Marvelous Madras Mail: South India by Luxury Deccan Odyssey Train

I sat down with Owen Hardy, IRT’s Founder and CEO, who’s just back from India.

And guess where he wants to go next?

India.

And the Madras Mail aboard the Deccan Odyssey is just the ticket, he says. Why?

“Aside from the fact that my older daughter Katy lives there, India is a world unto itself. I’ve been there three times, but I feel I’ve just scratched the surface.”

“This itinerary takes you places — and gives you experiences — you’d never think to do on your own.”

OK, give us some examples.

#1: “I love riding trains, big and small. On the Madras Mail, besides the incredible Deccan Odyssey, you have the chance to ride not one, but two, of India’s beloved mountain railways, so tiny and slow you can almost get off and walk.

(“And if you’re adventurous, there’s another train you shouldn’t miss…more later in a future blog.”)

#2: “Two nights at Mumbai’s unforgettable Taj Palace & Tower, India’s first locally-built five-star hotel, and more Victorian than anything the British ever produced.

#3: “Visiting Goa on the Arabian sea, a thriving port and capital of the old Portuguese empire, followed by Cochin, another lovely port city  further south, with its fantastical Chinese fishing nets — IRT’s Eleanor Hardy even helped bring in a catch when we were there!”

#4: The Deccan Odyssey itself. This is a class act. The staff is excellent; very capable and ready to please. The food is incredible, all cooked fresh on board. The excursions are well-planned and guided.

#5: The itinerary. True, it doesn’t include the Taj Mahal. My response: See it, and the other mainstays of the “Golden Triangle,” at least once. But do so before or after the main tour. (IRT’s team can design a fab extension for you.)

Finally, there are certain things about India that cannot be explained but must be experienced: the way people drive (lanes are only suggestions); a ride in an “auto rickshaw,” a three-wheeled vehicle that looks like an overgrown carnival ride; the sacred cows, who wander where they please (aforementioned traffic be darned!); the public laundries (the one you’ll see in Mumbai covers an area as large as several football fields), the stunning textiles in a rainbow of colors and patterns.

Most important are the people of India. They are invariably kind, curious, and welcoming. The sense of hospitality that will greet you throughout the trip — on the train and off — is exceedingly memorable.