Taking the train

Last Thursday we, the Viljoens, took our first family train ride. In August the Gautrain opened it's lines to transporting people between Johannesburg and Pretoria. Last week we took our first ride together up to Pretoria to visit friends(and Jeff had a meeting). Here are some pics of our fun time on the train. Asher enjoyed himself before he fell asleep. A normal car ride takes 45 minutes on a weekend day and at least 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours on an average week day. The train only takes 40 minutes from Joburg to Pretoria CBD. Add a kid and the displeasure of sitting in traffic and you get a great reason to use the train.  No driving, sitting in an air-conditioned car with few people riding along. There is lots of security at the stations and a security guard rides in each car on the train so you feel safe(this is still South Africa :) ). I definitely suggest it as an option for travel between these two cities. As Asher gets bigger I think the ride will be more fun for him, but right now it's just his momma and daddy who love it.

Jeff loading up our Gautrain cards with cash to travel

Asher's ready and teething :)

Mom and Asher on the train

Dad posing for a scenic moment

Nice spacious areas to sit