August 2 2007
Too much emotion for 24 hours; Africa is already tugging at our heartstrings. Where to begin?
First, let me tell you about our one and only evening at Illyria House. After helping ourselves to the exotic hors d’oeuvres with porcupine quills - much nicer than toothpicks, I must say - we were invited to gather round the grand piano for a not quite impromptu piano concert by Brian Wallick, world class pianist and friend of the owners. Brian was the Gold Medalist at the Vladimir Horowitz International Piano Competition in Kiev. His performance was outstanding and included pieces by Mozart and Schubert. The most memorable piece however and the one that earned him an emotional standing ovation was a little known and unwritten (Unpublished? Brian tells us that Horowitz did not put this composition to paper as he did not want it copied.) transcription of one of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody’s by Vladimir Horowitz.
August 3 2007
Our departure from Illyria House, I think, will certainly always be among our fondest memories of Africa. Waiting for us at the front gate was the entire staff of the house and we were all four reduced to tears when these beautiful people broke into Zulu a cappella to wish us adieu. Never have we been so touched by the beauty of spontaneous and heartfelt song. Always in our hearts will these voices reside.
In 1989, Rohan Vos decided he wanted a railroad and so Rovos Rail was born. This is no ordinary railroad. All of the cars are vintage and have been lovingly restored. Mr. Vos likes to greet each passenger personally and so we got to meet this very impressive man at Rovos Rail’s private station in Capital Park, Pretoria. The station is colonial in style and stately in manner. Champagne is offered along with a warm welcome as the porters take the luggage away. The locomotive, Pride of Africa, waits patiently at the platform with the steady release of steam obscuring its massive wheels. I feel like we are getting on the Hogwarts Express.
We are assigned the McAlpine and Shepherd suites in car #4510, the KONINGSBERG. The luxury is slightly off-putting: enormous double bed, mahogany paneling, in-floor heating, en suite WC and shower. Everything is included except French champagne and caviar. Need your laundry done? No problem. Want a bottle of Port and a cheese board at midnight? Done.
Vos makes the rules: Cell phones and computers are forbidden in the public areas of the train. Jacket and tie are mandatory in the evening. Vos also suggests “a wee bit more of your favorite tipple” as a sleeping aid at night. It works for me.
There are 41 passengers aboard hailing from the following countries: Italy, South Africa, USA, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and of course Bermuda. The train manager is Peter Winterbottom, a man who gives the impression of having born for the job.
Our Journey today has taken us from Pretoria to Christiana, a total of approximately 450km. The shake, rattle and roll of the train takes some getting used to but you get your “train legs” after the first day, and so much so that when you step off the train, the ground seems to move underfoot. African railroads have a gauge of only 3’6” compared to Europe and North America’s 4’8 1/2” and this accounts for the rougher ride.
Dinner this evening: Smoked ostrich carpaccio with tempura vegetables; carrot and ginger soup; springbok loin with braised prunes and red wine and ginger sauce; dark chocolate sponge Africana with chocolate sauce; cheese board. The wine selection is extensive and includes white, rosé, red, dessert, port and champagne. Phil and Alex made quite a dent in it tonight as they were at it till the wee hours with the owner’s daughter Tiffany and her boyfriend Brandon. I somehow doubt we’ll be seeing them at breakfast tomorrow morning.
August 4 2007
We’re just not used to the kind of abject poverty that exists here in Africa. As our train slows down at a siding, old women and scruffy barefoot children with hands outstretched yell at us in their tribal dialect. Behind them are the shantytowns where they live. The contrast between them and us is difficult to take. It should not be so; it’s not right; I feel guilty; I want to do something to make it right; I can’t enjoy all this decadent luxury while they watch. The train pulls away leaving the shanty behind. We have a deep discussion about poverty and what can be done to fix it…over a five-course dinner. Unfair.
The train pulls in at Kimberley, the center of Africa’s diamond mining. The discovery of a diamond “pipe” on Mr. de Beers’ farm in 1871 triggered the diamond rush here. In 1888, Cecil John Rhodes became the chairman of the newly formed De Beers Consolidated Diamond Mines, one of the world’s oldest monopolies and one that has nearly absolute control of the world’s diamond trade.
The visitors’ center in Kimberly is well worth seeing. The star attraction here is the Big Hole, the largest hole in the world dug entirely by manual labour…pick and shovel! It is estimated that between 1871 and 1914, 28 million tones of rock and earth were removed from this site yielding an estimated 3 tonnes (14.5 million carats) of diamonds. It has a surface area of 17 hectares and a depth of 800 meters.
Dinner this evening: Salmon blini tower with herb greens and tzatziki sauce; butternut and mango soup; roasted quails with sesame seeds and Soya sauce OR feta and peppadew agnelotti with puttanesca sauce; warm sticky ginger pudding with ginger syrup; cheese board. Lots of wine and port.
August 5 2007
Up early this morning. We are now well and truly in the Great Karoo, South Africa’s arid interior plateau. The average elevation is 1200m. Springbok are everywhere. At 8AM, the train slows to a stop about 5km from Matjiesfontein to let a bunch of us out. The temperature hovers around 0° C and ice covers some of the shallow ponds. We hike to Matjiesfontein to reboard for the final leg to Cape Town.
I have not mentioned the lunches yet. These are nearly as elaborate as the dinners and are served at 1PM sharp. Today’s lunch is traditional South African: Melon, mint and feta salad; Traditional South African Bobotie with yellow rice (originally made with dog or goat meat but this version used beef, thankfully); cinnamon milk tart with traditional Koeksisters. Wine.
Our journey ends at Platform 24 in Cape Town and has taken us a total of 1595km.
Joseph Froncioni
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