Propped up with pillows, holding a morning cup of tea, I could lean against the window and watch as villages, towns, cities, states and countries swept past, safe in the knowledge that I was going places, while also going nowhere. She also glosses over long stretches of the trip she did take, and it's unclear if she needed more space or just didn't talk to anyone interesting along the way. I did love this quote which she attributes to Charles Shultz, the creator of The Peanuts; “ In life, it’s Not Where You Go - it’s Who You Travel With. She read French at the University of Leeds and taught English at a high school in Cannes before studying postgraduate journalism at City University London. Monisha and her fiance set off from London and cover Moscow, Asian countries, America, Canada, Kazakhstan and many others.

Otherwise, in most of Europe outside the UK, trains are cheap enough that you may as well pay as you go. I was especially bothered by this on the Amtrak chapters, because she mentions more than once that only stoners and other degenerates ride Amtrak. I would have preferred way more variety but we had huge chunks of book about China especially, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, Tibet.She's well aware of the pitfalls of giving money and attention to some of the nastiest regimes in the world and she does seem to make some efforts to get outside the bubbles of their propaganda.

The trains in America are all largely alike aside from the people on them, so that is what Rajesh concentrates on for a chapter, and entertainingly so. Some of her conversations were interesting, which was another redemption point, but this is the last book you should pick up if you're trying to satiate your wanderlust. I understand this gets into a lot of philosophical sticky wickets about privilege and what it really means to travel and experience other cultures, etc. Like any form of travel it can be dangerous but will also provide experiences that you will look back on with happiness for the rest of your life. Also managed to squeeze in a couple of non-fiction titles too with Monisha Rajesh Around The World In 80 Trains, her follow up to the brilliant Around India In 80 Trains, which sees her tracking a course through Europe, Asia and the Americas.In fact, travelling through Tibet and meeting Tibetans on a Chinese train, Rajesh is a little embarrassed by the profuse thanks she is given by Buddhists for “her” country’s protection of the Dalai Lama. Prepare for a very fine ride’ Michael PalinFrom the cloud-skimming heights of Tibet’s Qinghai railway to silk-sheeted splendour on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Around the World in 80 Trains is a celebration of the glory of train travel and a witty and irreverent look at the world.

Beginning at the Eurostar terminal they were across to the continent in record time, ready for their onward journey to Moscow.

On each of the journeys, they engage with their fellow passengers teasing out stories from those travelling with them, sharing food and experiences and always hoping to make the connections to their next train. On this trip, accompanied by her terrific partner, she brings her warmth and intelligence to each situation they encounter. Her first book Around India in 80 Trains (2012) was named one of the Independent's best books on India. Her second book, Around the World in 80 Trains (2019) won the National Geographic Travel Book of the year and was shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Award.

However, one thing I constantly disliked is that Rajesh choose to travel almost entirely in third class or the equivalent thereof, and I got bored reading about how disgusting each of these train cars and especially the restrooms were. They travel back and forth across the world, travelling through America, Canada, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and even a ventured into North Korea to see the public face of the dystopian state.It shouldn’t have taken more than three hours from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, but we broke down three more times, finally stopping in the middle of the jungle where creepers with pink flowers dripped down towards the tracks. We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. elevation with no time to adjusting to altitude – this is frankly, dangerous, and on top of that, the author has been complaining in her book about the bad symptoms. It wasn't easy to get into at first, as she tended to skip around a bit, it wasn't exactly sequential, but once you get used to her style, it is really interesting and becomes a page-turner. Africa, South America, Australia are never touched, and it's not a Phileas Fogg style circumnavigation.