So it's an early start today to get a bus up to Kapiri Moshi to join the train bound for Dar es Salaam. I'm booked to leave Lusaka at 6am, the only other option being 10am which would of been mighty tight for catching my train. As it happens I arrive at the bus station early enough to get the 530am bus which in fact leaves at 615 despite the company slogan stating "always on time". Maybe it's just late whenever I'm travelling. That aside this is an infinitely better service than my bus from Livingstone, I don't feel like I'm going to terminate at every bend and the conductor is doing a grand job making tannoy announcements but without the tannoy bit. Instead he just stands in the middle of the bus and says "announcement please, announcement please. We are arriving in...". He also nags people to be quick at rest stops which is part of the reason public transport is so late here, people dally around in there own little worlds with no consideration for the bigger picture.
Lusaka bus depot at that time in the morning was chaotic, literally hundreds of people nag you for taxis or to get you tickets, people push in front of you to board the bus and load their bags, clearly needing a chill pill and to accept it isn't going to leave til I'm on it whether you push in front of me or not. It's quite rude really but water off a ducks back and that.
The bus stop in Kapiri is about 2km from the railway station, I get off the bus and I'm immediately surrounded by sellers and taxi drivers, people with all sorts of goods balanced on their heads to sell. I run to keep up with the conductor who scurries around trying to find my bag in the hold (which thankfully he does; that could of been a disaster). When I'm ready I find a taxi, it annoys me in general when people try to pressure you into buying goods or services. That's not just the hawking we have here in Africa but advertising and marketing in general. If I want a taxi ill get one when I need it, if I want a tray of half rotten fruit balanced on the head of a tall woman then ill find it, by nagging your even less likely to get a sale.
Tazara New Kapiri Moshi Train Station (to use its full name) sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise impoverished surrounding of dirt roads and mud/straw shacks. Built by the Chinese in the early days of when they wanted to exploit African resources, it's essentially a warehouse with one side full of dirty glass windows which makes it stifling hot and airless. The Chinese have invested a lot in Zambia and parts of sub-Saharan Africa and frankly it's not making a particularly big difference to local Zambians. It's blatant exploitation so they can facilitate the mining of natural resources to support China's immense growth. China built this railway which sees little passenger use, a football stadium in Lusaka as well as office blocks and other facilities.
At the station the booking clerk invites me to move into the "1st and 2nd class" lounge rather than my current seat which is apparently 3rd class. The only difference being is a tired cushion and slightly less air circulating around.
In time a few other people arrive including maybe half a dozen tourists. This is pretty off the beaten track so I didn't expect to see too many non-local folk. I get chatting to Laura and her friends from Ireland, shes moaning about the $100 visa fee she has to pay, double what mine was. She is finishing her trip in a very similar way to mine but is going to Mombasa and the Kenyan coast having already climbed Kili. We decide to walk back into town and get some lunch before the train departs, it's getting pretty warm here. Kapiri is surrounded by bush as far as you can see, there's very little to provide shade or cool from the hot summer temperatures.
The train actually leaves on time, yes on time! I chat to Laura and her friends a lot, they've got a first class cabin and when I ask to upgrade I'm told there is no more room. Laura and Will let me hang out in their cabin so were currently enjoying a cold beer watching the African world go by. The draft through the window is nice but it is ridiculously hot. I've claimed a top bunk bed in my cabin which gives me abit of private space at the expense of being very hot. This is shaping out to be one hell of an adventure. The train is bouncing along all over the place, the toilets are literally just a hole in the floor down to the tracks below (literally a shit hole). There's a lounge car and a restaurant car where you can buy beer and food. The beer is on ice which needless to say is melting fast so obviously needs to be drunk soon :) looks like my first day on this train will be a success.
I take my empty beer bottle and a card the bar man gave me back and got a 6000kwh refund, so I only paid 3000kwh for the beer. That's insane, it's only 40p for a large beer. I'm sure he made a mistake since Will didn't get that but I'm not complaining.
So as the evening starts to draw in, what a change from a dull few days in Lusaka. I'm sat on the wobbly bouncy train having a beer with some new mates watching the sunset over the African bush. Children run along side the train shouting hello and playing football. I have absolutely no idea where we are, somewhere in North Zambia and frankly I don't care. Absolutely one of the highlights of the trip. Happy days. We finish the day with dinner and exceptional service in the dining car, all for just under £2. Will, who's from Hong Kong actually, brought a bottle of wine to finish off a great day of travelling. Not sure how sleep will come tonight, the train isn't exactly a smooth rider but at least we have beds. Lets just hope I don't fall out of my lofty perch. :)
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