For the love of Trains






I have a deep fascination for the Iron Horse, I mean the train. My love affair with trains started way back when I was a wee lass of 7, wearing pigtails and frilly frocks.  In fact, the credit goes to my parents who introduced me to rail journeys as in their days, railroad travel was the most safe and wonderful way to travel. Those days, the steam locomotives reigned supreme and played a significant role in people’s lives, sealing their omnipresence all over the country.
For me and my parents, train travel was an escape from all things routine, making our love for it stronger with the passing years. Wherever we went, the villages, rice fields, farms, sleepy towns, quiet rivers or tunnels through jagged rocks, everything was one panoramic painting. I am very sure that this provided travelers almost a year’s therapy worth of stress free living during those days.

As I grew older, the golden age of Indian Railways was gradually being overshadowed by the introduction of buses.  They were cost effective and much more efficient in terms of reaching destinations quicker than trains. That is why buses are the most widely used transportation system nowadays! But that didn’t extinguish our love for the locomotive. We use to pride ourselves in being self-proclaimed brand ambassadors of trains. Our adoration was largely the talk of friends and family, some were amused and some found it too unrefined. Though we had our average share of bus commuting and air travel, train journeys enlivened us.

I am 27 now and have travelled almost the length and breadth of my country through various express trains and in all types of classes. Being a writer, every journey has been worth putting pen to paper. My curiosity and inquisitiveness led me to all the six rail museums of India.
It’s been a while since my parents passed away and I didn’t find anyone as enthusiastic as my parents up till now.

I always take a yearly retreat to travel and plan almost 4 months from the day of departure. So, this year I planned to unearth the elegance and glamour of luxury rail travel onboard ‘The Palace on Wheels’. It is an 8-day luxury rail journey around the popular Golden Triangle of Northern India, starting in New Delhi and travelling across Rajasthan to end the journey in Agra at the Taj Mahal. I went looking for good discounted offers online and after a few disappointments got a great offer by this travel agency called ‘Women Special Tours’. They had five women already and required a sixth to make the group complete. I punched at my laptop like ‘I gotta have this, it’s mine and solely mine!’ With a whisper of a prayer, I pressed ‘ENTER’. Woohoo! I got it!

This was one dinosaur of a Ladies only Tours package. The destination route of New Delhi – Jaipur – Sawai Madhopur – Chittorgarh – Udaipur – Jaisalmer – Jodhpur – Bharatpur – Agra was an exotic assortment of amazing historical sites, cultural programs and the chance to relive the erstwhile royal way of living.  This train was a moving heritage hotel with the Khidmatgars (attendants) always at your service, I felt like a ‘maharani’.

Women Special Tours made a train enthusiast’s experience opulent, luxurious and enthralling, amplifying my love for trains and what they hold inside their magical compartments.

About 'Women Special Tours':  Would you like to go for a ‘Ladies Only Trip’ which is full of fun, excitement, games and unforgettable experiences? Then you are looking for us. If you have any query or you want us to share your travel stories at our blog, contact us at ToursWST@gmail.com or +91 – 9810555106

About the Article Editor: Kimberly Jane Thomas is a Blogger, Writer, Communications Trainer, avid music buff and loves literary fiction; but more than all these, she loves to listen to the animated conversations of her kids. She considers life a blessing in the guise of challenges. She wouldn’t have it any other way. You might meet her someday during one of our tours.

Please note: Above story is a fiction work of the author.  However; we are committed to creating similar kind of emotions, experiences, and stories for our women travelers. We hope one day you will also be traveling with 'Women Special Tours.' 

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