sasri2016 – Train trip from Nanu Oya (Nuwara Eliya) to Kandy

I am writing this blog post in the train. Train left from Nanu Oya about 17:45 (was meant to leave 17:30) and for the first hour I was taking pictures out from window like crazy. It's unbelievable how beautiful sunset can be, from mountain views that are above clouds. It did get dark a little while ago and I couldn't take pictures anymore, so I switched to writing this blog. It feels strange, to sit here in 3^rd class Sri Lankan train and type a blog. Not that I could now publish it directly from here, because my Hutch mobile connection can't get to network here and I wouldn't want to waste my megabytes. I expect that there is a wifi connection at the Sunny Hill Residence, where I am going to stay in Kandy, so I can publish this there (and make the most important call of today – Skype to wife).

But back to the train travelling... this trip from Nanu Oya to Kandy takes about 5 hours (17:45 - 22:30 were my actual dep/arr times). It costed 90 rupies (something like 60 cents in euros?). These third class wagons (this night train only has 3^rd class) doesn't have separate seats, but benches instead. Before I got here, I did read that armchairs are the only difference between 3^rd class and 2^nd class wagons.

Now there is coming some girls singing through the window. Sad that I can't see much of anything to that town that we are passing, because it's so dark outside already. Some flashing lights do reveal that there is a town. That singing was beautiful change to, quite hard, sound of this train. As windows are always open here (looking around I noticed that old man opposite side of alley has closed the window, so there must be some finger movements needed to get windows closed), there are really quite much noise from the train. There is also another old man, laying on seat opposite the other one. Maybe he can sleep in this noice, but I couldn't even imagine doing that.

Kids are still screaming in the tunnels, though there has been only few tunnels for this train trip so far. Maybe they get tired to it when clock ticks forward. Oh, now we stopped to some station, better to try to close that window... yep, it was manageable.

Now there was amazing show of lightning. No, it's not different here, but when everything from train's window is dark, and you can see the lightning so clearly – it's just so beautiful. Specially when then striking lighting lights up all the clouds around it. This is nature's entertainment show and I just could keep on watching this. And I think, that thunderstorms are different in countries closer to equator. I think they have thunderstorms every night, in southern Sri Lanka, actually Colombo must have been only city, which haven't had thunderstorms almost every night.

sasri2016 – Train trip from Badulla to Nanu Oya (for Nuwara Eliya)

Train trip is amazing! I had reserved the seat to exporail through internet and paid the trip by Visa. That exporail seat costed 1200 rupies and that means it was only about 2,3 times the normal 2 class train ticket (from Colombo to Weligama on coastal line). Exporail wagon offers you a light lunch during this trip, but wagon doesn't have those tables at the back of the seats. There seemed to be electricity connections in the walls. Toilet was small, but that's no news here.

Train trip from Badulla to Nanu Oya takes about 4 hours and it's so beautiful. There are many bridges, a lot of beautiful scenery and other things you can take photos of. If it doesn't salvage your soul, even a tiny bit, then make a call to your doctor.

There were some power lines, that were so close to train, that I dodged them a little. It's hard to see the distance these power lines from photos, but I would say they are about 10 cm from train wagon when I was taking this picture.

There also were some not-so-functioning power line stands.

When we got to second last station before Nanu Oya, it started to rain a little. Well we had been travelling in rain forest for over an hour already, so no wonder it started to rain (this is dry season, but still). It was 9 km ride with tuk-tuk from Nanu Oya to my hotel “Wink Field”. Ride wasn't that bad.

There was still small boy, that tuk-tuk driver took onboard from one of hotels, just when we had started the journey to Nuwara Eliya. Driver explained to me, that this kid loves the tuk-tuk drives and he is often picked up from somewhere and taken on a drive to hotels. He was so small, cute and enthusiastic about driving. When we got to the hotel, he instantly went to driver's seat and tried to start the tuk-tuk.