Arrival in the north part of South Africa

We awoke on the train to fields of sunflowers, corn, and prosperous looking farms. They clearly had more rain here as the grass is green and there are lots of trees as opposed to shrub bush in the central and southern plains.

The train passed through some substantial industrial areas and slowly made its way through Johannesburg to Pretoria.

We got packed up to leave the train and watched them add a steam locomotive engine to the back of the train to pull it into the private Rovos Rail train station. The station had a section where they were restoring old train cars.

I must say they think of everything to take care of you on the Rovos Rail and I understand why they call it the most luxurious train in the world. An amazing trip! Upon arrival, owner Rohan Vos was once again there to personally welcome us.

Our driver took us from Pretoria to Johannesburg where we were staying overnight at The Residence. We wondered where we staying as we went along a very private residential street and turned into the property. A gatekeeper had to open a large black solid steel gate to let us in. We were immediately greeted and taken to a seated lounge area to check in. Our room was actually a suite with its own private

deck, outdoor shower, and jacuzzi. There was a staircase off the bathroom that led downstairs to a private Sauna. We enjoyed relaxing beside a small swimming pool shared only with the suite next door. The amenities, food and decor were all outstanding.

During my days working for Sun Microsystems. I had been fortunate to stay in some pretty awesome accommodations, including the Presidential suite at the Hyatt San Diego hotel. I have to say this was the nicest hotel I have ever been in. I think being a boutique hotel, I enjoyed not having to wander through large public areas.

The signature touch was crystal chandeliers everywhere. There were large ones in each of the rooms in our suite. The bedside and bathroom vanity lights were wall sconce chandeliers. Turn down service included a bottle of Kahlua and liqueur glass served on what looked like a large candle base with chandelier fobs attached. Even the key in the bathroom lock was a crystal fob. I would hate to be the person who has to clean all those chandeliers! Despite being ornately decorated it had a very modern feel with clean structural lines.

They even had a Rolls Royce and appropriately dressed driver available for you to use. The driver assured me he would give me a drive in the Rolls Royce when we return from our trip to Victoria Falls. For today, we had no desire to leave the property once we got settled.