I’d said my final goodbyes in Hanoi that morning, sad to be leaving beautiful people behind but very much ready to move on from the city, to explore new countries, to see what new adventures life has in store for me. After a long day of travelling (largely due to a long layover in Kuala Lumpur airport) I arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka, late at night on 30th June.
My initial feelings about Sri Lanka were a mixture of excitement at seeing the beautiful country and slight trepidation due to the recent terrorist attacks and news of ongoing trouble, plus some terrible stories I’d heard of what had happened (and continues to happen) to western women travelling solo here. As a precaution for the attacks, I simply planned to avoid parts of the country where it seemed there is still discontent, and as for being a solo woman, whenever travelling, or in a less touristy area, I made a much greater effort to ensure I wore appropriate clothing, and although most people showed only a friendly interest, I never fully dropped my guard.
After stopping on the way out of the airport to exchange money and get a SIM card (to ensure I had data for online teaching) the haggling began as I tried to find a reasonable price for a taxi to my hostel.
I was up the next morning after just five hours of sleep intent on making my way to Ella, a wonderful little place nestled among green tea plantations, wanting to get straight out into the mountains. Aiming to get there via public transport, there was a long day ahead. First, a tuk tuk to the bus station, then a bus to the train station in Colombo. We neared the centre during morning rush hour, and I watched fascinated as people hung out of bus doors, jumping on or off while the vehicle was still moving. We pulled up at the final stop, just me, the driver and the conductor left on board, and the driver attempted to charge me double fair due to the size of my bag. Now there is no denying my luggage is large (packing for summer, winter, day-to-day life, and teaching English, seems to result in a lot of stuff!), but it had been positioned in the back of the bus and so did not take up a person’s seat, plus I’d had no warning of extra cost until that moment. Standing my ground, I was a little taken aback as the driver shouted angrily at me (I don’t have much constitution for confrontation), but came out victorious as he let me leave having paid only for my own seat. I was both proud and a little shaken as I left the bus, making the final part of the journey on foot to the train station.
Luckily I arrived just in time for the train (very lucky as I wasn’t completely sure of the timetable!) and settled in for what was supposed to be a nine hour journey, but was actually ten. Apart from the very final thirty minutes when three flying cockroaches had me out of my seat and standing halfway down the carriage, it was a fully enjoyable ride.
There was no air con, but there were windows I could hang my head out if I desired (I didn’t, for fear I’d lose an eye or a head from some jutting out vegetation or another passing train). With a seat right at the back of the train I was lucky to enjoy panoramic views. For most of the journey we didn’t move at great speed, many not so comforting signs dotted along the way warning of the fragile state of the track and so the need for a (maximum) 25km pace. Whenever the train did pick up speed I felt as though I were on a seriously bumpy old-school rollercoaster. As with the buses, people hung out the doors and windows of many trains we passed, I wasn’t sure whether this was because the vehicle was full; because they wanted to enjoy the breeze or the view; or so they could exit at high speed as they reached their destination.
We wound our way through towns with colourful tin-roofed houses lining the tracks. From time to time our route crossed a road and each side of the barrier would be lined with bikes, tuk tuks and buses. As we travelled higher into the mountains the land became ever greener, trees and hills filling the landscape.
It was like watching a movie picture as we passed forests and open landscapes; towns and cities; busy or empty train stations (so many of which seemed to have a caretaker who took great pride in their appearance); people working in tea fields near and far; and every so often passing roads dotted with a variety of vehicles. The landscape fascinated and sometimes confused me – particularly as I noticed larger pine forests suddenly interspersed with bamboo or gum trees. I became lost in thought more than once wondering which trees were native to Sri Lanka and what was the result of human intervention.
From time to time we would enter a tunnel, daylight fading into darkness until we emerged at the other end, and a vision of brilliant greens would meet my eyes once again. On one occasion, figures stepped from the wall as we passed, a mother and son making their way down the tunnel. As they became more distant their silhouetted figures were framed by a white arch of the daylight we left behind, eventually all fading into shadow.
The day pushed on as the train rattled along the tracks, the sound of metal on metal sometimes so loud it was as though a mighty roll of thunder chased alongside us.
Every now and then the train would stop for 20 minutes or more (I never did discover why though perhaps it was due to traffic in the other direction). These were often the best ‘people watching’ moments so I did not mind the wait! The tracks seemed a hub-bub of life no matter where we were, people used them as walkways, worked alongside them, and sporadically popped out of the vegetation as we passed by. Others made their way to and from work or school. Food sellers would appear at the window, haggling deals until the train began to pull away again, money being thrust out into their hands at the last second.
From one of the on-board fruit sellers I discovered the art of adding chilli powder to pineapple, and its magical ability to stop your tongue turning funny after eating too much of the delicious fruit!
Despite being an exceptionally long journey (and one I would be unlikely to repeat) I was so incredibly glad I’d taken this option to reach Ella. Passing by so much life throughout the day, as well as the few interactions I had along the way, it felt as though I’d been given a whirlwind introduction to Sri Lanka and the beautiful people that live here. So many of whom make the effort to greet you with a wave and a friendly smile as the train coasts by.
