Last week Red Jackets Speaker Bureau booked Chris Voysey on a trip from Cape Town to Pretoria on the Blue Train as a speaker, Here are his thoughts:

There must be a lot of people for whom a 3-day trip on the luxurious Blue Train is a top-of-the-list bucket item.  This beautifully appointed iconic train, replete with wood finishes and royal blue carpeting with gold Blue Train insignia, takes a leisurely trundle through South African countryside (a large part of it the starkly beautiful Karoo) over three days from Cape Town to Pretoria (or the other way round), spoiling guests with superb fine-dining and every comfort they could want for a time of sheer relaxation and pleasure.

It certainly was something I had wanted to do for many years and put to the back of my mind until the day some long-lost aunt left me some serious money in her will. I don’t have that kind of aunt anywhere in the family tree, so it came as a wonderful surprise to be offered a Speaker booking on the train by Red Jacker Speaker Bureau in March.

The brief was to be available to give an hour-long ‘entertainment’ a few times during the trip in case any of the guests might get a little bored during long, slow times of trundling. I selected the topic ‘Life in South Africa – not for the faint-hearted’ and set off on Thursday 14th March to meet the group at the Departures Lounge at Cape Town station in the morning.

We departed at noon and met 5 times in the Observation Carriage (over the next 3 days) with people sitting back in big comfortable armchairs, wine glass or cappuccino in hand, listening to my shared thoughts and experiences on such topics as Wildlife, Food & Drink, Sports, Colourful Cultures – Colourful People, and others. Visitors are fascinated by our country – its complex past and challenging future – and often these talks turned into spirited discussions and conversations on what people thought and felt.

As a Speaker or Entertainer, it is always really nice to get an interesting and unusual gig and this was certainly one of those. Friendly visitors to our country, fun topics to talk about. And the luxury, of course! Fine dining, very comfortable cabin, the gentle roll of the train with relaxing scenery going past. Thank you, Red Jacket. I’m available anytime!