I tried to buy a ticket a day in advance but was turned away since you need your passport for just about everything in Uzbekistan and I had left mine in the hotel. Oh well, so I just showed up the next morning and bought a ticket there. For 49’000 UZS (~10 SGD) I got a seat in what they call business class, but essentially was equivalent to European second class.

Bukhara train station (a 20mins drive outside the city)

Since Uzbekistan likes police checks, all passengers have to go through airport style security screening before boarding.

Bukhara-Samarkand-Tashkent train No. 9

Bukhara-Samarkand-Tashkent

I was assigned a compartment seating six. The first hour (of what was supposed to be a three hours trip) was enjoyable. My seatmate was from Bukhara but had studied in Munich. He was on his way to Tashkent to apply for a student Schengen visa at the Latvian embassy with no intention of studying there but instead going back to Munich. Not sure whether that’s how the Schengen visa are intended. He was also an expert on Swiss 1. Liga soccer (third highest league) since he frequently bets on the first goal of the game being scored in the first half. Apparently, this happens in four out of five games.

But eventually we stopped for 45mins. And again. And again. Apparently due to the construction of new tracks for Uzbekistan’s Spanish-built high speed train. Whenever we stopped, the air-conditioning turned off, which wasn’t great considering it was 37 degrees outside. On top of that, every compartment had several young children and not before long the crying started.

The only stop between Bukhara and Samarkand: Navoi

Views en-route Bukhara-Samarkand

We eventually made it to Samarkand shortly after 2pm instead of 11am. Soon everything should be fine as the high-speed train is supposed to operate to Bukhara by the end of 2016.

Afrosiyob high-speed train

Samarkand railway station

In Samarkand I was kindly greeted by the local taxi mafia and I kindly declined their generous offers. Half a block down the road, I was able to get a ride for a reasonable fare.

There are three options to get around: private car, bus and train. We did hire a car and driver for a stretch where it otherwise would have been very time-consuming. But for the majority of the legs we opted for the train.

The main train station in the country: Colombo Fort

While trains tend to be slow, especially in the Hill Country, the rides are more scenic than by bus and we imagine they tend to be safer.

Walking along train tracks in the Hill Country

I imagined train travel would be similar to what I experienced in India due to the common colonial roots and indeed there are similarities. Sri Lankan trains have three classes of service: First, Second and Third. First class is exclusively reserved and air-conditioned. We tried to book seats however were too late. You cannot reserve seats online but need to go physically to a railway station and buy them (I think it can be done about two weeks in advance).  We underestimated this and didn’t put enough effort into finding an agent to buy tickets for us. Tickets cost around LKR1’000 per person. We did talk to other travellers who didn’t like First Class very much because windows can be dirty and cannot be opened (which you want to to take photos) and the air-conditioning can be very cold apparently.

A view of unreserved Second Class. You think it is crowded?

Then better don’t try Third Class!

But there is always room for someone selling delicious snacks

We travelled three legs in Second Class:

• Colombo to Kandy
• Kandy to Nuwara Eliya
• Galle to Colombo

A look into a rather old Third Class carriage

Two trains passing each other near Colombo. Not many stretches have dual tracks.

For all trips we just walked up to the station a few minutes before departure without reservations. Part of Second (and the same goes for Third) Class is reserved, meaning you do get a seat. There is a surcharge,  which is worth it, but again we were too slow. Tickets are very cheap by Western standards with each trip costing us less than LKR200 per person (up to three hour journeys). The unreserved carriages just cram as many passengers in as can fit, meaning it can get very crowded (Second Class is still bearable compared to Third).

Nanu Oya station, gateway to Nuwara Eliya

The train rides are very scenic, both along the Western coast as well as the Hill Country. They are so scenic that you won’t mind the delays which can run from half an hour to hours. Our last trip from Galle to Colombo looked it would arrive on time until we reached the suburbs where we stopped for over 15 minutes with no apparent reason. Luckily the train waited at the platform of a small station and since Sri Lankan trains don’t have doors (or nobody bothers to close them), we just got off there.

