Kilawani

We're crossing from East to Southern Africa today- from Tanzania to Zambia- on one long train journey: The TAZARA Express.

We've been excited about this for a while, since it's featured in lists of the "best train journeys in the world". It's seems the best way to cross the 2,000 kilometres from Dar Es Salaam to Lusaka.

So we were disappointed when we failed to get a ticket. When we were back on Mafia Island, we called up the train company to book tickets, and we were told that it books out months in advance, and the only tickets available were for the hard wooden seats. For a 48 hour train ride. The booking agent admitted that those seats probably weren't for us.

Having to rethink our plans, we booked an expensive flight from Dar to Harare with Air Zimbabwe, and decided to do Zim before Zam. On the way to get the plane, we call up the airport to ask which terminal we need to go to. "What does it say on the ticket?" they ask. "It doesn't", we respond. "Which flight is it?" "The 10pm to Harare," we say. "Well then it's terminal 3" comes the terse response.

When we reach terminal 3, we're told that the flight has been cancelled, having never left Zimbabwe. We're not quite sure why we weren't told that over the phone. In any case, we're told to come back the following day, and we're given a number to call for updates. The next day, we hang around the hostel until evening, debating whether to head to the airport. Eventually, just before it's time to leave, we get a text: "The flight has been cancelled again". We would later find out that the plane would never depart- though they kept advertising it. We feel bad for the guy who flew from the Comoros and got stranded in Tanzania, being repeatedly told to come back the next day, just for the flight to be cancelled again.

At a loss for what to do, we decide to take another punt at the train, and ask around the hostel. We're encouraged to go to station to ask again, so sure enough, the next day we head over, not exactly full of confidence.

At the train station, a huge building on the outskirts of the city, we're told that, in actual fact, there's plenty of room in first class. We end up getting an entire compartment for a fraction of the price of the flight.

It would be months before we receive a refund from Air Zimbabwe.Read more