Tazara Tazara - some more of the story

How much was it again Terry?

We have just had a lunch of a swig of Terry's cheap whiskey and cashew nut rolls. Very good cashew nuts - one of Tanzania's best exports. Jicks and Ed are sprawling in C3 of  C2 while we are in C4. Our man is Clemo (later found out his name was 'Clever'!) but to my very great joy Shulie of the BBC film is on the train! I recognised her straightaway and  it is a great to have her with us.

Shulie from the BBC film!

It's very hot. Terry is getting the breeze as he is facing forward but going backwards, no breeze for me. Some thundering jolts and jerks and the whole train is very bouncy so there seems to be no shortage of springs in this train - or is it dips in the track?

There is some bemusement that we two couples have each got a four berth compartment but peeping in at the others with four berths.  We are very glad of it. The lone American spent nearly all the hours out of his compartment! The ticket inspector has just been to check our tickets. That's the third time. Apparently the first lot of paperwork went out of the window!
In the first class waiting room was a Korean girl with the name of Chindallae (named for Korea's national flower - a wild azalea)!

Here she is! Annyong! 

So we were able to have a merry conversation in Korean. She later found a Korean boy who is travelling for two years and had just sold his bike in Dar. They told me in all seriousness that they two see two old couples on the Tazara was truly awesome and inspiring and very impressive! Quite a few of us foreigners are on the train but we are the elderly by far! We later found a Moslem couple even older than us delighted to have some older company! She gave us some home made cheese straws so our last supper was of bread rolls bought on a station platform and the cheese straws were the filling! It was amazing to see the hundreds of people waiting for the train. There are 21 coaches on the train including a lounge car and two dining cars. Three classes - first, second and third.

The long long train... 

The first and second class dining room. Note the waiter serving the lone American! 

Going to the loo is every bit as challenging as we thought it would be. It is a pedestal but with no seat and a huge dustbin of water with which to sluice it down. You can't go while the train is "stabling" and it is almost impossible to keep your balance when the train is moving. A huge feat for Jicky and Terry says it confirms his worse nightmare. As I was going the water was slurping from side to side in the dustbin and I ended up soaked but at least it was clean water!

Stabling was very often and long lasting! Some rules just have to be broken!

Gives you a vague idea...though it looks better than it really was!

Here we are stopped again. We left at precisely 2.10 and after two hours we have stopped any number of times. There are always people along the track selling things and we  even had a serenade on a little local harp. As we are stopped here the birds are singing and it is lovely - real Africa.



We have stopped in the middle of the Selous Game Reserve. Not sure why. It is eerily quiet. Shulie says we should see varioius game but so far only four groups of deer - impala and Thompson gazelle. It is now early evening and cool when the train stops because of the breeze. I had a few minutes on my back with my eyes closed earlier. In the end we saw lots of deer, wildebeest, elephant and Terry saw a zebra and a lone lioness!
It is now dark and to my great relief there are lights! It is hot and our coach man Clemo says we have to shut the window shutter before the next station because of skollies. We went and had supper in the end. I had Nsima with beef. - sadsa or polento or mealie pap all the same - roll it into little balls and dip it in the relish, Good beef too - very tender.

Hand washing before eating....you eat nshima with your fingers though this man is clearly having breakfast with toast!

TAZARA DAY 2


What a night! we travelled through the most amazing mountains in moonlight. It was both breathtaking and heart stopping as we crossed long viaducts over gorges and through long dark tunnels chugging ever higher. We have worked out that the train with its 21 coaches is half a kilometre long.  Around 11.30 we woke up and we decided to raise the shutter even if it meant being on guard at every station to make sure that nobody climbed in! Whenever we stopped people piled off into nowhere. Here at the back of the train we only get to see the station when we are leaving it as third class stops in the actual station. It was eerie seeing people walking along the tracks with their bundles in the moonlight. We fairly hurtled along.
We remember when BBC Sean climbed into the driver's cabin and pointed out that the speedometer was not working. "Yes" said the driver with a laugh." We guess the speed" - and so it seemed that he was going much too fast!

Tazara Dawn 

The dawn was beautiful. Soon afterwards though we ground to a halt in true Tazara style and discoverered that the locomotive had "a minor problem" that was allegedly well under way to being fixed! Not so as four hours later we set out again under another loco's steam! Very glad to be on the move but now several hours behind schedule.We became ever gladder to hear that sound like the soft hooting of an owl which told us that we were once again on our way. No good having a train to catch at the other end. Talking of which one of our Swedish travelers whose plane was too late for him to get the train at Dar finally caught up with it in a taxi so is safely on board.
When we were "stabled" I was struck by how insecure the train was. We were near some sort of habitations and people were walking up and down the train and passengers getting on and off together with locals! Anyone could have boarded and could easlily be stowed away as we speak! A couple of very dubious characters tried to get breakfast or was it a lift?  They left the train again disconsolately.


We had breakfast. A rather grey plate of scrambled eggs tasted far better than it looked; the eggs in Africa are extremely pale yolked! Maybe it it is what they feed the hens. We have stopped at Makambaka which is 5000 feet above sea level and there is a very chilly wind blowing. What a metropolis. You can buy anything from the train window. I bought a bunch of misi misi the little finger bananas. But there is no end to the things on offer - socks belts nuts and wallets, little fish and oranges, drinks of all kinds.

They tasted so good! 

I have been keeping my eye open for a nice bottle of red wine. We could easily have brought one with us together with a whole lot of other things like plastic cups and femfresh wipes! Ed who has also travelled on the train in China was desirous of some pot noodles when we had supper last night.