TAZARA train

 Meals could also be ordered and brought to the cabin, and they were quite affordable at about $2 for a full-course dinner.

Dinner of beef stew with nshima on TAZARA train

Dinner of beef stew with nshima and watermelon on the first night aboard the Tazara train. Ben Mack / Insider

For dinner, the choices were chicken, a beef stew, or fish, which cost about $0.40 extra. Breakfast consisted of eggs, four slices of bread with a small scraping of butter, coffee or tea, and also cold spaghetti. It also cost just $2.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train

The lounge's turquoise couches felt plastic-y and weren't as soft as my bed. But they were softer than many third-class seats — which was probably why most people I met there said they came from third class.

The restaurant was also often busy.

While some people were ordering food, a lot of people in the restaurant were just sitting and talking. Even though there were fans on the ceilings, I never saw them working.

TAZARA train

The bar and snack stand on the Tazara train. Besides bottled water, there were also bananas for $0.40 each — considered expensive for the region. But a bag of popcorn was just $0.65. It was all cash-only. 

 Passengers relaxing in the lounge on the Tazara train next to the restaurant and bar/snack stand. 

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train - A Hole In The Floor

 The electricity also often stopped working, sometimes for hours at a time. I had to be conservative when I turned my phone on to take pictures, and I was glad I brought several books for entertainment.

The toilets, however, were not metal.

The first-class toilet was a squat toilet, which is essentially a hole in the floor. Using it while the train moved was interesting.

The train also had a bar/snack stand, where you could buy things like bottled water for about $0.40.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train 7 - The Sinks Were Metal

In the cabin with me were Edwardo and his uncle Venango, who were going to Dar es Salaam for a holiday, and Yves, an NGO worker from Halle, Germany, on his way to a seminar on the island of Zanzibar. We all got on well — none of us kept the others up at night.

Most of the first-class area was quite nice, like the washroom, which had semi-warm water.

I was surprised the sinks were metal — and remained fairly clean throughout the journey, even though I never saw anyone cleaning them.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train 6 - More Luxurious

 My cabin was more luxurious than I expected, even though it was small and there were four of us in it.

With Yves, left; Venango, bottom; and Edwardo, top, on day three of our trip. Ben Mack / Insider

The cabin had four bunks, a small table, and storage space above the door and under two of the bunks. Each bunk also had a pillow and bright-colored, thick blanket with "Tazara" emblazoned across it in thick black letters. My lower-right bunk was comfortable to sit on — a good thing, since that's where I would be spending a lot of time for the next few days.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train - Two-Hour Delay

Boarding the Tazara train for Dar es Salaam, 

 After a delay of two hours that was not explained, we were finally able to board.

There was not much to do at the station. The only restaurant was closed, and there was no WiFi — so the two-hour delay felt even longer. After I showed my ticket, a uniformed man led me through the crowds directly to my cabin. "Enjoy the adventure," he said with a smile.

Ben Mack (to be continued)