The driver, with pride, steers the train up hills and the assistant, black from the soot of coal dust, labours to shovel enough coal for the beast's appetite. In the evening rest comes for everybody involved, including the engine. A Pullman hotel is created in the middle of the bush. Music blares, people chat and lovers disappear into the bush. The air is still and hot and mosquitoes drone.
Sleep is impossible.
The return journey is full of passengers returning to work in Xai Xai after spending a weekend with family or friends. The cargo containers are full of chopped wood needed by the townspeople. The Xai Xai railroad has often been threatened with closure. Realistically, the train is uneconomical. The line provides a service for such a small and insignificant part of Mozambique.