Whine. Whine. Whine. Went the mosquito. Within the mosquito net covering the bed. Won’t sleep with that it in my ear. It’s midnight (at the oasis). Spend the next half hour finding and killing two mozzies that have somehow found their way through the net. Back in bed but still can’t sleep as need a final pee. Just about to switch bathroom light on when something catches my attention in the gloom. It’s the biggest spider I’ve ever seen. And it’s sitting right next to the light switch. That would’ve scared the living daylights out of me had I felt that in the dark. Incey-wincey is ushered out the door.
Meet woman at check-out who was sat opposite me on helicopter yesterday. She has great delight in saying goodbye with that well known phrase, “I’m glad I wasn’t sick on you yesterday.”. Not half as glad I as I was Mrs!
Catch hotel shuttle bus to town and ask driver if he could drop me off at the station a few hundred yards away from one of his official stops. He’s slightly hesitant and tells me it’s not really allowed but he’ll do it. Note there’s a formal “Route Authorisation” form on his dash and wonder if he’s only allowed a specific route by the authorities? Meet train staff again who seem pleased to see me again unlike, I later find out, the other guests. More of that later!
Return to the falls park as it’s included in the trip. No one has any entrance vouchers so advised to pay the USD20 and get a receipt and they’ll reimburse. Simply say to the ticket counter that I’m with Shongololo and waved through. Free of charge. Walk along the path parallel to the falls and don’t know if it’s my imagination but there seems to be more water and mist since last week. Photos are the same as last week so you’ll be spared a repeat prescription.
Walk back to the train along a footpath through the bush. There’s an elephant about 50m to my left just roaming about. Not used to that. There’s no fence or anything to stop us meeting. Apparently a herd of elephants walk along the station platfrom regularly. It’s a trunk line after all. Poor. Very poor.
Meet up again with two people from the previous tour who, like me, are doing back to back trips. Start seeing fellow travellers for the Southern Cross tour. There are 82. A large group of 27 Canadians from Toronto who are all together. A group of 15 Swiss. Assorted other Canadians, French Canadians, Germans, Australians, Dutch, New Zealanders and a lone Brit. Me. Sniff.
38C today. Train is melting. Occupants are melting. Power circuits overloaded. Plenty of power cuts. AC not working. Plenty of grumpy, jet lagged tourists. Dinner in the dark until candles are found. The moaning started as soon as they landed. The Swiss turn up a day late due to flight delays. They turn up but their bags don’t. It’ll be another couple of days before they have clean clothes. Canadians travelling together as a group are all from a “community”. But, quite frankly, they’ve all fallen off the back of a nursing home (some, a funeral parlour even). I’m the youngest by about 60 years. And I’m 43. They’re all moaning about the train.
The Swiss are a bit pushy and think they’re above everyone else. Don’t like the Swiss. Like the Luxembourgers and Belgians they’re not quite sure if they’re French or German. They’re the Inbetweeners.