ABOUT: OTT-DVD-142 - Singapore is a city of gardens and the heart of South East Asia. It is here that the journey begins on the Eastern & Oriental Express, a nostalgic train journey that has all the exotic atmosphere of colonial times. The history of Singapore began in 1819 with Stamford Raffles, a young official who worked for the British East India Company. Raffles estimated that the natural harbour was perfect for trading ships and thus bought the land from the Sultan Of Johor and founded a trading settlement. The train station exudes the ambience of British colonialism and is an ideal setting for those who love nostalgia. The journey begins and soon we arrive at the Malaysian border. This is the first section of our extraordinary train journey from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. After eight hours we reach Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's modern capital city that is relatively young and was established in the middle of the nineteenth century at the junction of the Gombak and Kelang Rivers. The journey continues along splendid route through the jungle that since 1923 has connected Singapore with Bangkok, with Butterworth as the next station from where a bridge and ferry boat lead to the island of Penang that is also known as The Pearl Of The Orient. The next section travels further north to Kanchaburi in Thailand and to the bridge on the River Kwai, a somewhat inconspicuous bridge that once brought infamy to this region. For those who are fascinated by the evocative atmosphere of Colonial times the extra special train journey from Singapore to Bangkok must surely be the journey of a lifetime!