It has been a very long day today. Arrived in Victoria Falls at midday after a marathon fifteen hour train journey from Bulawayo. Was supposed to be an eleven hour journey but then a lot of things are supposed to be in Africa and never quite are. (Still trying to work out how it managed to be four hours late when it was traveling in a straight line with no other oncoming trains?)
On top of that, it had to rate as one of the worst journeys I've ever done. My compartment which I was confined to for the whole journey, was filthy and stank of urine and stale sweat. If you can imagine being locked inside a cubicle of a public toilet overnight with an endless procession of people banging on the door, it should give you a fair idea. I wouldn't have minded but I was traveling in first class!
The warning signs were there. The Zimbabwe Railways woman employee who sold me the ticket warned me 'to lock myself in' the compartment because of the thieves and the friend who said with composed resignation, 'so you have decided to take the train then'.
This was a great disappointment to me. Zimbabwe used to have the most amazing trains, consisting of old British train carriages replete with teak interiors, leather seats and brass fittings. To ride one, which I did back in 1993, was to be transported back in time and experience something of the elegance of early train travel. Sadly, like many things in this country, they are no longer. (My compartment was a shrine to Formica).
Victoria Falls is Zimbabwe's top tourist destination and 99 per cent of its business is geared towards it. These days, tourists are most noticeable by their absence. This makes a short walk around the town unbearable as hawkers swarm around you like flies, trying to sell everything from wooden carved elephants to now defunct, inflationary Zimbabwean dollar notes. This gets extremely irritating after awhile and really tries your patience. Have to keep reminding myself they just trying to make a living to stop myself from punching one of them.
Being St Patrick's Day, I went out for a couple of beers tonight. Just before I leaving, I asked the barman was it safe to walk the streets of Victoria Falls at night. Looking at the clock which had just gone eight he said: 'It is fine. Very safe. Nobody on the streets at night.' Reassured I eased off the bar stool and made for the door. 'Just be careful of the elephants', he added. I laughed and waved goodbye. 'No, seriously,' he shouted after me, 'they walk around the streets at night. You need to watch out for them.' (And they do apparently).
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