The real reason for this trip to Asia was to travel on the Eastern & Oriental Express, the side trips to Indonesia and Bangkok ahead of boarding the train, provided a good filler and of course we visited a new country.

The E&O Express was due to depart Bangkok Hua Lamphong station at 17.50 on the Saturday afternoon and travel 1,246 miles to Singapore (Woodlands Checkpoint) via Kanchanaburi (for the River Kwai), and Malaysia for a stop at Kuala Kangsar, before arriving on the Tuesday morning.

This was going to be an epic trip, one hopefully of great food, luxury train compartments and some interesting company. The train only carries a maximum of 84 guests as it makes its way between Bangkok/Singapore so it's quite a small group trip.

Prior to boarding we checked in at the E&O lounge on Platform 12 at Hua Lamphong station and our luggage was taken away. Two of our small overnight bags would be in the cabin with us on the journey and the larger bags would be locked away in the luggage compartment until Singapore.

Once on the train we were shown to our Pullman cabin which would convert into a lower and upper berth at night. There was a full en-suite toilet/shower and air-conditioning, something that the sister train, The Orient Express, does not have. Larger cabins were also available, but even though a little bit tight on space there were plenty of storage areas for clothes and accessories in our cabin - there was WiFi too!

Leaving bang on time we headed out of Bangkok bound for Kanchanaburi (for River Kwai) where we would enjoy an off train excursion the following morning. Prior to that there was dinner to have as well as some drinks in either the piano lounge car, or the observation car with its open air verandah. Dinner was fabulous and the attentive staff in the piano bar ensured that you were never waiting for a drink.

After breakfast in cabin we got off the E&O at Kwai Bridge railway station and hopped into a mini-bus. We had booked on the cooking tour on the River Kwai, but first we got to visit a local market - making sure to dodge the motorbike delivery agents making their way through the narrow aisles. From the market we went to a rice noodle maker, never again will I question why rice noodles are, for example, £1.50 as the amount of work required is just staggering.

The next port of call was to join a river raft to cook some Thai cuisine. Heather, the ever reluctant chef, made some Tom Kha Gai, a chicken/coconut soup and I was set to work making a spicy pork salad. Both dishes were very good, but having had breakfast just a few hours earlier, and lunch was planned for our arrival back on the train we didn't want to eat too much. We did however enjoy the champagne served up . . . . it was only 10.30 in the morning after all.

With lunch, dinner, breakfast and a brunch to be had before we would next alight the train the following afternoon it is hard to really recall how we filled the time other than eating and drinking. Actually, with a fairly small number of people on the train, it was easy to strike up a conversation with just about anyone, the majority of people were native English speakers (Australian, American and English were in the majority), but there were Germans, Indians and Swiss also on board and all spoke English. Most people seemed to have travelled, or were happy to discuss other travelling options they might like to consider in the long term. It was a great way to share and receive travel ideas!

Getting off the train after the second night on board saw us going on a bit of a hike. It was a 200m ascent, but over a distance of around 2 km, this would not normally be a problem but the heat and humidity certainly made it challenging. Once at the top there were great views across the forest and much needed cold drinks were served.

So that had us onto our third and final evening on the train, it was going to be a shame to be leaving the E&O Express, but having had so much food (and drink) over the previous few days a change would be as good as a rest and the clothes did feel a little bit too snug.

The piano bar seemed to be a bit more lively on the final evening. There was even a bit of a sing-along once the ABBA tunes were twinkled on the ivories, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and for the crew this was the final train before a six week break.

The following morning we awoke with about 100 miles to travel to Singapore. It seemed that everyone had enjoyed the trip, and this was an experience that we would certainly do again, but just when this would be is a challenge in itself. There are so many other plans we have on the cards . . . . something will have to give!

There is no denying that a trip on the Eastern and Oriental Express is expensive, but you are paying for not just an exclusive experience but the travel, all the food, drinks and three nights accommodation too. This is one trip that will be forever in our minds - it really was fabulous!

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