By rail from Josie to the Cape - Rovos Rail

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Rovos Rail 

From the Sublime to the. 'Cor Blimey' now a 1600km Train Safari following 160 year old trail forged out of the African Bushveld on - "the most luxuriour train in the world" - owner Rohan Vos.

The night and morning in Pretoria we spent busily trying to make our 29ers look like Louis Vuitons and spit and polishing ourselves and the best of our gear so we didn't look like we had been backpacking for the last two months- we didn't really need to worry as we looked just as good as everyone else and occasionally better.
 And as the 'Pride of Africa' departed from Rovos' Capital Park private station  we sat on our bed in our suite having our first of many glasses of Champagne (on the train) we just put our heads back and toasted the whole idea of it and how we were going to enjoy every minute of it and that we did. 
P. S. Should mention the 1 hour plus welcoming drinks in Rovos private railway station lounge at Pretoria, where we sorted most of the good sports and shared glasses of, all inclusive, Champagne with them.
It was a small passenger group of only 28, we guess the GFC still "in play". The usual train can carry a maximum of 72 in 20 carriages.
For the first hour we just sat back enjoying our Champagne and checking out our suite and all the little goodies - as you do- as we passed through the outskirts of Pretoria and then 'Jossie'. We then joined our fellow travellers in the lounge car and open air observation deck at the rear of the train and enjoyed our progress into the vast interior. Last in the lounge car at 7pm we staggered (something to do with the tracks) back and frocked up for our first dinner. Lots of giggles as Ian tied his best Windsor knot in two months and donned the borrowed dinner jacket, his jeans and hiking boots (polished of course) arm in arm we made our way to the candlelit (fortunately) dining car. Good wine flowed, food was great and served by dinner suited waiters, but after dinner all the other rich and famous oldies had gone to bed and we were left looking for a good time!!??
The next days highlights were a stop at the famous diamond mine city of Kimberly for a tour of the town and mine. This town was an interesting turning point in the Boer War. A little Australian influence existed with the Australian Arms pub which was a club for the Aussie wealth seekers that came from Kalgoolie together with Diamond Lil - who we were told had her own gold mine!!
Back on board to lunch and with much encouragement we persuaded Joe the train manager to forego the usual Rovos Etiquette and allow us to use technology and listen to the Tri Nations test between the Proteas and the Aussies at Blomfontein as we sped past. At 5pm with Stan and Jan our new found friends from North Rocks and Emily and Christian from Virginia we led the charge into all our fellow passengers becoming part of the either listening or cheering squad for the game that the Wallabies won in the last 30 seconds - Joe being South African was not happy but despite the Rovos Rule of no electronics on board to try and encourage a return to times of old as part of the special magic of train travel and communication, Joe really had been a very good sport - as from a quote of Nelson Mandella "sport can reach out to people-----"
That night at dinner we celebrated Jan's birthday with special cake the chef had made and all the staff of the train singing which is an African tradition we had experienced on Safari when guest birthdays came along.
Next morning the train was stopped 5 km short of Matjiesfontein for those who were up for it, of which we were two, could have a walk to the train station beside the tracks -all so civilized.
Toured the town and back on board for breakfast and then most of the afternoon in the observation car to pass through the 4 tunnels the first of which was 13.7 km long - very surreal watching daylight disappear and the rushing sound of the tracks and dim yellow lights in the tunnel. As we emerged into the Hex Valley and the Capeland wineries and the railside townships we were pulled back to reality as we drifted into Capetown station at 6pm - yet another great train trip for us who love train travel.

P.S. An interesting contrast between the 80kph maximum speed of the last 3 days and the 325kph in Europe on the very fast trains - must be the wobbly tracks!!  

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Photos

1
Reception at Rovos Capital Park Station Pretoria

2
Time to Board with a beautiful girl