Comments on: Taking the Indian Pacific Train Across Australia: PART ONE

By: theprofessionalhobo

theprofessionalhobo — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:11:11 +0000

@Darren – I found that most of the passengers on the Indian Pacific – Aussie or International – were quite sociable. There’s a difference between sitting on a local subway behind a “distraction-device”, and sitting on a train like the IP, which for many who take it – IS the destination of sorts. When you’re on vacation, you tend to open up a little more easily I find.

By: Darren

Darren — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:58:13 +0000

🙂 I thought it was going to be a travel guide – that’s great for people travelling through Australia, but I’m glad you focused on one of the characters.

It’d be good to hear a little description about that woman – an insight into her look and your thoughts on the reasons she acted that way. I’ve met many people like that – they impose their culture and expect it to be adhered to, without any consideration for yours. A little compromise would be nice. It’s interesting to study these people and also remain civil when they act like an imbecile. But meeting a variety of people, does make life interesting.

I was wondering, apart from the international travelling-folk on the train, what were the aussies like – sociable or not so? I talk from a British point of view; passengers sit with a ‘distraction-device’, such as a newspaper, mobile or book to avoid any eye-contact with fellow passengers. Nobody wants to interact, so it’s rather difficult to under the characters, except for making a sweeping judgement.

By: theprofessionalhobo

theprofessionalhobo — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:16:40 +0000

@Jools – As for the sour woman, I pretty much avoided each other for the rest of the journey, but we were at least polite to each other! 🙂

By: Jools Stone

Jools Stone — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:25:53 +0000

Sounds great Nora, can I ask please how much was your trip and what does the Auspass get you? Do you just pay a sleeper supp per night? I haven’t done either yet, but have read that the Trans Siberian can be quite boring if done without any stops. Quite monotonous scenery for most of Siberia I suppose.

I hope the sour woman got her commupence later!

By: theprofessionalhobo

theprofessionalhobo — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 02:51:17 +0000

@Buzz – I get it! Slight misunderstanding…sorry about that! Thanks for clarifying. 🙂
I too, look forward to the next big train ride!
BTW: Happy New Year…

By: Buzz

Buzz — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:38:21 +0000

Please don’t take yourself or me so seriously; like I said, “all good”.

You emphasized (in bold): “I actually wanted to see if it’s possible to become bored on a train.”

I was suggesting, and used a , that Ausrail might not be the best place to investigate that question. I took the Ghan a few years ago, and it was so nice I didn’t want to get off. A similar length trip I did in India was … “different”. It was physically not possible to disembark the train at times due to so many bodies being crammed in the aisles.

So as I said, I look fwd to your continued investigation of long train trips in all their variety.

By: theprofessionalhobo

theprofessionalhobo — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:45:30 +0000

@Buzz – How on earth is it cheating? 🙂 Do you mean that by traveling by train in a western country, I’m cheating? Or by using the Ausrail pass? The Ausrail pass is the best – and cheapest – way to experience Ausralia’s rail system; for one price, you get unlimited access to the rail networks. That’s just good sense! 🙂

As for Delhi to Bangalore in 2nd class, I’m not above that, by any stretch. But I hope you don’t measure travel stripes by uncomfortable hardships borne or the number of bugs accidentally eaten in your sleep…it’s a backpacker-elitist approach, along the lines of people suggesting who “real travelers” are by virtue of how far “off the beaten path” they get.

@Joost – Awesome itinerary! So far, I’ve done bits of it in pieces:
1) Singapore – KL – Bangkok
10) NYC – Toronto (I grew up taking this train every summer to visit my grandparents…it’s what kindled my love of long-distance train travel!)
11) Toronto – Jasper
12) Jasper – Prince Rupert

An in fact, there’s a ferry from Prince Rupert that travels up the inside passage to Skagway, Alaska. I’d be tempted to take this option instead; it’s cheap and apparently quite stunning.
(Then again, I’d imagine Alaska Railroad would be equally stunning. Have you done it?)

By: Joost

Joost — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:43:20 +0000

But a trying how long you can take the train without boring is no cheating, it’s a good experience between you and yourself. After all, could you remember you once had a settled life and job?

By: Joost

Joost — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:42:07 +0000

Hi Nora, the ultimate no-flying trip is from Singapore to Fairbanks, Alaska. And this is the itinary:
1) Singapore – Kuala Lumpur – Bangkok by train
2) Bangkok – Phmon Penh by train/bus for Cambodian section
3) Phmon Penh – Saigon by train/bus for Cambodian section
4) Saigon – Hanoi by train
5) Hanoi – Beijing by train
6) Beijing – Moscow by Transsib
7) Moscow – Cologne by train
8) Cologne – Brussels – London – Southampton by high-speed trains
9) Southampton – NYC by boat, the Queen Mary 2. Operator Cunard Line. Travel time 7 days
10) NYC – Toronto by train, the Maple Leaf train
11) Toronto – Jasper by the Canadian transcontinental
12) Jasper – Prince Rupert by the Skeena train
13) Prince Rupert – Whittier by the Alaska Marine Highway
14) Whittier – Anchorage by Alaska Railroad
15) Anchorage – Fairbanks by Alaska Railroad

Yours, Joost 🙂

By: Buzz

Buzz — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:56:10 +0000

All good.

But I gotta say, seeing how you like long train trips by going Ausrail is rather cheating isn’t it? 😉

This series isn’t complete until you’ve reported from India! May I suggest Delhi – Bangalore? 2nd Class.