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Long Journey
ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA CHRISTINE CUNANAN recalls her trip on the famous Blue Train
T
he Blue Train had been on my bucket list ever since I’d heard of this iconic set of royal blue carriages traversing the length of South Africa, between Pretoria in the north and Cape Town in the south, on train tracks laid out by adventurers searching for diamonds and gold over 140 years ago.
Last month, I finally found myself journeying to Pretoria after a 12-hour flight from Hong Kong and a lively weekend in Johannesburg, to catch this loveliest train in the Southern hemisphere to Cape Town.
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PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE CUNANAN
My imagination was further enlivened by its glamorous and yet exotic image. In my mind, it represented a most unlikely combination of gourmet meals, luxurious cabins, and vintage train cars; and, outside its picture windows, a forever changing scenery of charming towns, vast plains, lovely vineyards and fierce wilderness.
TRAVELIFE MAGAZINE
South Africa
The Blue Train travels between Pretoria and Cape Town
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD The Blue Train travels 1600 kilometers over approximately 27 hours between these two points, and I was joining the southbound journey with a stop in the diamond mining city of Kimberley along the way. Enroute, my 80+ fellow passengers and I enjoyed two four-course meals, one English-style afternoon tea and a most sumptuous breakfast in a turn-of-the-19th-century style carriage. I also had a rather good night’s sleep in a cabin truly worthy of being called a five-star hotel on wheels, with a comfortable bed and a goose feather duvet.
IT’S NOT THE DESTINATION In between, there was nothing much to do but to literally enjoy the ride. This was the whole point of the journey: to temporarily stop modern life as we knew it and just enjoy the multiple views of a blessed country in most old-fashioned comfort, attended by a personal butler and a phalanx of waitstaff. As we rolled onwards towards the Western Cape, the highlights of our days were, indeed, our three-hour meals that always began with champagne and ended with port and coffee. Perhaps it is the feeling of going back in time that sparks this; but these became lengthy events that launched spirited conversations, even among passengers who were meeting for the first time.
The Big Hole in Kimberley
THE BLUE TRAIN ROUTE THE BLUE TRAIN offers two basic routes over approximately 27 hours, including an overnight stay on the train. The southbound trip journeys from Pretoria to Cape Town, with a stopover and excursion in Kimberley, the capital of the Northern Cape. Time permitting, passengers are escorted to The Big Hole, Kimberley’s main attraction and the site of its diamond rush and excavation activities. The northbound trip travels in the opposite direction, from Cape Town to Pretoria, with a stop at the quaint colonial town of Matjiesfontein, well-known for its Victorian buildings and 19th century London lampposts. Here, guests are invited for a glass of sherry at the station bar before the train continues on its journey.
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Many ended up heading afterwards to the train’s lounge car, which is a cozy combination of colonial touches and African accents, to continue their discussions on life and the world around, over more spirits. This is how we found ourselves discussing the future of the Democratic Party in the United States and the pros and cons of a welfare state, seated around the bar close to midnight, on our one evening onboard The Blue Train.
SERENDIPTY ONBOARD The Blue Train offers as much or as little privacy as you wish. Passengers can dine in private tables or share open ones, depending on preference. We’d chosen the latter and were all the better for it. In a split second of inspiration at brunch on the first day, soon after pushing out of Pretoria Station, you see, we’d recklessly slid into empty seats at a designated open table without even bothering to assess the company already looking at their menus. Thinking about this now, I remember feeling a twinge of regret over this decision at that exact moment – but it was too late to back out without embarrassment.
GLITTERING RECORD The Blue Train has consistently been chosen among the world’s top three luxury train experiences. It has also been named Africa’s Leading Luxury Train by the World Travel Awards for the fifth consecutive year.
The bedroom on the Blue Train
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TRAVELIFE MAGAZINE
South Africa
“ The Blue Train is a most luxurious experience, almost unequalled in the world.”
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THE CORDON BLUE EXPERIENCE The meals onboard The Blue Train are served in an elegant dining car reminiscent of the 19th century. These reflect culinary expertise and South African heritage. The four-course lunches and dinners often include the best of local ingredients, such as Karoo lamb, ostrich and venison. These are complemented by a comprehensive array of South African wines and spirits.
oard A fruit platter to welcome gue sts onb
F irst course at brunch
Coffee and rooibos tea to end the meal
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TRAVELIFE MAGAZINE
South Africa
A dinner setting for two
However, this was exactly how we met a retired British politician and his significant other, whose acquaintance made all the difference in our trip. The gentleman had helped monitor South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1993 – the very same election that gave Nelson Mandela the presidency – while the lady had once driven from London to Tehran, and backpacked her way around South Africa in the 1970s.
Savo ury scone s for breakfast
Obviously, they both had amazing stories to tell, and there was no more conducive atmosphere than this palace on wheels that we had boarded in Pretoria with great excitement. The hospitality onboard is legendary – the Blue Train is often among the frontrunners in the list of the best specialist train operators in the world, after all – and we soon found out why.
A MEAL LIKE NO OTHER Brunch, for instance, was a most elaborate production consisting of four courses. To go with smoked salmon and ostrich steak on that first morning, we were offered an extensive wine list. Our table of four decided to share a bottle of champagne and then another of white wine from the Steenberg in Constantia, a winery I had visited on my very first trip to South Africa, of which I have the fondest memories. The food for brunch was delicious, the wines were abundant, and the conversation flowed ever so naturally, initially held together by a common love for travel and a mutual interest in the affairs of the world. By the time port and cheese were served, we’d uncovered several inevitable glaring differences due largely to geography, religion and generation. However, we were by then fast friends enough to suggest having dinner and breakfast together as well. The result was the most intimate experience of traveling together onboard and having three long meals together, and not simply because we were in an enclosed but moveable space for the good part of 27 hours.
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MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THESE The Blue Train is a most luxurious experience, almost unequalled in the world.
YS THE OTHER GREAT TRAIN JOURNE LD OF THE WOR THE VENICE SIMPLON-ORIENT EXPRESS Europe www.orient-express.com THE PALACE ON WHEELS India www.palacesonwheels.com THE ROCKY MOUNTAINEER Canada www.rockymountaineer.com THE HIRAM BINGHAM Peru www.orient-express.com DECCAN ODYSSEY India www.deccan-odyssey-india.com THE ROYAL CANADIAN PACIFIC Canada www.royalcanadianpacific.com
Yet, what remained most memorable were the encounters with fellow travelers in the course of the journey, in a special environment that effortlessly took us back to gracious days before computers, mobile phones and the Internet quickened the pace of life across the board for everyone. It was a lesson on enjoying life in the slow lane. Just before The Blue Train reached Cape Town, we each were given a little gift-wrapped box as a souvenir of this most memorable ride. When it was finally time to pack up and return to the 21st century – a task I put off until I saw Table Mountain in the distance, by the way – I placed this memento in my suitcase and promptly forgot about it, amidst the busy days that followed, of sightseeing and discovering the rest of South Africa. When I eventually returned home, I opened this tiny box my butler Frank had placed on my cabin table that same morning I alighted from the Blue Train, in the sunshine of Cape Town at high noon. It was a tiny golden clock that fit perfectly in the palm of my hand, serving as a most appropriate and beautiful reminder of the necessity of stopping time, every once in a Blue Train sort of moon. n THE BLUE TRAIN www.bluetrain.co.za
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