Across South Africa on the luxury Blue Train

Splendid vistas whisk by during the 1,600km journey, but there are also stark reminders that apartheid has left deep scars on the country

- Suzanne Sng

PRETORIA/CAPE TOWN, South Africa - The way South Africans use the phrase "just now" perfectly encapsulates my ride on The Blue Train, an iconic luxury train which harks back to the days of the Orient Express.

Unlike how Singaporeans use it to refer to the immediate past - "I did the laundry just now" - those two words have an opposite meaning for my South African partner Guy. When he says, "I'll do the laundry just now", he means he will tackle it some time in the near future - perhaps tomorrow, perhaps next week, who knows.

This same relaxed attitude applies to our three-day journey on The Blue Train, which sets off from Pretoria, in the north-east of South Africa, to Cape Town on the south-west coast.

During the 1,600km journey, we sometimes slow to a crawl or even grind to a halt, due to theft of the electrical cables of the railroad system.

"We will be on our way just now," an announcement chimes reassuringly over the sound system. And then we continue chilling on the track.

It is a good thing that the scenery outside our windows is, more often than not, breathtaking.

Instead of swooshing past at high speeds, we take in the rugged mountain ranges of the inland Highveld region, arid swathes of the Karoo desert and orderly lush vineyards.

We even spot a springbok - which the South African rugby team are named after - bounding through the bushes.

In between stuffing our faces at breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner, I manage to reread Murder On The Orient Express, Agatha Christie's classic 1934 locked-room mystery about passengers stranded on a train, which adds to the vibe.

Of course, it does not hurt that we are travelling in what is essentially a five-star hotel on wheels, ensconced in snug armchairs, which our butler transforms into fluffy beds of goose down at night.