It's a lot more fun than walking. But not much faster.The Wau (pronounced "wow") Express covers the 480 km of track between Babanusa and Wau, Sudan in a little over three days.
"When," the reader may ask, "will I ever have to take the Wau Express?" The answer is probably never, unless you are prone to seasickness, detest mosquitoes and are in a "hurry" to get from Khartoum to Juba overland on the way to Nairobi. In that case, the two-to three-week riverboat journey up the Nile to Juba is out, and the Wau Express is for you.
Actually, the train trip is only a small part of the journey to Juba. After you reach Wau, a small town in the middle of nowhere - i.e., southwestern Sudan - you still face a five-day truck ride to Juba. Before it you have to get from Khartoum to Babanusa. This is accomplished by taking a fairly comfortable and punctual train from Khartoum, via Kosti.
by David W. Bennett
(to be continued)
