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 – Macwoods Tea Factory

This was the day, that I actully did get to tea factory. There are three phases to making the tea.

1. Collecting the tea leaves,
2. Drying the leaves, shredding them to smaller particles
3. Fermenting the leaves (black tea is fermented, green tea is not)

Got a short tour to tea factory, from a lady who was quite good and clear in english.

At the tea tasting, you could also buy a piece of cake for 45 rupies.

A 10 tea package pack costed about 4000 rupies, depending on the flavour.

Ellakaboole (?) did mean like "fresh fruit" in Sri Lankan.

sasri2016 – Horton Plains

Today (Thursday 14.4.2016) I had a rough, but really nice walk in the rain forest. Horton Plains is one of few surviving rain forests in Sri Lanka.

sasri2016 – Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya is an expensive city. It's colder than other and located quite high in the mountains. The Sri Lanka's New Year festival was going in full throttle, when I arrived here (13.4.2016). I stayed in Wink Field hotel. It's a bit away from other hotels and city center, but not far (a walking distance).

City isn't that small. The walk from Wink Field to Grand hotel would take like 20 minutes perhaps, if you know the directions. I spent a long time trying to find Grand hotel to get a dinner there, but never made it. Found some guy barbecuing chicken legs and whole chickens in front of one bakery and went to ask if they have a menu. They guy showed me to get to their downstairs, which was actual restaurant and was supposed to have a menu (well they didn't as you probably can guess). But I wanted something salty and “normal” food for a change and have to admit, that smell on the street from those barbecued chickens was so great, that those chickens would have been all needed to make me happy. So I ordered french fries and barbecued chicken legs (two). While I was sitting in my table, I saw those fancy (sambol?) buns, that have curry inside. They have been totally awesome here, so I ordered one fish and one sesame version. They were not as good as those have been before, as their inside was not filled with actual curry, but instead something like it. Still loved it all. I first got wrong chicken legs, these ones were just heated in oven and not those in barbecue. But it was fixed and everything was “okay” again.

About the hotel. There really were not everything in the room you would have expected, with this price. Price was under 90 € per night, but with that price (specially in Sri Lanka), you would have expected to see mosquito vaporizer/spray/incense, candle (for power breaks), soap at the sink, possibly a flashlight and a wardrobe. There were not that many insects here, like there have been in other places in Sri Lanka during my trip, but still you would expect at least a closet where you can put your clothes hanging. Hotel was basically clean, but the worst part for me was the lack of hot water in my shower. When I came back from my walk in the city, I mentioned this to hotel's “lady” and bellboy, who doesn't really speak english, but did understand this. They first argued to me that it's not true, then they came to room to check this and after they verified it was like this, showed that I can go to have the shower in room next to me. Then I asked bellboy, that I would change room into this one. But that wasn't okay. I still don't know why, because no-one came to that room and facilities in my own room were not working (or sufficient). Didn't start a fight for this, because I was staying for one night only and I knew I would be totally messed at morning anyway, when waking 04:00 to get to Horton Plains.

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.