BACK ON TRACK

The return of Belmond's iconic Eastern & Oriental Express four years after the pandemic shut it down brings the romance of train travel to the wilds of Malaysia.

- Arati Menon

I pried open the blinds, letting dawn's opalescent light into the cabin. Outside my window, wild forest zoomed past. All night, the train had barrelled up the "jungle rails", a historic set of tracks that spans the length of peninsular Malaysia, from its southernmost tip to its border with Thailand in the northeast. It would lead us to Taman Negara, one of the world's oldest rainforests and the last refuge of the Malayan tiger.

I was one of 56 passengers, hailing from as far as Texas, Romania, and New Zealand, who'd boarded the previous afternoon at Singapore's Woodlands station to experience the return of the Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train, Southeast Asia, four years after it was shut down by the pandemic. Over three days, the train would bear north on the eastern coast to Taman Negara, then backtrack and head up Malaysia's more populated west coast to Penang, before looping back to Singapore. We'd pass forests, paddy fields, and townships while cosseted in the silken luxury for which Belmond's sleepers are renowned. For its second coming, the train has retained its trademark exterior green and gold, but the interiors have been carefully restyled. My cabin was bathed in peacock blues and jade greens, with vintage touches like brass lamps and fine marquetry. A velvet couch turned into a bed at night; cherry wood panelling concealed a full bathroom. This was my private oasis, where I enjoyed breakfast and high tea in solitude.