Exercise 33. As you read the text look for answers to the questions:

1. What facilities does the Palace on Wheels have which cannot be found on other trains?

2. What are the duties of the attendants on this train?

3. What qualities does Mr Tiwari possess which make passengers remember him long after the trip?

Mr tiwari is most pleased to be of service

The Palace on Wheels is a luxury train starting from Delhi Cantonment Station and going all round Rajasthan during its ten-day journey. One can experience the royal splendour of the maharaja times both in the train and off it too.

The best way to see Rajasthan is from the Palace on Wheels, says Elisabeth de Stroumillo. Especially when the train has such a genial attendant.

I shall remember Saloon Captain R. S. Tiwari long after precise details of India's palaces, temples and even the Taj Mahal have blurred. For if a man can encapsulate the spirit of a train, it is Mr Tiwari. With 15 years' expe­rience of cosseting demand­ing rail travellers, he embod­ies the very essence of Rajasthan's prestigious Pal­ace on Wheels.

He was probably only in his mid-forties, but so immensely dignified and upright that I couldn't possi­bly have asked him what his initials stood for, nor called him anything but Mr Tiwari. Solicitous but never servile, with a glint of amusement in his eyes that frequently over­flowed past his luxuriant moustache into a broad smile, he attended to our needs with Jeeves-like aplomb.

From his tiny kitchen at one end of the carriage, he would process proudly to the communal saloon at the other end with our breakfast, as though bearing regalia. After the first day, he never forgot who preferred tea to coffee, how we wanted our eggs cooked and which fruits each of us liked best.

He kept the carriage's four cabins immaculate, of course, and produced morn­ing and afternoon tea and mineral water on request, but he did much more besides. When my shoes got so dusty that my basic clean­ing kit could no longer cope, he spirited them away and returned them gleaming - carefully held in a paper napkin to avoid leaving fingeprints.

When the bar/lounge car ran out of stamps, he walked into Chittaurgarh to buy me some – but didn’t actually post my cards until we got to Jaisalmer, "because they will go more quickly from there".

I am sure the saloon cap­tains of the other 11 passen­ger carriages were attentive, too, and certainly the stew­ards in the two restaurant cars and the bar were unfail­ingly efficient and smiling, but Mr R. S. Tiwari was something else.

This train succeeds the original Palace on Wheels, which had passed its prime and was in any case unable to run on Rajasthan's newly enlarged broad-gauge track.

For all its wood-panelled elegance, its cool, roomy cabins with en-suite bath­rooms (only the cupboard space was less than gener­ous) and the excellent food and service, the chief joys of the Palace on Wheels were not having to pack and unpack in each new place, nor to face long exposure between them to the chaos of Indian road travel.

My fellow passengers were another plus. When the train is carrying its capacity of just more than 100 passengers, meals are served in two sit­tings (with a choice of Euro­pean and Indian dishes), so there is plenty of opportunity to meet people. I was part of a group that ate and chatted together, but it was a refreshingly heterogeneous one, with few members keen to discuss the relative merits of British supermarkets.

A lot of well-educated, jolly Indian families were aboard, with a sprinkle of India-based foreigners.

Meeting all these people was fun, but not having to sightsee with them in imper­sonal bus-loads meant also being able to chat to local guides.

When I finally left the train, it was with real regret that I shook Mr Tiwari's hand and said goodbye. Thinking that I might send him a Christmas card, I asked whether something addressed "c/o Palace on Wheels" would reach him. "Of course," he said. "The Palace on Wheels is my second home."

The Daily Telegraph

Exercise 34. Have you ever heard of the "etiquette of travelling"?

a) Read the following tips on travelling published in the USA in 1880.

The experienced traveller has learned the necessity of always being on time, of having baggage checked early, of purchasing a ticket before entering the cars, and of procuring a seat in a good location before the car is full.

The inexperienced traveller is readily known by his flurry and mistakes. He is likely to be behind time, and he is likely to be an hour early. In his general confusion, when he buys a ticket he neglects to place it where it will be secure, and consequently loses it. He forgets a portion of his baggage, and thus in a dozen ways he is likely to be in trouble.

The following suggestions relating to railway travelling may be of service.

Whenever you contemplate a journey, consider carefully what route you want to take, and decide it definitely. Learn accurately what time the train leaves, and provide yourself with a table giving the running time of the road, stations on the way, etc. which will save you the trouble of asking many questions.

At least a day before you go, consider carefully what baggage you need to take, and have it packed. Take just as little as possible. Have your trunks very secure, and pack all articles of baggage in such a manner that they cannot shake and thus be broken.

Be very sure that your watch or clock is perfectly correct with railroad time, and that you, half an hour before the starting time of the train, arrive at the depot.

You should carry just as little baggage into the car as possible, and all separate pieces should have your name plainly written or printed upon them, which will secure their being forwarded to you in case they are left upon the seat.

Having paid for one ticket, you are entitled to only one seat. It shows selfishness, therefore, when the coach is full to deposit a large amount of baggage in the surrounding seats and occupy three or four, and engage in reading, while others look in vain for a place to sit down.

The true lady or gentleman will always consult the convenience of others when travelling.

A lady and gentleman should avoid evidence of undue familiarity in the presence of strangers. Couples who may evince a silly affection by overfondling of each other in public make themselves appear extremely ridiculous to all who may see them. Passengers should avoid eating at irregular times on the journey, and gentlemen should avoid smoking in the presence of those to whom it may be offensive.

Avoid undue haste and excitement when travelling. Before beginning a journey, consider carefully what will be most suitable to wear, and study how little baggage may be taken.

b) Say what you think to be reasonable in the tips suggested above.

c) Make a list of "Do's and Dont's" of your own to suit the present-day traveller.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

1. Can our modern world exist without railways? Why (not)?

2. Would you аgrеe that despite the competition of the roads and the air railways still have a future?

3. What are the pros and cons of travelling by train?

4. What are the advantages of trains for the traveller and the environment?

5. What can make travelling long distances by train unpleasant? Isn't it tiresome?

6. What countries of Europe can one get to from Moscow by train?

7. Why do you think travelling companions ( especially when travelling by railway) are apt to talk about themselves with such ease? They hardly expect to know each other better, do they?

8. Have you ever met interesting people on the train? Who(m) would you call pleasant and unpleasant fellow travellers?

9. What do you do during a train journey? Do you take anything to read? What books, magazines or papers do you find suitable for a train journey?

10. What do you prefer: to meet people or see them off at the station? Why?