The Big Hole & The Shosholoza Meyl Train to Cape Town

After a very good night sleep at the guest house I had been staying at (and a free breakfast ... they did their best at making a vegan version!), I was provided with a free lift to The Big Hole. Considering it was 11am and already about 35 degrees Celcius I couldn't refuse. After staying on the coast, being this far inland is somewhat unbearable due to the heat at this time of year (or is it year round? I don't know.)

Anyways, The Big Hole is exactly as it sounds, its a big hole. However its significance is closely tied to the mining industry in South Africa, with Kimberley being one of the main sites in South Africa were diamonds were found. The hole is currently full of water, the water being green at the moment because of the salt content (or something like that). To see The Big Hole you have to pay 80 rand (student discount), which also provides you with a tour. Apparently a dog accidentally fell into the hole once and for 7 days was paddling around until he was finally rescued!! The man who rescued him named him Kimberley and kept him. Poor doggy. (That's the only thing I remember from the tour guide to be honest).

There is a lot of other stuff around the site of The Big Hole as well, including replicas of old buildings from the mining period, such as bars and shops. There is also a cute little restaurant of which I was surprised to notice had vegetarian/vegan options! I had been accustomed to avoiding all restaurants in Namibia as they generally include a lot of meat, and of which the only non-meat option is chips or a salad (if you take out the cheese). Anyways, I was happy to have this veggie burger (but they included this weird sauce on the side which I'm almost certain had egg in it.).

After visiting The Big Hole I had plans to visit the Mcgregor Museum which had been recommended to me. However when I reached there it was closed. I wasn't able to see much in Kimberley because my only day there was on a Sunday, and even the shopping centres were all shut by 3pm, meaning I couldn't walk around in the airconditioned buildings searching for free Wifi. 

Ended up spending the afternoon at the guesthouse I was staying at (Alet Heim Guest House) ... the one my dad booked that I thought was too expensive (and that he subsequently paid for wooo) ... I had checked out at 11am that morning but they let me sit in one of their cottages for the afternoon while I made use of their wifi. Their staff were very kind and attentive so if anyone happens to be in Kimberley, South Africa I would recommended the place. 

That night the plan was to catch the Shossholoza Meyl train to Cape Town. This train runs several times a week between Johannesburg and Cape Town, and was the train I wanted to take during the mid semester break with my friends, but tickets sold out before we could buy them.  I decided to go by myself as it seemed like an ideal way to get the Cape Town, and I would be able to add 'train' to my list of transportation for this trip.

The train was due to arrive at Kimberley at 9:20pm. I was well aware however that this would most likely not be the case and I was pretty certain it was going to be late.  I got to the station at 7pm anyways, stood in line for an hour to collect my ticket, and then waited until 11pm when the train finally arrived. 

I had booked the sleeper train because it was going to be an approximately 16 hour journey and sitting for that didn't appeal to me. When I arrived at my compartment there was only one other lady there. I missed out on buying a linen pack as they had run out by the time the train had reached Kimberley (which is something I also should have expected but didn't think about). I had my travel pillow and a sarong that I could use as a sheet or blanket. The other lady in my compartment was very kind and let me use one of her blankets however (as she had several because she had managed to get the linen pack at Joburg).

I slept from about 11:30pm to 3am when we made another stop and someone else entered our compartment. I was very tired and sleepy, and when the lady started to talk to me in Afrikaans I was a bit annoyed. Apparently she wanted me to move to the top bunk (which was faaaar less appealing than the bottom) because she didn't want to climb up there. I obliged (although I don't really think she was giving me much of a choice) and climbed to the top bunk where I managed to vaguely fall asleep, waking up with a sore back. I was also slightly too tall to be sleeping up there, so it was overall a bit of a cramped experience. The first lady in my compartment left at about 7:30am, so after that I was able to use her bed and doze in and out. Regardless, I am very, very tired now after some very restless sleep. 

At about 9am I went down to the dining cart for some breakfast. I hadn't had a chance to find a supermarket to get snacks for the trip because they had all been far away and I was too lazy to walk there in the heat (that was a mistake). So technically the last thing I had eaten was the burger from the day before. Whoops. 

I was quite hungry, and the vegan options were limited. This was on the few times on this trip where I have vaguely considered breaking my veganism and just ordering anything on the menu, but the thought of eating a sausage or an egg made me feel sick so I realised the only thing for me to eat was some toast with jam. I ordered 4 slices, alongside some rooibus tea, which came to about 44rand ($4aud?)

(They gave me butter with my jam and for some reason refused to take it away when I said I didn't need it ...?)

The waitresses were not the most friendly, which is understandable considering they are the only restaurant on the train and they probably had just worked the night before, and the wait was long, but it was nice to sit in dining cart and watch the world go by for an hour or so. 

The expected time of arrival in Cape Town was to be 3:30pm, but we got there at 4:30pm which I think is quite remarkable as I was expecting to arrive well after 5pm. I slept as we went through what according to this kid was the longest tunnel in Africa. We would go in and out, and every time the lights went out and it was pitch black you could hear these children running down the corridor screaming (playfully). The same children came and joined me in my compartment when I was the only one left in there. This little girl kept popping in to say hello, but that was the only English she seemed to know. Her older brother's english was very good (considering he was 8) and wanted to show me his favourite song on my phone (No Money - Galantis), and well as this other popular Zulu song, Wololo, which I had actually heard a lot over the past few months.

After arriving at the station I got an Uber (so happy to be in a city where Uber works again ... using and calling for cabs in Kimberley was an annoying hassle) to Zebra Crossing Backpackers where I showered and promptly headed to Long Street to find some food. The last time I was here I was with all my friends and we were all discovering the city for the first time. It is a bit sad being here without them, however I still love Cape Town and am excited to be here until Thursday!