After spending the Saturday in Ella, I decided to take the
train back to Colombo with one other member of our group. This meant getting
the 9.23am train as it took 10 hours to get to Colombo, and we then have an
hour bus to get home. I was so excited to have a journey where I wasn’t cramped
in a bus, where I could stand up and walk around and where I didn’t get travel
sick. We purchased out second class tickets and waited in anticipation for the
train to arrive, completely bemused by the people randomly walking along the
train tracks.
The seats on the train were fairly comfortable, and had the
most leg room I have ever seen. The windows slid open enough that you could
hang your head and arms out. The doors to the platform could be wedged open, and
people sat in the doorways with their legs tucked under on the steps, leaning
out to fully take in the view.
The train climbed higher for the first couple of hours, the
outside breeze getting colder and colder, forcing me to put a long sleeved top
on. There are no words to describe the views that I saw. No photo will do it
justice. But I was in total awe. As the hours passed by, the mountain views
turned into tea plantations, along with the delightful smell of tea that
reminds me so much of home. The plantations gave way into thicker jungle and
the humidity and heat gradually returned to the air.
Towards the end of the journey, I sat down in the doorway of
the carriage, with my legs dangling over the edge of the train. Holding on to
the rail with both hands, I leant forward and watched the city night zooming
by. A grin spread from ear to ear and stayed firmly planted on my face as the
thrill and adrenaline rushed through my body. Ten hours on that train flew by.
I arrived back in Colombo relaxed, peaceful and so thankful that I witnessed
the raw untouched views of Sri Lanka.
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