Tazara: The copper railway

Tazara was built originally as a way for Zambia to export copper from the copper belt without going through any white countries. When we came to Africa the we only had three things we knew we were doing South Luangwa, Cape Town and Tazara so we really wanted to do it.

We had planned to take it from Kapiri Mposi where it starts but that did not happen and, when we tried to take it from South luangwa we were told no tourist had ever done that plus 3days before we were going to leave South luangwa we decided to go to Malawi.

When we arrived in Mbeya, Tanzania, we finally got our chance to take Tazara. We went to the station 3days before the train was going to come. When we got to the station we talked to the person at the sales counter and he told us that they had sold out 3 weeks ago. I declared 3 as my favourite number 3 days ago so that is why everything is 3, (it was just by coincidence though.)

We came back the day that the train was going to leave at 1p.m. to try and get tickets. After an hour of waiting in queues we got tickets as someone cancelled, then we had to wait in another half hour queue to collect the tickets. At 3 my mum and brother came as my dad and I had gone to get the tickets so we went to sit on the grass on the platform but 20seconds after we had sat down in our nice spot I mean 3 seconds after we had sat down in our nice spot we got told you can't sit on the platform until the train is there. 

After being relocated to a small piece of concrete, we sat down to wait, but we did not know what we were in for.

What to do when you are waiting for your train:

• Read
• Look around
• Stare at the concrete
• Be bored
• Pee in the bush
• Get hungry and order burgers
• Call the burger shop as they have not come after 3 minutes (it was actually 3 minutes this time.)
• Call the burger shop again
• Call the burger shop another time
• Call the burger shop again and they tell you the driver is on the way
• Call them again, and they tell you to look for someone bald on a motorbike with a basket.
• Call them, and they tell you he should be here.
• Look at every motorbike that goes past
• Look at some more motorbikes
• Get our food
• Eat it and still be hungry
• Think every noise is the train and walk to the platform
• When the train arrives go to the wrong entrance
• Finally get on the train