Back on the Tazara train

Throughout our Zanzibar trip we had remained undecided or did not really want to think about how we would make it back to Zambia. The plane was the quickest option but the prices were just too much (US$ 350+). The bus was the cheapest and quicker than the train but that speed was part of the problem. A friend who left before us from Zanzibar warned us by text that “the bus is a nightmare, do not get it”. We returned to the train station in Dar and pleaded with the ticket seller for any available seats on the next train. At one stage third class seemed like the only option but then she kindly squeezed us into a second class compartment (sleeps six people) along with two young Tanzanian boys and another man. So a bit like Groundhog Day we found ourselves back on the Tazara train doing all the same things again (reading, scrabble, wandering minds . . . ). This time the express train only arrived six hours late. Happy days.