| Luxurious Train Travel Can Be Sensually Gratifying |
[Aug. 13th, 2011|11:01 pm] |
Sex is the acknowledged sovereign of sensual experience. Powerful men sacrifice careers and reputations for it. Women look anxiously into mirrors until well past the age of eighty. With sex ensconced at the top of the pile of sensual gratification one needs to cast about for what comes second. Here one has to consider luxury train travel.
Luxurious railway transport is available on five continents to people for whom the journey is more important than the arrival. In most cases carriages have been restored to the condition that they were in in the glory days of railways when travellers could not opt for air or motor vehicle transport. But whereas in the old days some of the performances of fittings might have been suspect, in modern trains they have been upgraded. For example, electronic air conditioning units have the edge on a punkah wallah waving a large fan.
The sense of sight is perhaps the one that resides at the forefront of experience. In a plane the surrounds are so depressing that many people purchase eye shades in order to shut out the views of bilious looking fellow passengers. In a railway carriage one has a feast of visual stimulation. Close up there are the interesting details of refurbished carriages and curiosities. In the middle distance one experiences the fascinating vignettes that flash past. A girl with her arms raised is hanging out the washing. In the far distance the red sun sets behind mountains.
The clanking sounds of steel wheels crossing points and grinding along smooth rails is to railway aficionados what the mating call of a rare forest bird is to a member of the opposite sex. They will swoop across continents to find the source of the sounds. After a stoppage there will be the gentle lurch forward, and then the gradual escalation back to the full rhythm of fast movement. Enthusiasts lean back with eyes closed, listening to the music.
Luxurious trips demand fine dining, and most operators will go out of their way to provide a dining car or restaurant that caters to the most demanding epicureans. National cuisine will be accompanied by a wine list that reflects the fruits if the country's best vineyards. After dining there is time to linger over sweets and coffee without having plastic boxes whipped off one's lap, as in a plane.
Deodorizers and chemicals have counteracted most natural odors in modern conveyances. Only a faint whiff of disinfectant is present in the cramped confines of plastic urinals on aircraft or road coaches. Everything else has been obliterated by an attendant who has walked the length of the vehicle spraying an aerosol. On trains there are rich concoctions of aromas. From the smell of leather and varnished wood inside to the faint scents of vegetation wafting through windows the sense of smell is tickled.
Rhythm is an important aspect of rail transport as carriages are hauled over rails that are joined and laid on contours. The kinaesthetic sense of being hauled along smoothly is not far removed from the sliding enjoyments of skiing or tobogganing. Other tactile pleasure are in the comfortably refurbished carriages with soft beds, crisp linen and varnished wood.
Notwithstanding this extensive list of sensual pleasures awaiting those who indulge in luxury train travel it must be confessed that it still takes second place to sex. However, there are virtues in coming second. Though the intensity of sensual gratification may be somewhat less, there is at least the strong possibility that the journey will end when it does, and not have life-long repercussions. That is, of course, if the trip has not included two of the most sensually gratifying experiences known to humanity. |
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