I board the train at noon which leaves at 12:30 for the twenty-six hour journey from Johannesburg to Cape Town. I settle in my compartment with five other men of different ages, all white. They all look decent enough blokes. Men are OK to have a beer with, but I prefer the company of women.
All long-distance trains in South Africa have a restaurant car where meals are served, but in between meals, they serve tea, coffee and other refreshments as well as alcoholic beverages.
I make my way to the dining car which is empty except for one or two older couples. Sitting down, I look out the window. We are only a few miles out of Johannesburg. The scenery is drab. The grass, what there is of it, is mostly brown, with shoots of green here and there. The Highveld climate does not encourage greenery, especially in the dry winters. The few bridges cross over mostly sandy river beds, but occasionally there is a thin trickle or stagnant pool of greyish-brown muddy water to be seen.
All long-distance trains in South Africa have a restaurant car where meals are served, but in between meals, they serve tea, coffee and other refreshments as well as alcoholic beverages.
I make my way to the dining car which is empty except for one or two older couples. Sitting down, I look out the window. We are only a few miles out of Johannesburg. The scenery is drab. The grass, what there is of it, is mostly brown, with shoots of green here and there. The Highveld climate does not encourage greenery, especially in the dry winters. The few bridges cross over mostly sandy river beds, but occasionally there is a thin trickle or stagnant pool of greyish-brown muddy water to be seen.