Hello from Pretoria in South Africa!
This is the Blue Train, one of the most luxurious trains in the world.
For the next two days and nights, this will be our moving five star hotel on wheels.
The cheapest tickets for a ride cost 1,500 euros.
And we're going to find out if it's worth it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Blue Train is about to depart."
Hello, my name is in Nteseng, and I'll be your butler for the journey.
So in each and every coach we have a double.
That's basically twin beds and then the last room will be like a double bed.
We have a bathtub, but with the twin beds we normally have a shower.
The safe is inside the wardrobe.
This is for the blinds, behind the compartment.
These knobs are for the lights.
You can call me whenever you need assistance or...
...when I need a drink?
Anything!
Okay!
Yes.
Any time you can give me a call.
Honestly, what a lovely person, Nteseng.
Actually, the first butler I ever had, to be honest.
But also what a lovely suite where we'll be spending the next two nights.
And they just put a map right in front of me here, where we will be going.
We're starting in Pretoria now, passing through Johannesburg and going to Kimberley in the
Northern Cape province, then passing through the Karoo
and the wine lands all the way down to Cape Town.
Well, it's almost dinnertime with a strict formal dress code.
So it's time to get ready and maybe have a quick tour of the train before.
So this is the observation car, one of the best parts of the train, if you ask me.
And I was lucky to get one of the two VIP seats with this wonderful view here.
It's a wonderful experience.
If you're South African, it's like on your bucket list because, you know,
it's not necessarily affordable in Rand. Because we are not foreigners,
we are not paying in Euro, Dollar or Pound.
So for us, it's like something on your bucket list.
All South Africans want to go with the Blue Train once in a life at least.
One of the reason was... because of the special.
It's so much cheaper now.
Just climbing on to the train and seeing how it's been furnished
and everything and the food and whatever.
So I really enjoy it.
And I think it's still something to be proud of.
But while we are enjoying the train ride, you can see that the reality for the majority
of South Africans is very different, especially as we go through urban areas, seeing people
still living in shacks, still living in poverty.
South Africa has one of the most unequal societies in the world.
And you can also see that when you look at the passengers: the majority are white,
very few people of color are on the train as passengers.
And that shows you the massive challenges that South Africa still has even more than
25 years after the end of apartheid.
Hello - are we too early?
No, it's 6 o'clock.
All right, thank you.
Thank you!
Very nice!
A good suggestion.
How many wines do you have in total?
More than 30.
It’s a lot. And it keeps on changing.
Smoked springbok carpaccio...
Creamy potato and leek soup...
Roasted venison fillet...
Lemon meringue tart...
And a cheese selection.
That was really incredibly good: five courses, cheese platter in the end,
I'm so full, I won’t be able to finish it.
And the evening is not yet over.
Now comes the most exciting part:
We're going over to the cigar lounge now where Cuban cigars will be served.
And we will also be meeting the train manager.
So we're in the cigar lounge, just having a drink for now, maybe a smoke later.
First, we are talking to the train manager, Siya Mbambo.
Siya, you have been doing this job for six years, what is it that you like about it?
It's very exciting.
There's never a day that's like any other.
There's never a dull moment.
There's always challenges.
So it keeps me on my toes the whole time.
The trip now is fully booked.
I honestly was a bit surprised about that.
So it seems the domestic market is there for such a product if the prices are going down.
The domestic market has been a very pleasant surprise for all of us.
It seems that there is a very, very good appetite for this type of product in South Africa and
we are all over the moon about it.
In terms of clientele we've changed from mainly international to mostly local now.
Is it different types of people also?
It is it is definitely a change of character and the look and feel of the clientele.
The South African people are very proud, very traditional people.
They have their own very special ways of doing everything.
You can tell that by their consumption in the bar, it's absolutely amazing.
They are a very fun loving nation and they enjoy everything
about every element of the Blue Train.
Good morning from another beautiful part of this beautiful train
after a long night with way a few drinks.
It was a pleasure to really sleep in this comfortable bed.
There's nothing better than sleeping on a moving train.
I really slept like a baby.
You are now at the Kimberley station, all the guests are getting off.
They're going to get on the shuttles and go to the Kimberly mine.
But just remember that the first diamond you find goes to the train manager.
Well, that was a great and in fact, the only stop of the train, that gave us the chance
to see the former diamond mine.
Now, it's one more night to go before we reach our destination.
"Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen!"
"This is your train manager."
"Get your cameras out as we are about to go through the Hex River Valley."
"On the right hand side of the train is the Hex River Valley,
one of the most picturesque parts of our journey."
We are now approaching the Cape Winelands.
So soon we will be in Cape Town.
At this point, the big question is: was it worth it?
Well, I loved the trip and I think for everybody who likes trains and this old charm,
would also love it.
This train has been running since 1946.
People like Elton John and Nelson Mandela were on board.
But obviously it comes at a price.
There's some good news for those who do not have pockets that deep.
There's an alternative: the Shosholoza passenger train.
Runs off the same route, obviously less luxurious, but affordable.
And it's also a great experience.
So for now, I will be enjoying the remaining, maybe one or two hours
and the wonderful scenery here.
So see you on the rail!