Hiking along the train tracks near Ella

The ride from Nuwara Eliya (or more specifically Nanu Oya) is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world, running through hills and hills of tea plantations. For this stretch we booked the “Expo Rail”  tourist train which is an extra carriage that is attached to the regular train. This can be booked online… After all it is ran by a private company that seems to be a bit more entrepreneurial than the government. Priced at a LKR1’000, you get some snacks but more importantly a viewing platform without windows. And you want to spend most of the time there for the views since inside they are blasting movies on a screen. Unfortunately we were unlucky with the weather and the delay of the train, meaning it got dark fairly early into the trip.

Thew view from the “Expo Rail” carriage towards the back of the train…

…and the front.

Traveling by train in Sri Lanka is a great way to see the scenery and a lot more relaxed than going by bus. Just make sure that you get an agent to book tickets for you (I’d recommend Second Class but also Third Class if reserved is fine).

Enjoying the scenary on the way from Galle to Colombo

Old school timetable at Kandy

and even older school at Kithalella

• First factor: how far is the airport from the city centre? I am not talking about airports misleadingly named by some low cost airline (Paris – Vatry, I am looking at you… – 147km from Paris) but rather airports that are the primary gateways to their respective city. They can be 60km (Tokyo Narita) from downtown or just a few kilometers (Hamburg, Lisbon, Taipei Songshan… just to name a few)
• Second factor: cheap vs. expensive taxis. A taxi ride from the airport will likely set you back significantly more in New Zealand or Switzerland than in Malaysia
• Third factor: how good are public transport options? Alternatives range from several direct trains every hour (Zurich) vs. not even a proper bus service (Pasto, Colombia)
• Fourth factor: is the public transport option reasonably priced? There are airports with fantastic public transportation links, however if they are privately owned they can get very expensive. The Heathrow Express certainly is a great time saver, however at SGD45 one-way not exactly cheap.

At the end of the day, the combination of the four factors leads to the question: how much do you value your time? Do you have plenty of time and don’t mind taking the cheaper but slower option or are you in a hurry. But a word of advice here: if you do dash for the cheapest option, think it through. Have a look at all options, especially if you are in a group. In some cases, an extra 50 cents per person (ok, maybe slightly more) can make the difference between a 30 minute door-to-door taxi ride or a 2 hour journey with three different busses and trains.

The case of Hong Kong is interesting as there are various options and traffice can get busy.

• Most straight forward is a taxi at around HK$300 (SGD50)
• Depending on traffic, the Hong Kong Express train HK$100 (SGD17) can be quicker but then requires a taxi ride at the end or a subway transfer
• There are numerous busses (HK$20-40 – SGD3-7) but they can be slow and less convenient
• The cheapest and still reasonably fast option: connecting with a bus to the closest subway (MTR) line

In this post I’ll be outlining the last option and share whether it is worth it in my opinion.

It is actually quite straightforward and doesn’t need a lot of explanation:

1. As you exit baggage claim and customs, turn to your right and walk all the way to the end of the terminal. You will see a sign towards parking at the end of the terminal, exit and proceed down the elevator, escalator or stairs to the ground level
2. Immediately below you will find the platform for the S1 bus to Tung Chung MTR station. The bus leaves from the most left platform (driving direction). It should arrive every 15 or so minutes. The catch is, if you don’t have an Octopus card, you need exact change (anything above is forfeited)  HK$3.50. The drive to the MTR takes around 15 minutes and takes you through an industrial area with some airline and civil aviation authority offices
3. At Tung Chung MTR (there is a large shopping mall), you can connect to the MTR (around HK$20) which takes you nonstop to Kowloon and Central stations. It actually runs parallel to the Hong Kong Express and only has two additional stops. Along the way, you can change for other MTR lines.

All in all, I paid HK$21.50 (SGD3.70) and took just about an hour to get to Tsim Sha Tsui. Would I do it again? If I was in no hurry and with little luggage (the transfers are quite convenient), I would chose it again instead of the Hong Kong Express – especially coming from the airport.