey.com/ - A 21 coach train travels eight days safely through India passing thriving beach communities, quaint towns and impoverished villages from Mumbai to Maharashtra. Quite the eye opener.
The Blue Train - http://www.bluetrain.co.za/ - South Africa's Orient Express travels 27 hours from Cape Town to Pretoria. Very elegant, a little pricey, but a interesting experience overall. 1.5 Thumbs Up
Xining, Qinghai-Lhasa Tibet - This rail line opened to passengers in late 2006. The 1000+ kilometer trip from Beijing to Lhasa (the capital of Tibet) is an architectural masterpiece through the Himalayans rising over 16,000 feet at it's highest point. A ticket for this 650 mile trip is less than $75. Unbelievable.

Interested in more? Don't hesitate to email me at theTravelValet@gmail.com

AL, the Travel Valet
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