Just Back From ...
The Rocky Mountaineer
By Bill Lee
For me there's always been something special about embarking on a train journey - something that invokes words like 'adventure' and 'romance'. Paul Theroux was on a winner with Great Railway Bazaar as the magic of rail travel is in most readers imagination before the book is even opened.
| This particular train is not the chugging steam of ‘Brief Encounters’ nor the speeding flash of the Japanese shinkansen – this is one big ‘iron horse’ that has to transport us into ‘dem dere hills’
It’s actually the Rocky Mountaineer which is leaving the beautiful port city of Vancouver for the reportedly spectacular Canadian Rockies. And it’s also a life long ambition about to be fulfilled so expectations are running dangerously high. Each of the huge train’s carriages is crewed by onboard attendants who provide informative commentary throughout the journey and also manage to serve an amazing array of meals and snacks. Better still they all obviously enjoy what they’re doing. Leaving Vancouver the train follows the Fraser river through a scenery which becomes more and more inspiring and, by the time we arrive in Kamloops where overnight hotel accommodation is provided, it’s getting hard to believe that the scenery can get any better. Kamloops as a town is pretty ghastly but we have excellent accommodation and take in a local dinner show which proves to be great fun. Leaving Kamloops next morning and guess what? – the scenery does get better. As we climb higher into the Rockies it goes right past the spectacular to the downright awesome. I’ve taken how many rolls of film? Rocky Mountaineer offers 2 categories of accommodation. The Redleaf service offers comfortable reclining seats in single storey carriages with picture windows from which to view the passing scene. Meals and snacks are served at your seat. The standard is in fact excellent – but then there’s. Goldleaf service. The upper deck of this 2 storey carriage is a glass domed viewing compartment with luxurious seating. A spiral staircase connects to the lower level restaurant where 5 star meals are delivered with 5 star service – it doesn’t get any better than this! Our destination is Banff and then Lake Louise, the Columbia Icefields and more life long dreams to be fulfilled – but that’s another story. Will the scenery continue to get more spectacular? – it will Will I run out of superlatives to describe it? – you bet Is this really ‘the most spectacular train trip in the world’ – it may well be. There are a range of products which incorporate ‘Rocky Mountaineer’ from the standard 2 night Vancouver to Banff or Vancouver to Jasper deal through to the fabulous 2005 group departures for Alaska and the Canadian Rockies. Contact any of our consultants or, for first hand information, you can contact yours truly on blee@travel.com.au |
