by Sandra Mallinson, 18 October 2009

Faced with my biggest dilemma of the day - have another glass of that delicious Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc or switch to the Kanonkop Pinotage for my main course - I decided to rather sit back and watch the Zambian bushveld flicker past my window.

Fritz, the sommelier, had already noticed my near empty glass, and was on his way armed with the wine list and, no doubt, the perfect recommendation.

White Gloves And Crystal

Meals on Rovos Rail are lavish affairs. Then again, from the moment I'd pulled up at Cape Town station a few days before, and a white-gloved hand had opened my car door and offered me that first glass of bubbly, I felt like I'd stepped out of reality and into a far more glamorous place - or should that be - time.

At first everyone was a bit formal but it didn't take long for us to settle into train life, although admittedly that's not hard to do when you're travelling on the most luxurious train in the world.

It was a beautifully crisp, clear day and I felt on top of the world: rumbling through the Cape Winelands and magnificent Hex River Valley, surrounded by vineyards and sunshine, with a sprinkling of snow still visible on the Matroosberg. And the best part of all was, we still had a full 2 weeks ahead of us.

Crossing Southern Africa

We were travelling along the Cape Town to Dar es Salaam route, which winds its way through South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania.

Although there were plenty of memorable stops along the way - John's hilarious running commentary on the red London bus tour of Matjiesfontein, the fist-sized diamonds and honky-tonk tavern in Kimberley, the lioness with her cubs and herds of elephant in Madikwe Game Reserve and thundering Victoria Falls - it's experiencing life on board that makes this journey truly unique.

After a few days everyone had found their favourite spots. Mine was definitely the Observation Car right at the back of the train, with an open-air balcony perfect for taking photos. It's also, quite fortuitously, attached to the bar.

Wining And Dining

I was staying right on the other end of the train, in a Pullman Suite. Although incredibly spacious by usual train standards, the Pullman is the smallest of the Rovos Rail suites, and you soon learn to dance around your partner while blow drying hair and putting on heels before the gentle sound of the gong calls everyone to the dinner.

I started to appreciate that 64-carriage walk, especially since every meal my resolve to have something light would crumble the moment I perused the 4-course menu: seared tuna steak, prawns sautéed in ginger and mint, springbok loin medallions and tender Karoo lamb were just a few of my culinary highlights, along with the well put together list of about 30 top South African wines.

How they manage to produce such fine meals in a small kitchen on wheels is quite beyond me. Although according to J.R., the train doctor, it's always been that way - he flew up to Dar es Salaam 19 years ago for the first run back in a plane packed with frilly lettuce and the finest, freshest ingredients all overseen by a fussy chef.

Life On Board

Something that really made an impression on me is the amount of time on board: time just to read, chat, write, think and watch the world go by.

One of the main aims of Rohan Vos, the owner of Rovos Rail, is for his train journeys "to give people a chance to relax and restore the lost art of conversation”. Electronic devices are banned in the lounges and bar areas so there is no television, no internet access and no cel phones.

For the first time in years I didn't go online for over a week. Instead I'd spend long golden afternoons in the Observation Car; camera in one hand, G&T in the other, swapping travellers' tales whilst watching the arrow-straight tracks roll out behind us and occasionally waving at groups of excited kids who'd rush out to stare at the train chugging past.

Back For More

For many of my fellow passengers this was their second, third or in one case 52nd trip on Rovos Rail. Warwick and Ester from New Zealand were celebrating Warwick's 40th birthday: "we did the Cape Town to Pretoria journey, and it tore us apart so badly having to get off at Pretoria that we immediately set about booking this next trip”.

Train travel had definitely gotten under Warwick's skin because by the time we got to Dar es Salaam they'd already decided to come back in a couple of years to do their third Rovos journey, this time from Pretoria to Swakopmund with Jonathan and Marjorie, an Edinburgh couple they'd met on the train.

In fact, it was Jonathan who put it best (in his pleasant Scottish accent) "It's like a different world ... or ... more accurately, a different century". Travelling on Rovos is a rare chance to slow down and savour the good things in life: fine food, superb wine, impeccable service and leisurely conversations, all framed within the wide open spaces of Southern and East Africa.

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Article © Copyright 2009 Go2Africa.

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