© Richard Randall

Caribbean

Sundries

CAPE TOWN The Blue Train

After being away for about two weeks it felt good to be back 'home'. Now we were back in Cape Town we were looking forward to our next journey, both of us had wanted to travel on the famous Blue Train for a long time, so the next thing to do was to go and find out about reservations, prices etc. We went to the Blue Train VIP Lounge at the station in Cape Town, and after finding out the departures times, the route, scheduled stops, suites, and all that the Blue Train experience had to offer, we made a reservation for a couple of days time. On the day of our departure on the Blue Train from Cape Town to Pretoria we were both excited and arrived at the station long before we needed to. We were quite happy sitting across the road in a cafe enjoying a coffee until the time came for us to walk across to the VIP Lounge in preparation for boarding. Once in the lounge we had just one hour before we would be enjoying the luxurious surroundings on the Blue Train, one hour which we spent drinking Champagne and relaxing on the comfy sofas of the lounge. There were already some other passengers there when we arrived, with more arriving right up until we boarded the train. We had read much about the train and its passengers, and we thought we knew what to expect. When we had booked our tickets it was made very clear to us that there was a very strict dress code, and that is was compulsory to dress formal for dinner 'to match the sheer elegance of the Blue Train'. Evening wear was to be elegant, with gentlemen wearing a jacket and a tie, day wear was smart casual. As by this stage of our travels we had perfected the art of travelling very light, with just hand luggage wherever we flew, this meant a shopping trip for us before we travelled on the Blue Train. When we booked our tickets Richard had asked if a jacket was strictly necessary, he was told it was. Fair enough, although neither of us like to be told what to do, let alone what to wear, we both like to wear good clothes anyway so it was not a problem. Anyway, after all of the passengers had arrived we were taken on to the train and shown to our suites. Our suite was as we had expected, it looked very similar to the pictures in the brochure. There was a choice on booking, of a suite with a shower only or a bath, and of a double bed (which were limited), or single beds. We had booked a suite with a bath and a double bed, which is what we got. We were shown how everything in the suite worked, the television, the air conditioning etc, where the lounge car was located, and the general layout of the train, and then we were left to it. So far so good. We went along to the Club Car, as it was the only place on board where smoking was permitted, and Richard smoked at the time. The Lounge Car was for pre lunch and dinner drinks, the Club Car opened as soon as the train commended its journey and closed when the last guest departed, excellent. All drinks except Champagne were included in the all inclusive rate, as were all of the meals/food with the exception of Caviar. Each coach on the train had a butler available 24 hours a day. We were the first to enter the Club Car and immediately served at a table. We started with a nice glass of red wine and we didn't really stop drinking until we departed the train in Pretoria! Not because we are alcoholics but because we were so disappointed with the whole Blue Train experience. It had all started out so perfectly, and I have read so many good reviews of the Blue Train, so either other people have lower expectations than we do, or we were just unfortunate and it was an uncharacteristically bad trip. After sitting in the Club Car for a while some more passengers came in and everything was good. We were chatting to a young lady who worked in the travel industry, and had taken her mother on the train as a treat, a free perk of her job. Soon it was time to get ready for lunch, as soon as we entered the dining car we were surprised to see that the four people who were seated at the table adjacent to ours were dressed down ~ very down, scruffy. We ordered our lunch, which we were led to believe would be a sophisticated experience with food from a gourmet menu and the finest South African wines. The menu did offer what sounded like a delicious choice of dishes. Typical South African cuisine such as kabeljou, karoo lamb, knysna oysters, crayfish, impala. When our first course arrived it was presented well, and was fine. The main course was fine too, as were all the courses. That was the problem everything was just fine, we were not enjoying the culinary delights we had been promised. In fact the food was so mediocre that I can not remember a single meal. Thankfully the wine kept flowing. As neither of us completely finished anything we were served at that first meal, our waiter asked us if there was a problem. We know from having friends/family in the food service industry, that it is not wise to complain about anything if you are planning to continue eating. As we were going to be enjoying the pleasure of more meals aboard the train before we arrived in Pretoria, we just said we were full, how very English! As we got up to leave we overheard the people at the next table saying how fantastic everything was, and that there must be something wrong with us! Well at least someone was enjoying the food, and they were really enjoying it, all of it. There was a choice of first, second courses etc, they had asked for everything on the menu, much to the disbelief of their waiter! We headed back to Club Car for a drink to cheer us up. We were still looking forward to dinner, for one thing we were hungry already, and who knows maybe the food would have improved? We dressed for dinner, and after drinks with the young lady who we had met earlier and her mother, we headed to the dining car. They had asked us what we thought of it so far and we said we were a little disappointed, but we didn't elaborate too much as we had only just met them. Moaning is kept for real friends! They too said that it wasn't quite as impressive as they had expected. They had dressed up in lovely evening dresses, their hair and make up finished perfectly, and we were dressed well in our new clothes, shoes, and Richard in his new jacket. We entered the dining car and were shown to our tables, given menus, and soon after some more passengers came in. The first people, were the two couples who had been sitting next to us at lunch. Richard and I, and the young lady and her mother all looked up at them, shocked, they were still dressed down. The women were not too scruffy, they were wearing regular everyday wear, the two men were wearing jeans and t-shirts. Normally it would not have bothered us, but as we had had to purchase clothes, that for the whole rest of our trip we did not need, and which we were going to leave behind anyway, it was a little annoying. When the waiter came to their table he sarcastically said, I see you have dressed up! Our first course arrived, and unfortunately there was no improvement in the food since lunch. More courses followed which were equally dire, so we decided not to complete this dining experience and left the dining car early. Unsurprisingly we walked on auto pilot to the Club Car for an after dinner drink, well we needed the calories! Almost straight away we were joined by the young lady and her mother. They had wanted the leave the dining car too, disappointed with their food but did not want to be the first to leave. We told the waiter that we all needed cheering up, so he should bring us something nice to drink. He returned promptly with lots of glasses and some bottles. Port. We were sampling South African port, and it was all delicious. Once we had all decided on our favourite one we told the waiter, and we asked him to bring over a couple of bottles, this was not the time to be messing about with silly little glasses. By now the four of us were chatting away happily and laughing a lot. The young lady's mother was Greek and so funny, she was really maternal toward us two, in fact so maternal that she told us to call her Mum. Later some of the other passengers came to the Club Car for drinks, and obviously as it was a cosy train carriage we could overhear each others conversations. Most of the other passengers were impressed with the Blue Train experience, but there were one or two that were beginning to feel let down. We stayed in the bar for hours with our new drinking buddies. The next morning breakfast was the expected disappointment, but we were thirsty so we tried to fill ourselves up on drinks and bread. We couldn't wait to get to Pretoria and get something decent to eat. By now we could hear that most of the passengers were unhappy with everything too. Thankfully the train did stop en route to Pretoria at Matjiesfontein, where we were taken on a short ride on a London double decker bus! Matjiesfontein was a couple of dusty streets and not much more, but it was good to be off of the train for a while and to stretch our legs. The village looked like a film set, the buildings were Victorian and there were original nineteenth century London lamp posts, it felt like we were stepping back in time.

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