vip class" african version

In Africa, every traveler who claims to be a tourist, traveler, backpacker or whatever his name is always escorted to board a carriage or deck "VIP class" if you want to take a bus, train or ship. Perhaps the intention is for the comfort and safety of the traveler. It has become a standard in many countries if we travel with VIP class facilities that are definitely exclusive and very comfortable. But, the "VIP class" version of Africa can be said to be a little unique. I want to share a little about that.

Some of my travel bears in Africa are done by public bus. For cross-province or country trips, I always use VIP class buses for convenience reasons. Unfortunately, the comfort I was hoping for was far from reality. I can say the only bus that gave me a little comfort was the bus that took me from Dar Es Salaam to Arusha in Tanzania. The rest of the VIP class buses that I ride always give "a little surprise". Unlike in Indonesia where VIP buses only have two seats in each row, African buses in both economy class and VIP class have three seats in each row. Besides the distance between the benches is also very narrow. Moving around during the trip can be said to be almost impossible …… :-p. Crazy again, the bus almost never stops along the way. Imagine if you took the bus for 14 hours through the world of the country, could not move and had to resist urinating. Not a "VIP class" travel idea I ever dreamed of ... :-p.

VIP class deck on the Lake Malawi Ferry

Another means of transportation that I use in my travels in Africa is the ferry. As usual, the ferry counter guard advised to buy a VIP class with more comfortable reasons. Three times I took a ferry in Africa, twice in Tanzania and once in Malawi. Both of these countries have the same classification about "VIP class" because the VIP class ticket I bought placed me on the top deck of the ferry I was riding in, without a seat and together with a variety of animals. In fact, I had imagined an air-conditioned room complete with a flat TV and a comfortable sofa ... :-p. It doesn't matter if the ferry ride only takes two hours like I did when crossing from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar Island. But when the trip took three days and two nights like I had in Malawi, I will also imagine a more comfortable journey. It's known, because being on the top deck I was forced to sleep in the open. Luckily my traveling companion Tim had the idea to rent a mattress so we didn't have to sleep on the cold floor. Not only sleep is a problem, food also really makes it miserable and use to pay pulp. Ticket prices of USD 23 dollars do not include food prices. Regarding the quality of food, do not ask again. The rice is not really cooked properly and sometimes mixed with stones. Side dishes and vegetables also taste abysmally. Again, not the "VIP class" I dreamed of. Luckily my traveling companion Tim had the idea to rent a mattress so we didn't have to sleep on the cold floor. Not only sleep is a problem, food also really makes it miserable and use to pay pulp. Ticket prices of USD 23 dollars do not include food prices. Regarding the quality of food, do not ask again. The rice is not really cooked properly and sometimes mixed with stones. Side dishes and vegetables also taste abysmally. Again, not the "VIP class" I dreamed of. Luckily my traveling companion Tim had the idea to rent a mattress so we didn't have to sleep on the cold floor. Not only sleep is a problem, food also really makes it miserable and use to pay pulp. Ticket prices of USD 23 dollars do not include food prices. Regarding the quality of food, do not ask again. The rice is not really cooked properly and sometimes mixed with stones. Side dishes and vegetables also taste abysmally. Again, not the "VIP class" I dreamed of. Side dishes and vegetables also taste abysmally. Again, not the "VIP class" I dreamed of. Side dishes and vegetables also taste abysmally. Again, not the "VIP class" I dreamed of.

Trains are not much different from buses and ferries. In Egypt, I bought a VIP ticket for the ticket window guard. I ended up in a train car whose seat was immovable at all and with five other people. After getting along with a few people in Egypt, I finally found out that the ticket I had wasn't VIP class. Another story in Tanzania, I actually took the "VIP class" train on my journey from Dar Es Salaam to Mbeya. But, again this African-class VIP train is without air conditioning and doors that can only be opened from the inside. Opening a door can be a thrilling adventure because of the difficulty of opening the door.

Just like the ferry in Malawi, food is not included in the price of the train ticket so I have to buy food from the only restaurant on the train. Looking at the food provided, I can already guess the taste. The problem of room and food quality has been exacerbated by the 16-hour train schedule being delayed due to a broken locomotive engine.

VIP Class Food on the Dar Es Salaam-Mbeya Train

I don't know what to say about the definition of Africans about "VIP class". If the "VIP class" just like that, what about the economy class? I do not have the heart to tell the situation. Just imagine taking an economy-class train on Eid plus its fragrance multiplied 5 times. Understand it, no one in Africa uses deodorant ... :-p. Africa is indeed different ...

Disclosure: Posts on TravelFeed may contain affiliate links. See affiliate disclosure.