Just Another Day on The Train
Two days ago, we said goodbye to Zanzibar, leaving behind the quiet white sand beaches of the East Coast and the chaotic labyrinth of Stone Town to head south to Zambia for safari. The plan was simple: 7am ferry from Zanzibar to Dar Es Salaam (capitol of Tanzania); short taxi to the train station; 2-day train to Kapriri Mposhi; 2-hour bus to Lusaka; quick cab to our lodge for the night; transport to the airport; 2.5-hour flight to Mfuwe and, finally, a 3 to 4 hour game drive to our final destination, Kaingo Camp in South Luangwa National Park. Okay, so maybe it's not all that simple, especially when you throw in 20 hour delays, new definitions for "buses" and completely unfamiliar cities. But, sitting here on the train for the third day now (we're currently 16 hours delayed), looking out the window at the changing Zambian landscape, we can't help but recognize that in Africa, the journey is always part of the destination.
The Tazara train line runs nearly 2,000km (1,200 miles) from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia. It was built in the late 1960s by the Chinese and, from the looks of it, hasn't changed much since. Two different, but apparently equally worn, trains leave from Dar Es Salaam twice a week. The "Express" route leaves on Tuesdays and makes only a few stops on the way down to its final destination. The "Ordinary" route departs on Fridays, is a cheaper ticket, and stops in what seems like every village between Dar and Kapiri Mposhi. Being the fancy travelers we are - and because Tazara doesn't allow girls and boys to fraternize in sleeper cars unless they have purchased the entire cabin for themselves - Brendan and I booked four first class tickets on the Ordinary Train.
We got to the station in Dar Es Salaam early in anticipation of complications, but the station master had reserved our tickets as promised and with a quick payment of about 300,000 Tanzanian Shillings ($180, compared to flights priced over $600 a pop) we were ready to go. Unfortunately, the train was not. Over the next six hours, we made ourselves comfortable in the waiting area alongside roughly 500 to 600 Africans and 10 other "foreigners," including four Germans, two Brits, a Dane, a Czechoslovakian and two Chinese who actually work with Tazara (on what, we're not sure). Not surprisingly, we all found each other and made fast friends. We even made a cabin mate, Mona from Denmark, who was traveling on her own to Mpungulu, Zambia for an internship.
When the train finally pulled into the station, the crowds migrated outside to the platform. Porters pushed carts full of goods purchased in the city, women carried children on their backs and balanced luggage expertly their heads, boxes and suitcases were handed in through windows from one family member to another (so many of the passengers had unbelievable amounts of "stuff" with them). And, despite cabins being pre-assigned, there was a rush to board the train resulting in some temporary chaos and a few misunderstandings of who was supposed to be where. We ended up switching cabins with a group of Zambian women who had misread their tickets and already loaded about 30 bags and boxes into ours before we even found it. Once we got settled into our new cabin, picked beds and stowed our luggage, the train was leaving the station heading out into Africa.
The absolute best part about train travel in Africa is the scenery. Sitting at the window and watching the changing landscapes roll by is a wonderful way to see some of the less traveled, but very beautiful, parts of Tanzania and Zambia. The Tazara line passes through Selous Game Park, the biggest in Tanzania, heads up into the mountains in the south of the country and then down into the Zambian plains, filled with ancient baobab trees, tall grasses and fall-colored leaves. We've also passed through dozens of villages, which seemed to come out in mass to see the train through. When we stop, which is often, the local women walk the length of the train to sell fruit and baked goods through the windows while the men hawk everything from radios to shoes to jewelry and children play by the tracks and talk to passengers. One group of kids, including a sassy high-heeled boy of about 10, played a card game with us for some time and helped us practice our Swahili numbers while we waited. Unfortunately, many of the kids also ask for - or more accurately, demand - some sort of handout... Mzungu, give me money! Mzungu, give me something sweet to eat!
There are also a few elements of African train travel that we've had to get used to. For one, the train bounces. Up and down, not a side-to-side sway. There have actually been a few times when the bouncing has lifted one of us completely off our seats. We're not sure why it happens, but our guess is that it probably shouldn't. The noises on the Tazara line are another mystery. Each time we brake or accelerate, it sounds like a rocket blaster on the caboose backfired. On occasion, the sound is accompanied by a significant lurch forward or backward, that can send you across the cabin if you aren't careful (Brendan has a bruise to prove it). Not surprisingly, very little information is given on the train - there are no maps provided, no announcements of stops and no explanations offered for hours-long delays. We're lucky to be getting off at the last stop, but if you have to depart sooner, like Mona, you have to piece together information, seek out friendly locals and keep your fingers crossed that you're getting off at the right station at 2am.
But, despite it's shortcomings and long delays, and assuming we actually make it to Kapiri Mposhi, the train has been a good experience. We've seen a lot of the continent we would have missed on a plane, met great people, eaten "drive thru" African fare, read... a lot, learned new card games from all over the world, and are still interested in the scenery 60 hours later. If we get to a day four, we might be singing a different tune, but for now, we're enjoying the journey.
UPDATE: We finally made it to Kapiri Mposhi after 67 hours (19 hours later than expected). From there, we took a mini-bus made for 9 but packed with 17 for two hours to get to Lusaka, where we were thankfully able to take long, hot showers and pass out in a clean, bounce-free and somewhat quiet room. We're looking forward to being spoiled on safari for the next week!
