Pretoria -

Pretoria  -  Mafikeng ( South Africa)

Mafikeng -  Plumtree  (Botswana)

Plumtree - Victoria Falls ( Zimbabwe) 

Vic Falls - Livingstone  - Lusaka (Zambia) 

Lusaka - Kapori   Moschi ( Tanzania) 

Moschi - Dar Es Salaam ( Tanzania) 

Dar Es Salaam - Zanzibar 

Zanzibar to Dar Es Salaam ( Tanzania)

We were awoken at 6am to leave for Rovos Rail station - train departing at 0930. We left the hotel at 06.45. Our driver said it would take half an hour so we arrived at 07.15 hrs!!

 I suspect the hotel staff were trying to get rid of us or afraid traffic delays might mean we would miss the train! We were second to arrive!! We were invited to visit the railway museum. I took copious photographs for you railway buffs. All other readers forgive me but I must indulge them now and again! En route to the museum, we encountered llamas and ostriches.

We returned to the waiting room.   The waiting room was beautifully appointed. Rovos  rail made a policy decision to serve only the best SA wines. Sparkling wines were available together with OJ. tea, coffee and sandwiches.  

We met a lovely SA couple. They were celebrating 50 years of marriage. Their sons had given them a present of the trip as they said they could not afford it. The trip would be prohibitively expensive as the Rand is 15 to the €. When we visited  in 1987, it was 5 to the £. They were originally from Germany but had left Germany in the 1960s so he could avoid the draft. As his wife said they were the pacifist hippies of the 1960s. 

The train departed at 10.00 hours after a brief introduction by the owner of Rovis Rail, Rohan Vos. CC had met him earlier and he had taken him on a tour of the station and discussed the problems of running a railway in Africa. CC was  delighted to have such an opportunity and he has been promised that they will try to get him a cab ride when we reach Botswana, but he was to keep it hush hush We'll see!! 

We are heading for Maifkeng, where we will cross the border into Botswana, sometime between midnight and 0100hrs. This train goes nowhere fast but just as I started this post, the train picked up speed! We have been circling Jo'burg for about 4 hours but it was of no consequence as we enjoyed a wonderful lunch with appropriate wines served with each course. Refills were no problem!!  After an excellent 5 course lunch, I don't know how I am going to face afternoon tea  and  dinner at 1930?  

Our cabin is wonderful, 

every convenience with the Rovis rail logo on the smallest detail, including the loo rolls!!

We have two attendants who attends to our every need. 

On boarding, the manager visited us and when he heard we had been having no success in arranging our train trip through Zambian railways, he offered to contact them on our behalf. He would have more clout and said that he would send us off with some wine to ease the 'punishment'   of  the trip through Zambia and Tanzania!! 

Prior to lunch we went up to the Observation car  for an aperitif. The countryside rolled out before us. 

When you book the trip , everything is included all food, drinks and they even do your washing, pressing  and shoe polishing gratis. I want to stay on this train... But by the time this is published I will have alighted, as I cannot publish on train- no internet, radios or TV on board. It is recreating the old days of rail travel. We are not to use mobiles  - the owner says offenders will have them confiscated!! I was alone here on the open air part of the observation deck but I have been now joined by a number of guests so I had better sign off for now.