Shosholoza Meyl

When Keith told me he'd booked us a weekend away on the Shosholoza Meyl, I jumped for joy. I had never been on a sleeper train and had grown up listening to stories from my Mom and Dad about train holidays, dining carts and old world charm.

We started our trip by catching the morning commuter train through to Cape Town. Once at the Cape Town station, we found the correct platform and sat in eager anticipation for our trip to begin.

The train left on time and we started the 26 hour trip to Johannesburg. We were lucky (shrewd) enough to make "friends" with the train manager and secured a 4 berth cabin for the entire trip. While I am sure there are many couples who wouldn't mind being in a 2 berth cabin, Keith and I have been married long enough to enjoy a little more space.

Travelling slowly through the suburbs of Cape Town and then heading out of town and through the wine country was amazing. The only problem was, that within 30 minutes of being aboard, my eye lids started to feel like lead! It turns out that train travel is the strongest sleeping pill known to man. You simply can not help being lulled into sleep, with the occasional bleary eyed glance out the window to inspect the passing stations and sidings.

 The Shosholoza Meyl offers dedicated safe passenger train travel services in South Africa on Tourist Class basic sleeper trains and Premier Classe deluxe sleeper trains. 

During the day, sleeper compartments convert into suites with hot and cold water from a basin stowed underneath the fold-up table. Communal toilets and showers are available at the end of each coach. The toilets are cleaned regularly and the showers are spacious, I really enjoyed showering and looking out the window watching the sun setting over the Karoo.

 Bedding can be purchased on board from the attendant at R40 p/person. Bringing your own bedding is advised. We did take our sleeping bags, but also opted for the bedding - which was very clean. They come at 6pm and make your bed.

The food on the train is acceptable, certainly not gourmet, but I could not fault it. Keith thoroughly enjoyed the beef curry with rice and sambles, which despite the low price (R30), was made from top quality slow cooked beef with no fat or gristle. I had the fried hake with chips and salads (R35). I have certainly had better, but would not hesitate to order it again and did in fact finished the entire generous portion.

Coffee and tea is brought to your cabin at 7am.

Security and service on the train is top class. Refuse bags are provided to each cabin and collected regularly. The staff are helpful, friendly and willing, we did not meet one staff member who did not seem to be enjoying their job.

Train travel is certainly not for those who have tight schedules, but if you're looking for a wonderfully relaxing way to travel around South Africa, with the added advantage of seeing the countryside I would highly recommend the Shosholoza Meyl.

 The price is very reasonable, Cape Town - Johannesburg was R480 (on Tourist) per person and occasionally they offer special discounted rates. There is a Premier Class from Johannesburg - Cape Town but this is not always available and you will need to check before booking. We travelled Tourist class and as you can see from my account were more than happy with the accommodation and service.

Click here for more information on the Shosholoza Meyl.

A Road less Travelled

A road less travelled took me away from blogging for 2 weeks. I discovered places in this beautiful country, things about myself, where I am going and where I want to be. I met new people and made friends that I hope I can nurture for years to come.

All this sounds very philosophical, but it's not really -time spent with yourself, outside of your comfort zone, can reveal things that get lost in a normally hectic life and routine.

So, let's start off with where I was.

I had to take a 5 day business trip to a little dorp (town) in the Eastern Cape called Humansdorp. While I was very busy sorting out the reason for my visit, I did have time to drive around and see some beautiful places and eat at some really wonderful restaurants.

One of these beautiful places was Cape St Fransis and the Port of St Fransis. A sleepy little hollow, right on the coast. Here is a picture of the lighthouse and the harbour pictured above.


Two of the restaurants at which I ate stand out, firstly Le Chameleom, in Humansdorp and the second was De Viswyf in Jefferies Bay. The third place is a coffee shop, cum second hand book shop, cum bonsai nursery, also in Humansdorp.

Le Chameleon is only open during the day and not only has a wonderful restaurant, but a gift shop and farm stall where I could have maxed out any credit card! There is not a person in the area who doesn't know this little gem, and even out of season you'll be hard pressed to get a table. They do not take reservations and close at 4pm on week days. The owners are always there, keeping a keen eye on every plate which leaves the kitchen.

I do apologize for the picture quality, but I think the excitement at seeing such a beautiful plate of food was just too much for even my camera to handle!

I ate at Le Chameleon twice, opting twice for a salad - and while this might sound boring, it was everything but, more like a culinary voyage into the heights of heaven. The first salad I had was grilled pear with blue cheese, crispy bacon and bruschetta. My soul shall never know such pleasure on a plate again. That was until the second master piece of grilled halloumi cheese with pine nuts and olives. I still can not decide which was best, but I could write a Mills and Boon novel on the pleasures thereof!

The second restaurant I went to was De Viswijf in Jeffreys Bay, an award winning restaurant. It is set right on the rocks, next to the lighthouse. The menu is very extensive, with fish, poultry and meat. I had the fish, being of the belief that when in a fish restaurant you should eat fish. I started with Mussels Maison, mussels in the shell with garlic white wine sauce, topped with cheese, oven baked and served on a bed of rice . And yes this is as good as it sounds!
The Yellow Fin Sole was "to die for", and I don't say that lightly - I can think of a few small countries I would invade for another chance to savour this dish. And just because I was alone and out of town I finished off with the créme brûlée.

Thirdly was the little coffee shop - Browns Cafe, in Main Street Humansdorp. It looks like nothing from outside, just another secondhand book shop, with perhaps an old Auntie making coffee and koek (cake) in the back. Oh no, as you walk through, you discover a beautiful nursery, filled with bonsai trees and tables where you sit and enjoy the view.

I tell you now, do not to waste your time thinking about what to order - coffee and lemon meringue pie! That's all you will need to make you realize that books and covers are never what they seem!

So there you have the first part of my voyage of discovery. It involves lots of food - but there was time to do some soul searching too. But I think I will keep that for another day- just in case you needed a reason to come again and visit!