Around India In 80 Trains

Before I left for India I bought a stack of Paul Theroux's rail-writing more for research purposes than for the pleasure of reading. As the undisputed godfather of train journeys, it seemed only sensible to delve in to see how he had achieved the feat of making your own self-indulgent journey of interest to such a huge audience. I saved the Great Railway Bazaar until the last stages of the trip and adored every word, from the preface to the very last line.

Written in 1975, Theroux left London and embarked on a trip across Europe, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and South-east Asia before returning back to London via the Trans-Siberian Railway. Aside from the delicious descriptions of the vast expanses that he travelled, Theroux could have made a trip from Accrington to Blackburn sound like a traveller's dream journey. His quiet observations, complete immersion into the lives of his companions and ability to deal with frustrations, annoyances and nuisance with an enormous sense of wry wit, make his reading an absolute pleasure even if you aren't lying on a blue vinyl berth on the Mandovi Express, but sitting on a leather couch in Hampstead.

Theroux taps into the bits that make travel so much fun - not the sites, the museums, the palaces and the food, but the arguments, the delays, the breakdowns and the nose-picker sitting opposite you. Even though few of his original train lines still exist today, it's worth the read for the sheer joy of travelling alongside him.